The search is on for at least two poachers responsible for a rash of wildlife killings in the forested area west of Sundre.
Among the incidents, a man who had been hunting toward Yaha Tinda Ranch, which lies at the headwaters of the Red Deer River, reported finding a bull elk hidden under a pile of logs during the Thanksgiving weekend. The antlered bull had four points on one side and five on the other, indicating that he was too young to be legally hunted, Sundre Fish and Wildlife Mark Hoskin said on Wednesday.
The area is open for hunting mature bulls, but the animals must have at least six points on each antler to be taken legally, said Hoskin.
Forensic evidence suggested there were two people involved in killing the bull, he said.
Hoskin is now looking into additional findings within the past week of a cow moose and a whitetail buck that were also shot and then abandoned in the area.
There is no logical explanation for leaving a dead animal to rot in the bush, said Hoskin, who has investigated earlier incidents in which people were shooting at large animals “just for the joy of it.”
He cited a previous incident in which a man had shot a moose with a .22 rifle because he wanted to see what would happen. Shooting a moose with a small-calibre rifle is illegal because the weapon does not have enough power to humanely kill the animal, said Hoskin.
Evidence from the moose’s remains indicated that it had thrashed around for some time before it died of internal injuries.
Regardless of whether the shooters are licensed to hunt, it is illegal to abandon the remains after an animal has been killed, although there are areas where hunters may leave entrails of an animal that has been taken legally, since that material benefits the local environment, said Hoskin. Abandoning an entire animal, however, constitutes a charge of wasting wildlife, he said.
It is also illegal to abandon a wounded animal, shoot from a vehicle, shoot from a road and shoot at night.
Wildlife officer are looking for any additional information that may help them track and charge the people responsible for what appears to be a rash of killings.
Perpetrators face fines of up to $50,000 and a potential of up to two years in jail time, said Hoskin. They also lose any of the tools used in the committing the offences, including vehicles and weapons, he said.
Anyone who has information that may lead to charges relating to this or any other poaching incident may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. Information can be reported toll-free to the Report-a-Poacher hotline at 1-800-642-3800. Callers can remain anonymous.
— copyright Red Deer Advocate