On his way to a popular fishing spot on Saturday afternoon, Conservation Officer Alex Desjardins noticed a dead elk by the side of the road. The fact that the animal was gutted and had a rope around its neck tipped Desjardins off to the idea that he wasn’t dealing with a routine case of road kill.
“It looks like the elk was poached on the night of Thursday to Friday or early Friday morning (June 3). The elk was shot and gutted,” Desjardins said.
The CO speculates that the poachers either got interrupted or changed their mind about the kill partway through the act.
The elk was discovered on a Forest Service Road on the way to Summit Lake, about 24 km from the junction with Parson River Crossing.
What was particularly disappointing for Desjardins was the fact that no one called in the incident via the RAPP line.
“We urge the public to call the RAPP line any time that poaching is suspected. Elk hunting is not open this time of year and Conservation Officers are concerned that, in this high traffic area, many vehicles had to drive around the elk,” Desjardins said.
“We would urge the public that, even if they are unsure and if they think it could be poaching, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Anyone with any information regarding the poaching is urged to call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
Fines or jail time can be the consequence for elk poaching, with fines escalating to a maximum of $500,000 and jail time of up to three years.
