Illegal hunters are being sought after an incident between Enderby and Salmon Arm.
A cow elk was killed and left in a field on Deep Creek Road Tuesday night.
“Shooting at night is dangerous and unlawful,” said Brent Smith, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Environment.
Also, there is never an open season for cow elk.
The incident apparently began when a pickup truck entered the field at about 8 p.m., used a light to improve visibility and fired a shot. The truck then left the scene but returned again at 9 and 11:30 p.m. Shots were fired both times.
Smith isn’t sure why the vehicle kept returning and why the cow elk was left without any meat taken.
“They may have killed another elk and loaded it into the truck. There is no evidence of that so we don’t know what happened,” he said.
The incident occurred 75 metres from a house and not only was public safety put at risk, but hunting at night is illegal because animals can be lost in the dark.
“A lot of animals are crippled and escape,” said Smith.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 1-877-952-7277.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation will provide rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to convictions.
