According to the DWR, the elk was shot on private property on October 9th. The bull elk was what’s called a 6x6, meaning each side of its antlers had six points. The DWR says that makes the elk a “trophy” sized animal.
The Mormon Flat area is roughly five miles north of Jeremy Ranch on Jeremy Ranch Road. Along with hunting, the area is also a popular destination for hikers, bikers, and campers.
DWR Law Enforcement Section Chief Wyatt Bubak says since October 9th was also the opening day of the rifle season for spike and bull elk in Utah, the department does not suspect poaching until a suspect can be identified.
“We don’t know, because we don’t know who the suspects are, but we believe that they likely had an elk license that would allow them to harvest an elk, they just didn’t have permission to be on the property where they shot that," Bubak says. "It would be what we’d call ‘take while trespass,’ where if they had a valid license for the area, it’s not technically poaching, but they needed permission to be on that property.”
Bubak added that Morgan County is 90-95% private land and trespassing incidents are relatively common in the area during hunting season. He says hunters can use a variety of online tools to help them locate public land during their hunts.
Poaching, or hunting without a valid hunting license or tag for the area, is considered wanton destruction of wildlife, which is a third degree felony in Utah. That’s punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
Utah law also states it’s a class B misdemeanor to leave an animal to waste or allow it to spoil before its meat has been harvested. Offenders also run the risk of getting their hunting and fishing privileges taken away.
Bubak says it’s possible that the waste was accidental, where the hunter couldn’t find the elk after shooting it. He adds in cases like this, intent is a key factor in any punishment.
“If it’s completely accidental, we factor that in," he says. "We usually reserve suspensions for those people that go out there and intentionally and knowingly violate wildlife laws.”
As of Friday, there are no suspects who have been identified, but Bubak says the DWR is looking for more information from two men who may have been in the area at the time the elk was shot.
Anyone with information on the elk killing, or any other wildlife-related crimes, is encouraged to contact the DWR by calling its tip hotline at 800-662-3337, using the UTDWR law enforcement app, by texting 847411, or online at wildlife.utah.gov.
The DWR also says information about this specific case can also be given to DWR Conservation Officer Brandon Olson at 801-541-3906.
