Oregon hunters have increased the reward to $3,000 for information leading to an arrest related to the recent poaching of three elk near the town of Sisters.
In late October, poachers killed a bull elk, spike elk, and cow elk, all of which were mostly left to waste.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a news release issued Wednesday, said two of the elk were entirely left to waste “in a blatant demonstration of thrill-kill.”
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The bull elk had its head and shoulders removed, likely for a trophy mount.
All three elk were believed to have been killed in the same general area at the same time “on or about Oct. 28.”
This week the reward grew to $3,000 after new donations totaling $2,500 were made by four chapters of the Oregon Hunters Assn.
The elk were discovered after Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers received a tip by a hunter who discovered the cow carcass on Oct. 30. The hunter had been scouting the Dry Canyon area.
Troopers also discovered the bull elk carcass, minus the antlered head and shoulders. Two days later Troopers found the spike elk carcass – a young male with an unbranched antler – after receiving a tip on the state’s Turn in Poachers (TIP) Line.
Although elk-hunting season was open at the time, leaving animals to waste is a crime in Oregon.
OSP Troopers are seeking public input in their attempt to solve the case. The elk were poached near Highway 126 and Quail Tree Drive.
–Elk image is generic