Cow and calf moose
gunned down
Information leading
to arrests sought
"Both
shots were well-placed. They were killing shots. It’s not like they were
shot from a half mile away. They should not have been mistaken for
anything."
- Roger
Olson, Fish and
Game conservation officer
By GREG
STAHL
Express Staff Writer
A cow and
calf moose were illegally shot in the Corral Creek area east of Sun Valley
late last week, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game officers are seeking
information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
Ross
Youngman, left, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game Conservation Officer
Roger Olson examine a yearling moose that was illegally shot in the
Corral Creek area east of Sun Valley late last week. Express photo by
Willy Cook
Deer hunter
Ross Youngman found the dead animals Oct. 22 early in the morning and
reported the incident to Fish and Game. Youngman, who frequents Corral
Creek during snow-free months, said he has seen moose in the valley for
between five and 10 years. The two animals destroyed last week may have
been a mother and calf, he said.
"The
theory is that people thought they were elk," Youngman said during a
visit to the site.
The animals
were found three and a half miles up Corral Creek on a sagebrush bench on
the northeast side of Corral Creek Road. From the road, only one of the
cow’s leg was visible, sticking into the autumn sky about 75 yards from
the road.
"Both
shots were well-placed," said Fish and Game Conservation Officer
Roger Olson. "They were killing shots. It’s not like they were shot
from a half mile away. They should not have been mistaken for anything.
"This
is not a moose hunter who did this."
For the
first time since moose were reintroduced into the region in the 1970s,
Fish and Game is holding a moose hunt this fall in the Wood River Valley
and surrounding mountains. Two bull permits were issued.
Olson said
the animals were clearly shot intentionally. But he said why the animals
were shot is unclear. It could have been a case of mistaken identity or of
blatantly breaking the law.
The crime
is punishable by a civil penalty of $1,000, a Fish and Game minimum fine
of $1,500, and a minimum hunting license suspension of one year.
Because
there is typically a lot of car, bicycle and foot traffic in the Corral
Creek area, Olson said he hopes someone saw or heard something that could
help lead to an arrest.
"More
than likely, somebody’s going to see something," Youngman said.
"That’s the only way we’re going to find anybody."
Olson said
anyone with information about the dead moose should call him at 788-2824,
or Conservation Officer Lee Garwood at 788-2824 or the Citizens Against
Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.
Olson said
most of the infractions he’s investigating during this fall’s hunting
seasons deal with private property issues and tag infractions. Just on
Sunday, however, he investigated an incident involving a mule deer buck
shot in the Parker Gulch area east of Elkhorn. A hunter had killed the
animal, cut off the head and left over 60 pounds of meat.
It’s
illegal to waste the meat of a game animal, he pointed out.
Various
Wood River Valley deer and elk hunting seasons will continue through the
end of November, Olson said.