The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking the public for information regarding a female adult elk found shot and left for dead Monday morning, November 18, on National Park Service property near the end of M Highway in Carter County.
No meat or other parts of the animal were taken. By the time the dead cow elk was found by conservation agents, the meat was no longer salvageable for donation.
According to MDC, this is the sixth elk killed by poachers over the past several years. MDC Protection Division Chief Randy Doman said investigations into each incident are ongoing. Doman emphasized the importance of public cooperation in bringing those responsible to justice.
“The restoration of elk in Missouri is appreciated by many people, businesses, and organizations in the area,” Doman said. “A healthy, growing elk population brings significant economic, recreational, and cultural benefits to these communities. The senseless waste of the people’s resources should not be tolerated.”
MDC agents are asking that anyone with any information related to this investigation report it to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-392-1111 or the MDC Ozark Regional Office in West Plains at (417) 256-7161.
