Authorities are investigating the poaching of a bull elk on the National Bison Range in western Montana. Tribal officials that manage the area say someone found the carcass “disrespectfully dumped in the canal on the Bison Range with its head cut off.”
Bison Range officials say about four bull elk die each year on the range from fighting during the breeding season or from natural causes.
Located about 45 minutes north of Missoula, Montana, the National Bison Range covers more than 18,000 acres of land and is home to bison, elk, mule and whitetail deer, pronghorn antelope and other wildlife. The nature reserve was established in 1908. It is a popular destination for wildlife watchers, photographers, tourists, school field trips and others.
If you have any information about the incident, contact Tribal Game Warden Garrett Fenton at 406-360-8193 or at [email protected].
For 2022, Fiocchi partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to increase the visibility of poaching incidents in an effort to reduce poaching nationwide.
(Photo source: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)