The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is looking for the public's help in solving the illegal killings of two cow elk in separate events in Jackson County during the recent gun-deer season.
DNR staff received and responded to a mortality signal from a cow elk's monitoring collar on November 20. The elk was found on private property near Whitney Road in Knapp Township. They also received a second mortality signal from another cow elk's monitoring collar on November 22. That's when they found the second elk near the Castle Mound and Brockway Roads in Brockway Township. The deaths of two breeding cows are losses to the elk population growth.
Necropsy tests confirmed each animal had been shot. No other case information is available currently as the investigation continues.
"We ask the public to share any information with the DNR's confidential Violation Hotline via call or text to 1-800-847-9367," said Conservation Warden Michael Weber. "We appreciate our partnership with the public in protecting our state's resources and wildlife."
Elk are found in two distinct ranges in Wisconsin. The largest, and oldest, elk herd in the state is the Clam Lake elk herd. The Clam Lake herd ranges across Ashland, Bayfield, Price, Sawyer and Rusk counties in northern Wisconsin. The other, the Black River elk herd, is found in the forested region of Jackson County in the central part of the state. Elk were reintroduced in Jackson County starting in 2015.
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy, Rural Lifestyle