Reward Offered
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
KY Fish & Wildlife seeks information about illegal kill of elk
Photo by Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Resources Last winter, elk rushed to freedom in their new McCreary County home. Elk were relocated in McCreary County from other areas of Kentucky as part of Kentucky’s 25 year long elk restoration project.
“We are trying to restore elk to this area,” Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) Law Enforcement Officer Joey Braden said firmly as he referenced the illegal kill of a 2 ½ year old bull elk in McCreary County last week. “There was absolutely no point in this.”
Officer Braden asks anyone with information about the illegal elk kill incident to come forward. With the Kentucky Elk Guides Association offering a $2,500 reward to anyone providing information leading to conviction of the individual(s) who shot the elk, there are both ethical and financial reasons to step forward. Anyone with information about the illegal kill should call Post 11 at 606-878-6622 and ask for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Officer Joey Braden. To leave an anonymous tip, one can text the letters “KFWLAW” with their message to 847411.
The illegal take/pursuit of any elk is a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $1,000. There are also possible replacement cost fees of $1,788.91 and up.
KDFWR noted the radio collar worn by the deceased elk quit transmitting just prior to a Fish and Wildlife employee discovering the elk’s carcass in a field on Forest Service property. The 3×3 elk had been shot and was relatively young as it typically takes five to six years for young elk to reach maturity.
The illegally killed elk was one of more than 40 Rocky Mountain Elk released last winter in McCreary County. The McCreary County elk relocation and release was conducted through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources with grant funding from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Captured and relocated to McCreary County from other parts of Kentucky as part of Kentucky’s Elk Restoration Project, the elk are a direct result of a project which began twenty-five years ago from 1997-2002. The primary goals of the project are to restore elk and increase opportunities for the public to view and hunt them. Hunting elk in McCreary County is not allowed for the time being. However, there are plans to offer limited opportunities to hunt elk at some point in the future when a substantial population of elk became established. McCreary is one of only 16 counties in KY’s elk zone.
Again, anyone with information about the illegal elk kill should call Post 11 at 606-878-6622 and ask for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Officer Joey Braden. . To leave an anonymous tip, one can text the letters “KFWLAW” with their message to 847411.
