Fort Vermilion poachers shoot five elk, discard remains

Fish and Wildlife are looking to track down the poachers responsible for shooting five elk and discarding the carcasses near Fort Vermilion.

The remains of two bull elk, two pregnant cow elk and a calf were found in a remote area, roughly 3 km from the junction of Highway 88 and Highway 58.

Based on their decomposition, Fish and Wildlife estimate the bodies sat unnoticed for a couple days before a report was made on March 14th.

"The elk were buried in snow, that was presumably done to conceal their whereabouts," said Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Brendan Cox.

"In the case of the two bull elk, their heads were taken, but everything else, it appears, was just wasted."

If the suspects are found, they could face at least $50,000 in fines or up to a year in jail, according to Cox.  It's an offence under the Wildlife Act to waste the edible flesh of big game animals, On top of that, elk —at the time of the incident— were out of season in the Fort Vermilion area.

It's common for fish and wildlife officers to find the discarded remains of big game animals, but this case stands out.

"Deer are the most commonly poached animal, but it's less common for this many elk to be shot and left like this," said Cox.

"It's certainly concerning and its something that our officers are investigating."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Fort Vermilion Fish and Wildlife office at 1-780-927-4488 or the Report-A-Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.