Rewards are being offered in two recent cases of attempted elk poaching.
In the first case, Arizona Game and Fish Department officers are looking for information regarding an elk that was shot and wounded with a crossbow outside of Kingman on July 26 or 27. Wildlife officers responding to several calls about a wounded elk in the area of the Pine Lakes subdivision found the cow elk that was wounded with a crossbow bolt. Officers captured the elk, humanely removed the arrow and then released the animal. A $350 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for shooting the elk.
In the second case, the reward for information has been increased from $750 to $1500 for information regarding the poaching of two cow elk and the wounding of a third elk north of Flagstaff in April of this year.
Game and Fish Department officials say the poaching occurred during the evening of April 10 in Hunt Unit 7E, north of the San Francisco Peaks and Saddle Mountain and one-half mile east of Highway 180 off Forest Service Road 523. The poacher or poachers shot into a herd of elk, killing two cow elk and wounding a third. Evidence found at the scene indicates that a .30-30 rifle was used and a total of nine shots were fired. The two dead elk were left in the field but the wounded animal has not been recovered.
Anyone with information about either case should call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700.