Bull elk shot illegally in Sawyer County
One of Wisconsin’s handful of bull elk was illegally shot and killed along a roadside in Sawyer County over the weekend of Sept. 14-15. Wisconsin DNR conservation wardens are asking for the public’s help in identifying a possible suspect.
According to the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Department, the bull elk was illegally shot the morning of Saturday, Sept. 14. The carcass was found along the side of the road near Hwy. 77 and Forest Road 174, which is east of Hayward in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
“If you were passing through this area between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. and noticed anything unusual or if you have any information regarding this incident please call the Wisconsin DNR at (800) 847-9367,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Wisconsin’s second current day bull-only elk season will run Oct. 12 through Nov. 10 and again Dec. 12-20. Only 10 tags have been issued; five to state-licensed hunters and five to Chippewa tribal hunters. The bull appears to have been deliberately shot illegally, with the carcass left alongside the road.
It’s also illegal to shoot wild game while standing within 50 feet of a roadway’s center.