Montana probe widens as ‘senseless’ killing of elk continues

Somebody in Montana is shooting elk and leaving the animals to rot, and authorities are seeking the public’s help.

The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that its officers had responded to a report of a bull elk that had been found shot to death east of the town of Roundup.

“The entire bull, a mature six-point, was left to rot in the field,” reads a Facebook post from the Sheriff’s Office, imploring the public to share information that might be useful in an investigation headed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department.

Elk image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

“This is a horrendous crime and the individuals that perpetrated it need to be held accountable!” the post concludes.

Sheriff Shawn L. Lesnik later updated the post to reveal that two more elk carcasses had been discovered, and on Tuesday Lesnik told For The Win Outdoors that, based on tips, a fourth elk may have been shot.

One of at least three elk killed by a poacher. Photo: Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office

“We suspect there is at least one more wounded bull, that may or may not be dead,” Lesnik said. “This is big country and a wounded bull has lots of country to lay down and die in and never be discovered.”

Lesnik added that finding wounded or dead elk in the vast and rugged terrain surrounding Roundup is like finding “the proverbial needle in the haystack.”

Fish, Wildlife & Parks has not disclosed information as it conducts its investigation, but Lesnik said the agency has received numerous tips.

Lesnik told the Billings Gazette, “I will tell you there are a substantial number of people who are pretty angry about this because it’s just so senseless. It’s just unfathomable.”

The sheriff is asking anyone with useful information to telephone his office or the state’s anonymous hotline at 1-800-847-6668.

–Top two generic elk mages are via ©Pete Thomas; third image showing a bull elk carcass is courtesy of the Musselshell Sheriff’s Office