JACKSON COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two elk were illegally shot in western Wisconsin during the recent gun deer hunting season.
The state Department of Natural Resources says it became aware of the first shooting on Nov. 20 when a radio collar indicated the animal had died. The female elk was found on private property near Whitney Road in the town of Knapp.
Two days later, another female elk’s collar indicated it had died as well. The animal was found near Castle Mound and Brockway roads in the town of Brockway.
“We ask the public to share any information — no matter how small it may seem — with the DNR’s confidential Violation Hotline via call or text to 1-800-847-9367,” Conservation Warden Michael Weber said in a news release. “We appreciate our partnership with the public in protecting our state’s resources and wildlife.”
Tips can also be submitted on the DNR’s website.
Elk were introduced to Jackson County in 2015 when a herd was relocated from Kentucky. It was the second herd to be moved to Wisconsin. The Clam Lake herd covers Ashland, Bayfield, Price, Sawyer and Rusk counties in northern Wisconsin.
DNR officials say the deaths of two breeding cows hurt overall efforts to increase the population of elk in Wisconsin.
