The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Friday extended a plea to the public for tips to help solve two illegal elk killings in the state’s central herd.
The elk, both adult cows wearing blaze orange collars, were illegally shot in separate incidents in Jackson County during the nine-day gun deer hunting season, according to the agency.
The animals were part of a recovery program for the native species; they were wearing GPS collars that emitted mortality signals after a period without movement.
Department staff responded Nov. 20 to the first mortality signal and found the dead elk on private property near Whitney Road in Knapp Township. The second mortality signal resulted in the other dead elk being found Nov. 22 in a section of the Jackson County Forest near Castle Mound and Brockway Roads in Brockway Township.
Necropsy tests confirmed each animal had been shot with a firearm, according to the DNR. No other information on the cases is being released as the investigations continue.
The incidents mark the fifth consecutive Wisconsin gun deer season in which elk were illegally killed. The 2022 Wisconsin gun deer season ran Nov. 19-27.
More:The stories of the 2022 Wisconsin gun deer season include the use of all-terrain wheelchairs and the recovery of a buck after it was stolen
The 2018, 2020 and 2021 illegal elk killings also occurred in and around Jackson County.
“It’s just sad that there are people out there who lack the ability or the education to discern the difference (between an elk and a deer),” said Mike Riggle, a hunter who lives in Medford and serves as vice-chair of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress’ deer and elk advisory committee.
Each fall the DNR issues reminders to hunters about the possibility they will see elk when afield. The materials include keys in each species’ appearance and size, including the taller height and larger bodies of elk and longer tails on deer. In addition, most elk in Jackson County are fitted with colored ear tags or GPS collars.
“To me it’s like trying to tell the difference between a semi truck and a Volkswagen,” Riggle said. “There would be no reason to shoot an elk, especially in this day and age and with hunters in that area where elk are known to reside.”
Riggle said the shooters clearly did not adhere to one of the cardinal rules of hunter education: be sure of your target and what’s beyond.
The violations are subject to fines and loss of hunting privileges.
Elk were native to Wisconsin but wiped out by the 1880s due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss, according to the DNR.
A reintroduction project began in 1995 when 25 elk were transported from Michigan to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Clam Lake.
Additional elk were brought from Kentucky to Wisconsin beginning in 2015 to create a second herd in Jackson County as well as bolster the size and genetic diversity of the northern herd.
The statewide elk population was estimated at 466 in 2022, according to the DNR, with 336 in the northern herd and 130 in the central part of the state.
A limited elk hunting season for bulls has been held annually since 2018. The season is held only in the northern part of the state; tags are split equally between state-licensed hunters and tribal hunters. This year a total of eight bulls was killed.
A hunting season could be held in the central herd in the coming years, said Scott Roepke, DNR wildlife supervisor, but no decisions have been made about when it will occur.
This year elk statewide were protected with the exception of those near Clam Lake.
The illegal killings of two breeding cows in Jackson County are substantial losses to the elk population growth in the region, according to the DNR.
To assist with its investigation of the illegal killings, the DNR is asking the public for tips by calling or texting the confidential violation hotline at (800) 847-9367. Tips can also be submitted online.
“We ask the public to share any information, no matter how small it may seem,” said DNR conservation warden Michael Weber. “The public’s help in such cases is invaluable.”
Two cow elk illegally shot in Jackson County during gun deer season – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
