Elk poaching investigated in northern Wyoming

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is investigating who is responsible for killing and removing the head of a bull elk in the Bighorn Mountains and leaving all edible portions of the animal to waste.

The headless carcass was reported to Lovell Game Warden Dillon Herman on Sept. 27 by a hunter.

Herman determined the elk was killed by an arrow, likely between Sept. 22 and 24. The head had been removed from the carcass and skinned, with just the skull and antlers removed from the field.

Herman says leaving an animal to waste and taking the head is one of the more egregious violations the agency sees and shows a blatant disregard and disrespect for wildlife.