A deer shot by an intended poacher on the northwest side of Billings stands with an arrow hanging from his shoulder.
Poaching of game in and around Yellowstone County appears to be on the rise, with the two most recent cases occurring inside Billings city limits within eight days of each other. In each of these cases whitetail deer were shot with arrows, with one being left on the South Side and the other still running around the north western area of Billings with an arrow hanging from his shoulder. Another high profile poaching case – which is still under investigation – occurred just a month prior when four bull elk were killed and left to waste just outside of Roundup.
The first two elk found were reportedly poached around midnight on August 17th about ten miles east of Roundup. After the first of the elk was found, Musselshell County Sheriff Shawn Lesnik posted a statement to Facebook stating that the entire bull – a mature six-point – was left to rot in the field, “This is a horrendous crime, and the individuals that perpetrated it need to be held accountable,” Lesnik said, adding that this type of crime is incomprehensible and should not be something that members of the community can turn a blind-eye to. Just a few days after these two were found, the Dispatch Center received a call about the location of a third poached elk. A fourth elk was found soon after, nearly 25 miles away in the southwestern corner of Musselshell County, and was also left fully intact and rotting in a field. In light of these events, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks announced they are offering a $1,000 reward for information on these killings. That $1,000 has now been raised to $3,000 with the Montana Chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife each adding an additional $1,000. If anyone has any information, they are encouraged to call FWP Game Warden Randy Hutzenbiler at (406)694-2571 or the FWP tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668).
