Idaho wildlife agents hunt for killers of 15 large moose

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published October 26, 2001

"We've had problems every year. This is just one of the worst years I've had in my area that I can recall." -- Doyle Reynolds, of the Idaho Fish and Game Department

COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho -- Wildlife agents in northern Idaho are searching for the killers of 15 huge moose in the past month.

Six moose were killed in Shoshone and Benewah counties in the past week. While the antlers were removed from two bulls, thousands of pounds of meat were left behind.

"We've had problems every year," said Doyle Reynolds, of the Kellogg office of the Idaho Fish and Game Department. "This is just one of the worst years I've had in my area that I can recall."

In the past month, 15 moose have been killed by poachers in northern Idaho, a state wildlife official said. Last year, the agency recorded 17 moose that were illegally shot.

"There's not much evidence left behind," said Steve Agte, regional conservation officer for the department. "You might have a bullet to go with and nothing else."

Citizens Against Poaching is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in each of the cases.

Illegally killing a moose carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000, plus a fine and possible jail sentence. Hunting privileges also may be revoked.

The state issued 205 moose permits in northern Idaho this year, more than double the number five years ago. Statewide, more than 1,100 moose permits were issued.

The growing moose population has brought more animals into contact with people, said Jim Hayden, regional wildlife manager for Idaho Fish and Game. Exact population numbers are unknown.

The moose make easy targets for poachers, Agte said.

"They are slow and easy to take down," he said. "They aren't like elk and deer that take off the minute people see them."

About half of the illegally killed moose are left rotting in the fields. Reynolds estimated that each of the six moose killed near Kellogg had 600 pounds of meat that could have been sent to a food bank.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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