A mature bull elk left wasted in a field northwest of Potlatch has the Idaho Department of Fish and Game beating the brush, looking for leads.

Conservation officer Tony Imthurn said the elk carcass with its ivories and antlers removed was reported a week ago on the north side of McKown Road, which heads west from U.S. 95 a few miles north of Potlatch.

The poaching isn’t an anomaly on Imthurn’s beat, but the case was egregious because of the bull maturity, and because no meat was taken.

“We’ve had enough of these this year, that people are getting (concerned),” Imthurn said.

Imthurn said the poaching likely occurred between Sunday, Oct. 13 and the following Wednesday. A landowner heard gunshots Sunday night, Imthurn said, but he thinks the animal, which had been shot one time, was killed closer to midweek.

Any information will help, he said, no matter how insignificant.

“Someone has information regarding who killed this elk and we would be very interested in talking to them and solving this case,” Imthurn said.

The incident comes at a time North Idaho IDFG officers have been alerted to several poaching reports including a spike bull elk killed and left near Fern Hill Road south of Deary last week, and a trophy class 6-by-6 bull that was illegally killed and hauled off at night near Harpster.

Call Imthurn at 208-716-8099 or call the Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) hotline 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

— Ralph Bartholdt