After two large bull elk were found dead at Rocky Mountain National Park across a 10-day span in September, park rangers have opened a poaching investigation.
Park visitors reported to park staffers that they'd found a dead bull elk next to Trail Ridge Road near the Ute Crossing Trail south of Forest Canyon Overlook on Saturday, the park said in a news release. Upon investigation, rangers said they discovered the elk had been poached on Sept. 21 during the nighttime hours or in the early morning on Sept. 22.
On Sept. 12, rangers discovered a different elk poached along Trail Ridge Road near Milner Pass, likely killed during the night of Sept. 11 or the early morning hours on Sept. 12, park staffers said. The bull's head had been taken while the rest of the carcass was left behind.
Rangers at the park said both cases remain under investigation.
Anyone with information about either of these incidents is asked to please call or text the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau at 888-653-0009 or call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-332-4155. People who provide information that leads to an arrest might get a reward.
Rangers at the park said that anyone with information or who might have been in those areas need not identify themselves; just provide whatever information they have.
Staffers are also asking for pictures of bull elk in the area of Milner Pass. Those can be emailed to this address or posted on the park's Facebook page.
"Both of these elk were magnificent large bulls," the park provided in a statement. "Tens of thousands of park visitors have viewed and photographed these bulls. The individual(s) involved with these egregious poaching incidents have robbed park visitors from this experience and killed two strong bull elk during the rutting season. Please help the park protect wildlife by reporting any suspicious activity."
It is illegal to hunt in Rocky Mountain National Park. Currently, there are about 600 - 800 elk in the park.
The Coloradoan in Fort Collins reported in 2015 regarding elk poaching in the park - that time a cow elk shot near Mills Lake. No follow up report was filed and it is unclear if anyone was caught in the case.
