Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Utah wildlife officials seek public assistance in a poaching case near Bears Ears.
- A buck was illegally shot and left to waste outside the monument's boundaries.
MONTICELLO — Utah wildlife officials are asking for the public's help as they investigate a poaching case near Bears Ears National Monument earlier this month.
The incident was reported to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources on Oct. 9. Conservation officers located the buck carcass in an area near South Long Point Road in San Juan County on land just outside of national monument boundaries.
They determined the deer was likely near the road when it was shot with a firearm about two or three days before it was reported, possibly during the first weekend of the month.
There were some legal elk or bear hunts happening in the area at the time the deer was killed, but no deer hunts. The buck was left to waste with no attempt to collect its antlers or meat, which is also illegal. The antlers measured just shy of 24 inches in length, meaning it was not classified as a trophy buck, which would have elevated the severity of the case.
Division officials released information about the case on Thursday after exhausting all leads. Anyone who may have information about the case is asked to call 800-662-3337 or text 847411. Information can also be submitted online or through the division's law enforcement app.
Utah conservation officers earlier this year reported an uptick in poaching cases before the hunting season, including nine deer illegally killed statewide between Aug. 1 and early September.
The state also updated its restitution fees and other poaching penalties this year. Illegally killing a deer now counts as 400 points within the state's new points system, making any case an automatic class A misdemeanor with a $600 restitution fee. Had the buck measured as a trophy animal, the case would have been elevated to a third-degree felony, eliciting a $12,000 fee.
In either situation, a conviction can also lead to the suspension of hunting privileges in Utah and every other state but Hawaii, which is the only state not a part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
