LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-13 AT 03:27PM (MST)[p]
LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-13 AT 03:14?PM (MST)
This lastest update may help answer some questions. From the CO holding the head, Josh Carver (
[email protected]) (435-691-4167)
"$8000 reward offered in trophy buck deer poaching case!
Dec 02, 2013
Iron County
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) conservation officers in southern Utah are investigating the illegal killing of a 7X13, 34-inch wide buck deer in the Shurtz Canyon area south of Cedar City.
Several members of the public have been watching this buck because of its tremendous size and character. The animal was last seen on November 22nd, 7:30 pm.
On November 30th, concerned citizens, who had been watching the deer, observed several ravens and eagles in the area. They hiked to the location and located the carcass and contacted state wildife officers.
During the course of the investigation, conservation officers located a doe deer that had also been killed illegally during the same time frame.
The illegal killing and subsequent waste of wildlife is extremely troublesome to wildlife officials. It is a theft from consumptive and non-consumptive users alike. Deer are currently in the rut and are very susceptible to harassment.
Investigators need more information from the public. anyone with information regarding this case is encouraaged to call the Utah Turn in a Poacher (UTIP) Hotline (1-800-662-DEER) or the DWR Southern Region Office (435-865-6100). Callers may remain anonymous and requests for confidentiality are honored.
An $8,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the killing of this trophy buck deer. This reward is being jointly offered by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and partners Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW) and the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF).
The Shurtz Canyon Buck scored 239 inches, Boone and Crockett.
Conservation officers have made it a top priority to carry out organized winter range patrols, to protect deer and other big game populations, over the last four years. Confirmed deer poaching incidents have decreased 35% during that time. Conservation officers typically cover more than 2,000 square miles. There are multiple patrol district vacancies across the state which exacerbates the situations. The public's assistance is critical in the protection of these valuable wildlife resources.
Please be vigilant when recreating amongst wildlife. If you observe something that doesn't look quite right, please record a physical description of the person(s) and the vehicle involved. A license plate number can be a critical piece of information. Do not confront violators or suspicious individuals; simply be a good witness and contact the UTIP Hotline listed above"
From Lee: FWIW, there was a picture of the carcass on the public notice and it was partly consumed by predators with ribs sticking out and the lungs, liver and heart gone, the intestines scattered somewhat and the throat open. I'm sure the meat had bone-soured already. I'm not sure how they determined it was poached, but one thing I do know. Josh, Scott and the other Southern Region CO's are very good at their job and if they say it was poached, you can take that to the bank! No further info on the doe.
Also, the photo of Josh holding the head looks like it was taken close to the freeway (I-15) looking east and that could mean the poachers happened to see the buck while driving by. That would make it much harder to solve, but again, Josh and Scott won't miss evidence or leads and will follow up on this one big time.
Also, Lynn Chamberlain, the local DWR media contact has contacted every news agency/paper in this area (including his once a week radio broadcast) and this case is the talk of the town right now.
And finally, this buck will undoubtedly grace the back wall of the Southern Region UTIP show trailer which goes everywhere there's an outdoor show (and sometimes when it's not an outdoor show), so you're gonna see this buck first hand sometime in the future.
Edited, I forgot to mention that when I went to the local DWR office this morning to get this update, I was unable to talk to Josh or Scott because they were in interviews with candidates to fill the patrol district vacancies. They keep busy!
Edited again, (sorry) For Tristate, there is indeed a Piute Reservation nearby, but it isn't close enough for these two deer to have likely traveled that far after being shot. Besides, Josh and Scott would have found evidence of that if there was any. But I'll stop by the Tribal Office tomorrow and see what they have to say.