MDC seeks info about poached bull elk found at Current River

MDC is investigating the death of a bull elk that appears to have been shot and had its skull plate and antlers removed.

SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is investigating a dead bull elk recently found along the Current River in Shannon County and asks the public to report any related information to the Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-392-1111.

According to MDC preliminary information, the elk appears to have been shot and the skull plate and antlers were removed with a chainsaw. The rest of the carcass was left intact.

Conservation agents were informed of the dead elk on Tuesday, Dec. 29, by a hiker on an area along the Current River. MDC agents went to the location and confirmed the report.

MDC staff have transported the carcass to the Department’s Conservation Research Center in Columbia for further investigation, including a necropsy, which is an autopsy of an animal.

Any and all information that could assist in this investigation is welcomed by MDC. Calls can be made to local MDC agents or to the Operation Game Thief hotline. Information can be given anonymously or a name maybe be given for a possible reward of up to $1,000 in the case of criminal activity.

The dead bull elk was one of approximately 130 animals that are part of the Department’s elk restoration and management efforts. The remaining elk can be seen at the Department’s Current River Conservation Area and Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the Missouri Ozarks. Learn more about Missouri’s elk at mdc.mo.gov/node/10141.

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Five year Missouri poaching case against 46 ends in Federal Court

Written By: Candice Davis, Missouri Department of Conservation

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently wrapped up a major special investigation involving 46 individuals that began in 2008. Operation “Pulling Wool” came to a close on April 25 with a final conviction in Federal Court. The last defendant charged in the operation was found guilty by a United

States Magistrate in Cape Girardeau.

All 46 defendants were found guilty by trial or plea in Federal Court for hunting deer with the aid of dogs on U.S. Forest Service property. The defendants paid a total of $67,425 in fines to the federal court for their actions. Another six defendants were charged with nine total violations in state court in Ripley County. These defendants paid a total of $1,909 in fines and court costs. The combined fines and costs paid by the defendants was $69,334. Additionally, hunting privileges of all the defendants were revoked for periods of one to three years.

“These convictions are a direct result of our mission to protect the fish, forests and wildlife of Missouri,” said Gary Cravens, MDC Protection Regional Supervisor for Ozark Region. “Missouri citizens have asked us to take on this mission, and putting a stop to illegal poaching activities, like deer dogging, helps to ensure Missouri remains a great place to hunt ethically.”

The investigation began in the fall of 2008, when the MDC’s special investigation unit set up an operation targeting illegal poaching activity that was occurring on the Mark Twain National Forest in Ripley County. MDC joined with the USFWS and the US Attorney’s office in St. Louis on operation “Pulling Wool” to stop the deer dogging activity. Deer dogging is illegal and is commonly found in Missouri’s Ozark country in the south-central part of the state. The practice includes using dogs to run deer toward shooters strategically set up at known deer crossings.

These shooters, also known as poachers, use marine band and CB radios to communicate with each other concerning the whereabouts of the dogs and any deer they are chasing. Coupled with the use of automobiles and all-terrain vehicles, deer dogging is an effective and extremely dangerous activity during Missouri’s fall firearms deer hunting seasons.

“Using dogs to hunt whitetails is an illegal and dangerous activity, which works against the majority of Missourians’ efforts to continue traditions of ethical hunting that are celebrated in our state,” said Cravens.

Cravens said most hunters in Missouri are ethical, law abiding citizens, who care deeply about conserving the state’s wildlife resources. One effective way citizens can assist MDC in stopping poaching activities is by reporting poaching activities to the state’s Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline.The toll-free number is 1-800-392-1111 and is staffed 24-hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous, and may ask to be considered for a reward, ranging from $50 to $1,000. More information about OGT can be found at www.mdc.mo.gov.

Conservation Agents Conduct Large Wildlife Violation Investigation in the Ozarks

News from the Ozark region

Published on: Jul. 18, 2010

WEST PLAINS Mo – A large investigation involving illegal commercialization of wildlife and wildlife parts was brought to a close this weekend where the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) documented a total of 299 serious violations in seven counties across southern Missouri.
“Investigators were able to document that 62 percent of the wildlife brought in for mounting at a local taxidermy shop was taken illegally in some manner,” said MDC Protection Regional Supervisor Gary Cravens.
The violations include those related to deer, turkey, furbearers, both game and non-game fish, and migratory birds. This documentation occurred over the past two years in Crawford, Dent, Miller, Howell, Iron, Oregon and Shannon counties.
Beginning July 17, Conservation agents contacted individuals believed to have been involved in violations.
“Teams of agents met with 68 individuals and were able to document another 126 violations, bringing the total number of violations to 425,” said Cravens. “Of these, 289 were related to deer and 23 were related to turkey.”
Conservation agents seized a total of 240 items including 90 deer mounts or sets of antlers, approximately 20 various small game, fish, or furbearer mounts, 70 frog legs, one rattlesnake, and 16 firearms. Some of the wildlife was sold illegally. Additionally, three individuals were arrested on a total of 11 outstanding warrants including two for out-of-state felonies.
“This investigation was important to the state,” Cravens remarked. “These violators are in effect stealing wildlife that belongs to all of us here in Missouri who obey the laws. And it’s our job to make sure that wildlife resources are protected.”
The MDC’s mission is, “To protect and manage the fish, forest and wildlife resources of the state; to serve the public and facilitate their participation in resource management activities; and to provide opportunity for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about fish, forest and wildlife resources.”
“A lot of hard work went in to investigating these wildlife violations but it is worth our time and effort if we change the attitudes and behavior of those who commit such acts,” Cravens said.

Conservation agents seized 240 items including deer and other mounts, antlers and firearms as part of a large investigation in the Ozarks.