My Grandpa called Sunday night to say that my neighbor killed a 6X6 bull elk that weighed 800 lbs.!
They were putting on a deer drive and thats what they kicked up!
Mind you now,this is MISSOURI ! We don't have elk in MO according to the humble MO Dept. of Conservation,who came and took the elk AWAY!
The local newspaper came out and took pictures and I'm sure it will be in the national news this week.
I'll get updates as I find them.
I think I would've just pooed all over myself if I'd seen that come out in one of my little wheat fields!
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This just in...The Hermann Advertiser-Courier
The Missouri dept. of Consevation is looking into how an elk got into the wild and was killed in Gaconade County early Sunday afternoon by two Hermann men.
Joel Binkhloder and Derek Vaughn were part of a deer drive when they shot a bull elk between Hermann and Gasconade,just off Hwy 100,said Dean Harre,conservation agent in Gasconade County.
Harre said there is no elk season in Missouri,therefore it is a protected species,just like the mountain lion,and shooting an elk is illegal.
The elk is possibly the first killed in Gasc. Cty.,according to Harre,who said there will be written warnings issued to the two men.
"We've had elk killed in Missouri before,but I don't recall the last time we've had one killed in this county,"said Harre."If there ever was,it was a long time ago."
Harre said Mike Binkholder,Joel's father,called him Sunday afternoon wanting to know the repercussions for killing an elk.
"They called and reported it,"said Harre."It was a case of hunters getting caught up in the excitement of the moment."
The elk was reported to have weighed between 800-900 pounds and it's antlers had a 36 inch spread.
Three weeks ago Harre recieved a report of an elk being spotted in the county on Hwy P about a half-mile south of US Hwy 50 near Drake.
"We recieved a phone call from another landowner who asked if they could shoot it during deer season,"said Harre,"We told them it was illegal."
The Missouri Dept. of Cons. is now investigating the elk,where it might have come from,and is doing tests for Chronic Wasting Disease.
He said the elk was not tagged,and could have traveled from a northern state like Michigan,but usually there are sightings before they roam that far.
"If it came from up north,somebody likely would have seen it,and there would have been reports,"said Harre.
He said game ranches are required to tag them.
Harre said fines are still pending.In the meantime,the Cons. Dept. has siezed the elk,and if found free of Chronic Wasting Disease,will be taken to Swiss Meat & Sausage Company for processing and the meat will be distributed to charities and needy of this area,just like the Share the Harvest program for whitetail deer.Harre said neither the meat nor the antlers will be returned to the shooters.The antlers will be used for educational purposes,said Harre.
They were putting on a deer drive and thats what they kicked up!
Mind you now,this is MISSOURI ! We don't have elk in MO according to the humble MO Dept. of Conservation,who came and took the elk AWAY!
The local newspaper came out and took pictures and I'm sure it will be in the national news this week.
I'll get updates as I find them.
I think I would've just pooed all over myself if I'd seen that come out in one of my little wheat fields!
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This just in...The Hermann Advertiser-Courier
The Missouri dept. of Consevation is looking into how an elk got into the wild and was killed in Gaconade County early Sunday afternoon by two Hermann men.
Joel Binkhloder and Derek Vaughn were part of a deer drive when they shot a bull elk between Hermann and Gasconade,just off Hwy 100,said Dean Harre,conservation agent in Gasconade County.
Harre said there is no elk season in Missouri,therefore it is a protected species,just like the mountain lion,and shooting an elk is illegal.
The elk is possibly the first killed in Gasc. Cty.,according to Harre,who said there will be written warnings issued to the two men.
"We've had elk killed in Missouri before,but I don't recall the last time we've had one killed in this county,"said Harre."If there ever was,it was a long time ago."
Harre said Mike Binkholder,Joel's father,called him Sunday afternoon wanting to know the repercussions for killing an elk.
"They called and reported it,"said Harre."It was a case of hunters getting caught up in the excitement of the moment."
The elk was reported to have weighed between 800-900 pounds and it's antlers had a 36 inch spread.
Three weeks ago Harre recieved a report of an elk being spotted in the county on Hwy P about a half-mile south of US Hwy 50 near Drake.
"We recieved a phone call from another landowner who asked if they could shoot it during deer season,"said Harre,"We told them it was illegal."
The Missouri Dept. of Cons. is now investigating the elk,where it might have come from,and is doing tests for Chronic Wasting Disease.
He said the elk was not tagged,and could have traveled from a northern state like Michigan,but usually there are sightings before they roam that far.
"If it came from up north,somebody likely would have seen it,and there would have been reports,"said Harre.
He said game ranches are required to tag them.
Harre said fines are still pending.In the meantime,the Cons. Dept. has siezed the elk,and if found free of Chronic Wasting Disease,will be taken to Swiss Meat & Sausage Company for processing and the meat will be distributed to charities and needy of this area,just like the Share the Harvest program for whitetail deer.Harre said neither the meat nor the antlers will be returned to the shooters.The antlers will be used for educational purposes,said Harre.
