November 8, 2023 |
Photo – Herd of elk – Courtesy WY Game and Fish Department
The law enforcement arm of the Bureau of Land Management responded to a false report of an elk slaughter north of Saratoga last week.
On the morning of October 31st, Bigfoot99 received a listener tip that Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Land Management were investigating reports of elk rustling. A cattle hauler was reported to be loading elk into a trailer north of Saratoga, at the Overland Trail marker on Highway 130.
BLM Wyoming State Office Lead Public Affairs Specialist Micky Fisher said his department received a report that 100 dead elk were being loaded into a semi-truck. Fisher said the reporting party said they heard “hundreds” of rifle shots. The BLM public affairs specialist said responding officers did not find any elk carcasses.
Fisher said the BLM officer and Highway Patrol trooper searched the area for over an hour but did not locate any dead elk.
The BLM public affairs specialist said the trooper determined that the semi-truck was not involved in any illegal activity. Fisher said the call was taken seriously, especially because the area around the Overland Trail marker is notorious for elk poaching.
Fisher said the report was credible. However, no dead elk were found in the area.
