Two bull elk shot near Keene
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
A Keene area farmer’s discovery of a set of elk antlers on Thursday, Feb. 18, led him to find two illegally shot bull elk in one of his fields.
“They (the elk) were visible from the road,” says Joe Lucas, North Dakota Game & Fish Department district game warden.
According to Lucas, the two killed bull elk were discovered a mile north on County 55 and a mile east on 40th Street NW.
“Getting there, I observed two big, bull elk,” says Lucas. “One of which had its head cut off. It was a 6x6 bull.The second elk was intact.”
As elk are typically a herd animal, Lucas says the two elk were likely in a bachelor group, which is typical this time of year.
“It (the shooting) most likely occurred between the afternoon and evening on Feb. 17,” says Lucas.
While no witnesses have come forward, Lucas says sometimes onlookers don’t realize something was suspicious until after the fact.
“It’s possible that somebody saw something they didn’t think was suspicious at the time. But looking back, maybe it’s worth reporting,” says Lucas.