Poacher Takes Costly Trophy Bull Elk’s Death Has Game Officials Considering Ending Snohomish Hunt

Wildlife officials say the death of a bull elk at the hands of a poacher could take a toll on a small herd of elk roaming the Snohomish River Valley.

The male elk was found shot to death in the woods last week, its head and antlers sheared from its body. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified the alleged poacher and is preparing to file charges.

The dead animal belonged to a herd of about 15 elk that has been roaming the backwoods of the river valley for years. The tiny herd, one of three in the northern Puget Sound region, is believed to have migrated into the valley from North Bend or Bluett Pass.

“It’s going to surprise a lot of people to find out there’s a herd of elk living 20 miles from downtown Everett, 30 miles from Seattle,” said Bill Hebner, a Fish and Wildlife investigator.

The death of one bull, particularly out of season, has many people outraged.

“This was a really healthy animal,” Hebner said. “Any loss is a critical loss to a herd this size.”

By comparison, he said, herds elsewhere in Western Washington average 50 to 60 animals.

Wildlife agent Randy Lambert searched the alleged poacher’s home and found the elk’s fresh skullcap and huge, branched antlers, measuring 40 inches from one tip to the other.

“He was the herd’s bull, the one with the best genes,” Lambert said.

Officials were alerted to the illegal kill after two people called the agency’s poaching hotline to report finding the elk’s carcass.

“This is the trophy of a lifetime,” wildlife agent Rick Oosterwyk said. “Most hunters will spend a whole lifetime trying to see or hunt an elk this size. They’ll go to their grave without hunting one. But it’s unfair to everyone when it’s poached like this.”

Lambert and Oosterwyk recovered elk meat from the suspect’s freezer in addition to the 20-pound, six-point rack, the impressive crown of a bull elk in its prime.

Because of the size of its antlers, the elk is considered a “trophy animal.” If convicted, the hunter would be required to pay a $6,000 state restitution fee, in addition to a $1,000 criminal fine, Hebner said.

The poaching incident is prompting Fish and Wildlife officials at the Mill Creek office to consider ending a legal, one-week elk-hunting season in November in Snohomish County.

“There are a lot of people out there who know about the herd and enjoy watching or photographing it from year to year,” Hebner said. “This herd isn’t viewed as huntable. I’m not so sure we want a season in Snohomish County.”