Bull moose shot, left to rot near Chilco; shooter sought

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is looking for information on the killing of an adult bull moose poached and left to rot near Chilco this week.

The moose carcass was discovered about a half mile from Chilco Road and about a mile west of the Chilco Sawmill, according to Fish and Game. The moose was illegally shot between 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday.

“It’s pretty gross, egregious waste,” said Mark Rhodes, the department’s district conservation manager.

The moose was found on its side, Rhodes said, with two small chunks of meat taken from its front shoulder and hindquarter.

“That’s about 5 to 10 pounds of meat off an 800-pound animal,” Rhodes said.

When hunting season opens in the fall, Rhodes said, there is an increase of moose poaching. In some cases, the animals are mistakenly shot.

“Sometimes it’s elk hunters thinking they’re shooting an elk,” he said.

Rhodes said it’s possible the moose killed this week was illegally poached for its meat and that the poachers got scared off for some reason.

“It’s difficult to explain shoot and waste,” he said.

In cases of mistaken identity, Rhodes said hunters should immediately call Fish and Game and report that they’ve killed the wrong animal.