Field Reports: Coeur d’Alene man convicted of poaching trophy bull elk

A Coeur d’Alene man was convicted of illegally killing a trophy bull elk last fall by shooting it with a rifle during archery season.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said in a news release that Joel Rose was convicted of the unlawful killing, possession or wasting of wildlife after a two-day jury trial in late June in Kootenai County.

Rose was accused of killing the elk in September on private property in the Wolf Lodge area, not far from where Rose lives. Only archery hunting is allowed in September in the Panhandle.

The elk had a “unique antler configuration” that made it easily recognizable, and several area hunters had been targeting it for years, according to Fish and Game.

Its antlers scored more than 300 inches on the Boone and Crocket scoring system, which made it a “trophy” under Idaho law.

A tipster reported the illegal killing to Idaho’s Citizens Against Poaching hotline, which prompted the investigation.

TJ Ross, a Fish and Game spokesman, said the tip came after Rose had turned the elk over to a taxidermist. After receiving the tip, investigators found a 6.5 mm bullet in the elk’s hide.

Investigators concluded the elk had been killed with two shots from a rifle, and that Rose put an arrow into the carcass after it was dead and posed for photos with it.

While searching Rose’s home, investigators found a Creedmoor rifle that had a silencer. Ballistic analysis showed the bullet recovered from the hide matched the rifle.

Investigators seized the rifle along with a bow, arrows, the antlers and elk meat.

The charge is a felony because the animal had an assessed damage value of more than $1,000. Its classification as a trophy put the total assessed damage value at $5,000.

Sentencing is set for August.

St. Maries men charged with illegally killing seven white-tailed deer

Two men from St. Maries have been charged with eight felonies after seven mature buck white-tailed deer were killed last November.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said in a news release that the two men were charged on June 27 after an investigation into the killing of seven deer in November – five of which officers believe were killed in a single 24-hour period.

The release said the deer were taken outside of legal shooting hours and that meat from three of them was left to waste.

Idaho Fish and Game did not name the men accused of the crimes in its release. Charges were filed in Kootenai County.

Washington takes applications for Master Hunter program

Hunters can apply to join Washington’s Master Hunter program.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking applications through Aug. 15 for the program, which allows certified hunters to help the agency with wildlife conflicts and can give hunters additional hunting opportunities.

Master hunters must pass a written exam and demonstrate proficiency with hunting equipment.

They are also required to spend 20 hours or more volunteering on projects that help wildlife.

WDFW said in a news release that there are more than 1,200 certified master hunters across the state. They provide roughly 15,000 hours of volunteer work annually.

More information about the program is available at WDFW’s website.