Local Alberta Fish and Wildlife are hoping for some tips to identify the person(s) responsible for a leaving a bull moose to die in the Rumsey Natural area.
District Fish and Wildlife Officer Jeff Zimmer tells The Mail, that Fish and Wildlife’s enforcement branch received a tip on November 12 via its Report a Poacher line that a bull moose appeared to have been shot and left. It was spotted in the area, locally known as the Rumsey Grazing Lease, north of Highway 9 and east of Highway 56, in Wildlife Management Unit 166.
“It laid out here for quite a while. I received a couple calls on it,” said Zimmer. “When I went up to look, I managed to extract a bullet, but other than that, I don’t have any other information that would point me to a suspect.”
He also has no explanation as to why the animal was left.
“It appears that whoever shot it, just left it,” he said, explaining that the Rumsey Grazing lease is vast, and there are times that when an animal is shot, they could run away and be hard to find. This was not the case. The animal was in a very accessible place.
“This was a clear case of a really good shot in the chest. It walked about 20 yards from the trail and died next to the tree line. The hunters (that reported it) could see it from the trail. My thought is, maybe the hunter in this case, had a cow tag, and because of the brush couldn’t see the antlers, and that is why he left it.”
No part of the animal was removed, and the animal appeared to be intact.
“This year I have been getting more calls about this sort of stuff,” he said. “This year it appears there is more activity out there, be it legal or illegal. I don’t know if it has something to do with the economy or what. I have heard that from other game wardens, that when the price of oil goes down, there is a spike in the amount of violators.”
“We have some more out there that have been shot and left, these are both moose and deer. These are still being investigated.”
Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Branch is looking for further information regarding this incident or any other incident involving a fish or wildlife crime that might lead to possible suspect(s). Callers can remain anonymous by calling the Report a Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, a cash reward is offered for all information leading to charges.
