The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is asking for help from the public after someone poached a bull elk in McCreary County.
Elk hunting is prohibited in McCreary County, and the Kentucky Elk Guide Association is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to a conviction, the department said in a news release Saturday.
An employee of the department found the elk’s carcass Friday in the Beaver Creek Wildlife Management Area, near Middle Ridge Trail, according to the release.
“The 3×3 bull elk was known to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists,” the release stated. “It was among more than 40 elk translocated to McCreary County last winter from other counties within the elk zone to establish the species where the population had not yet established.”
Fish and Wildlife asked that anyone with information call them at 1-800-25-ALERT or call Kentucky State Police Post 11 in London.
To leave an anonymous tip, members of the public can text the letters “KFWLAW” with their message to 847411. Anonymous tips can also be made through the free KFWLaw app, which is available through the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
McCreary County is one of 16 counties in the state’s “elk zone,” where the state has worked to reintroduce the species.