Three Michigan Men Charged In Historic Elk Poaching Case

Michigan DNR Conservation officers are calling a case of Elk poaching historic. 8 charges of wildlife crime have been levied against three northern Michigan men. The men (all related) are accused of taking an over limit of Elk in an already terrible year for Elk poaching.

Now I've never been sure of the difference between an Elk and a Moose. I know there use to be a period of time on TV where Moose (or maybe they were Elk) were hugely popular. There was Bullwinkle, that Moose that use to hang out with Captain Kangaroo and I think there was a Moose that was a king and chilled with Mr. Rogers? Well, if he wasn't a Moose, he sure reminded me of one. As a matter of fact, all puppets are creepy anyway...but I digress...

I must have a childhood fondness for Moose or their cousins the Elk, because I was sickened by the crimes committed by the three. Apparently the charges have been a long time coming.

“This case can be summed up with one word – diligence,” said Sgt. Mark DePew, who supervised the case. “Without our officers’ professional commitment to pursuit of the facts, these suspects would have gotten away with one of the worst elk poaching incidents I have ever seen. By utilizing teamwork, technology and good old-fashioned police work, this case could not have come to a better conclusion.” - MLIVE

If you ever have any information regarding any poaching incident - please contact the DNR Law Enforcement Division at 989-732-3541, or call or text the Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800.