Game and Fish seeks tips after skinned elk found near Springerville

Two skinned elk quarters were dumped along the Little Colorado River near Springerville’s River Walk Trail and the Airport Road bridge, and Arizona Game and Fish is treating the case as both poaching and waste.

The scene sits in a sensitive stretch of Apache County wildlife habitat. The River Walk Trail is part of the 355-acre Becker Lake Wildlife Area, about 2 miles northwest of Springerville off the west side of U.S. Route 60. The area includes stream-side, wet meadow, riparian, lake and plains grassland habitat, and it is open from sunrise to sunset. The trail itself is about 1.5 miles long.

The Little Colorado River corridor in that part of eastern Arizona is also part of state conservation planning for riparian and aquatic habitat, and the surrounding habitat supports wildlife including elk. That makes the dumping of skinned quarters especially serious in the eyes of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, which says illegal take and wanton waste can trigger criminal investigation and arrest.

Game and Fish uses its anti-poaching program, Operation Game Thief, to gather information on wildlife violations. The hotline takes tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and callers can remain anonymous.

The department has shown in recent elk cases that it treats these investigations as major crimes. In a Nov. 8, 2024 elk-poaching case, Game and Fish said a bull elk had been taken illegally and the antlers were left behind. In an Aug. 6, 2025 multi-elk poaching case, the agency said elk were shot and left to waste and noted that callers could be eligible for a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest. The department also assigns case numbers as it works wildlife-poaching investigations and asks the public to report anything suspicious.

For people who use the River Walk Trail, fish near Becker Lake or travel the Airport Road bridge corridor, the case is a reminder that Game and Fish is watching closely around Springerville and the Little Colorado River. The agency is asking anyone with information to come forward through Operation Game Thief.