Idaho Fish and Game seeks tips after two elk poached in Farragut State Park
Two elk were shot and partially butchered near Farragut’s visitor center, and Fish and Game is asking for tips that could bring a reward and help protect public wildlife.
Idaho Fish and Game is treating the illegal killing of two elk in Farragut State Park as more than a poaching case. Officials say a cow elk and a bull elk calf were shot, partially butchered and left less than half a mile from the park visitor center near State Highway 54, taking public wildlife out of the herd and costing state resources to investigate.
Conservation officers were called after the dead animals were found on April 12. Investigators believe the elk were killed between April 10 and 11, likely during late evening or early morning hours in an area that sees heavy public use. Fish and Game said the park is closed to hunting, and there were no open elk seasons at the time. That makes the case a direct violation of state wildlife law inside one of Kootenai County’s most visited recreation areas.
The agency is asking anyone with information to contact the Citizens Against Poaching hotline. The program was established in 1981 in cooperation with Idaho Fish and Game, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and callers may remain anonymous. Current reward amounts include $400 for information in deer, elk, antelope, bear, wolf, salmon, steelhead, swan, turkey and mountain lion cases.
Farragut State Park covers 4,000 acres on Lake Pend Oreille and draws campers, day users and families year-round. The adjacent Farragut Wildlife Management Area is also heavily used by people and wildlife and includes a boat ramp, shooting range and hiking trails. For park visitors, the case underscores that wildlife crime can happen in places where people are walking, camping and recreating only yards away.
Fish and Game said illegal harvest undermines long-term herd management by removing animals that are part of a public resource, not private property. That matters in North Idaho, where the agency says elk numbers in Unit 4 have declined and predation on elk calves has contributed to that drop. The Panhandle Region is also using GPS collars on elk calves to better understand movement and survival. Statewide, Idaho Fish and Game says the elk population is more than 120,000.
The investigation remains open, and officials are looking for anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in or around Farragut State Park during the nights of April 10 and 11.
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