Wisconsin DNR seeks tips on illegal elk shootings in Jackson County from 2022 deer season

Madison, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources needs the public’s help in ongoing investigations into the illegal harvests of two cow elk in separate events in Jackson County during the 2022 gun deer season.

DNR staff received and responded to a mortality signal from a cow elk’s monitoring collar on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. The elk was found on private property near Whitney Road in the town of Knapp. DNR staff received a second mortality signal from another cow elk’s monitoring collar on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. DNR staff found the second elk near the Castle Mound and Brockway Roads in the town of Brockway.

Necropsy tests confirmed each animal had been shot. The deaths of two breeding cows are losses to the elk population growth.

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The DNR issued a call for tips when the investigation first began in late 2022. However, the information provided thus far has been inconclusive and more information is needed.

No tip is too small. You can share tips of any kind by calling the DNR’s confidential violation hotline at 1-800-847-9367 or by submitting online.

Elk were reintroduced in Jackson County starting in 2015. DNR staff work with partner agencies to support a robust elk population. This includes collar monitoring of mortalities and location data of calves and adults.

For more information on elk in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s elk webpage.