Bull elk poached in East Tennessee; TWRA offers reward for information

ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE/WKRN) — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is seeking information after discovering a bull elk had been illegally poached in Anderson County.

The TWRA said it was notified on Sunday, Oct. 8 that a bull elk had been killed. Upon investigation, authorities found the entire carcass with what appeared to be a wound from a bolt, which is an arrow used with a crossbow.

“Poaching is a serious offense in Tennessee,” TWRA Officer Caleb Hardwick said. “The TWRA has been working diligently since 2000 to restore the elk population to a huntable size. Poaching is not only illegal, but it threatens restoration efforts that ensure Tennesseans have the opportunity to legally hunt these animals.”

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According to the agency, the elk head was taken by officers as evidence while the carcass was taken in for processing to support the Hunters for the Hungry program.

A reward of $3,000 was donated by the Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and the National Wild Turkey Federation Pine Mountain Longbeards Chapter to support the investigation.

Officials said rewards are available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the poacher, such as the person’s name or description, their vehicle tag number or description, or location of the offense. All information received by the TWRA is kept in strict confidence.

If you know anything about the poacher who killed the bull elk, you are asked to contact the East Tennessee Regional Poaching Hotline at 1-800-831-1174.

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For more information about legal elk hunting in the Volunteer State, including quota hunt application dates and elk hunting units, follow this link.

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