JACKSON COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Department of Natural Resources is warning hunters to check their targets and be sure you know what it is you’re looking at before pulling the trigger.
This comes after two elk were shot in Jackson County, in the western part of the state, over the past week.
The Black River State Forest can be a popular place for hunting deer. The area is also home to an elk population, re-introduced by the Department of Natural Resources, beginning in 2015. Now, DNR wardens say two cow elk were shot, one on opening day. The other, two days later.
“Both hunting parties ended up self-reporting when they realized they had misidentified the cow elk for a doe, a whitetail doe,” said Capt. Rick Rosen, DNR Regional Conservation Warden.
Rosen says if the hunters shot the animals intentionally, suspensions, and fines could reach $4,000 or more. He says coming forward helps the hunters.
“We are able to work closely with the district attorney’s office, and we would be discussing different charging options than an intentional violation,” he said.
Elk have been reintroduced to two areas of the state, and the population is estimated to be about 400 animals. The Clam Lake Herd is in northern Wisconsin, where a limited hunting season is allowed. The other area is in Jackson County.
“And we do not have a hunting season for the Black River Falls Herd currently,” said Rosen.
DNR officials say they want hunters to be absolutely sure of their target, and what’s beyond, before they shoot.
“There’s a lot of investment in those animals, especially with the elk up front, and then certainly it becomes a cloud for someone to have to deal with, having made that mistake. So yeah, don’t just make the assumption that every hoofed animal out there on the landscape is a whitetail deer,” said Jeff Pritzl, DNR District Wildlife Supervisor.
Hunters are reminded the elk are larger than whitetail deer, have bigger antlers, darker necks, and no white markings.
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