Wasatch thief

[utfireman]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-07-13 AT 08:47PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Oct-07-13 AT 08:35?PM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Oct-07-13 AT 08:34?PM (MST)

Long story short... But my brother in law hit a bull during his Wasatch LE muzzy hunt. Shot was right before dark and we followed his blood trail to where he had bedded but was no longer there. Rather then keep bumping him we backed out at dark. Needless to say the next morning we lost the blood trail when the snow started melting. We searched and searched and finally recovered the bull. However, someone else had gotten to him before we did!

These fools were so kind to bash the skull plate with rocks to get the horns free so that they could take them. Everything else was left to rot. The fish and game are now aware of everything because of the removal of horns from the skull plate. The bull was located on the ridge between 5th and 4th water between Ray's valley and Strawberry Ridge.We did see 3 guys out on that ridge in front of us on the 28th but we never made contact with them. There was also a white Duramax with a Cobalt sticker in the back who was in that area a lot, maybe they might know something...

No questions will be asked, but my brother in law would love to get his bull back that he worked so hard to get. If anyone has any info then please let me know so that we can get it recovered.

Ray 801-913-8828

I will post some pics when I get to a computer.

 

[utfireman]

Here are some pics that I took of the bull before he took his shot. Sorry that they are not perfect, but I am not a wizard at photoshop.

 

[Ticks N Tines]

Sorry to hear about that. Sounds like a horror story. I can't believe that someone would do that to a freshly killed bull. They had to know a hunt was in progress and someone may be looking for that bull. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people are.

Good luck finding the idiots that did it. I hope you get the antlers back.

 

[MuleyMinor]

WOW!!!! I really hope they catch these guys and you get your horns back!!! You got any pictures of the bull when you guys found it? Seems like that would be a pretty exhausting task to try and remove the horns off the skull plate with rocks???

 

[rraney]

Sucks to hear about this.

 

[Kevin D]

The only thing the guys are guilty of in my mind is trying to salvage the horns without F&G approval. They likely didn't know how long the elk was dead, that someone was still looking for it, or whether it was just shot and abandoned. But calling it thievery?? Surely you jest.

I trust you were still able to salvage the meat. Aim better next time.

 

[Tikka]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-08-13 AT 04:07PM (MST)[p]>The only thing the guys are
>guilty of in my mind
>is trying to salvage the
>horns without F&G approval. They
>likely didn't know how long
>the elk was dead, that
>someone was still looking for
>it, or whether it was
>just shot and abandoned. But
>calling it thievery?? Surely you
>jest.
>
>I trust you were still able
>to salvage the meat. Aim
>better next time.

KevinD
Your a tool!!!!!!! Do you drive a white Chevy with a Cobalt sticker??

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Utah Admin. Rule R657-5-21

"You may possess antlers or horns?or parts of antlers or horns?that were obtained:

-From lawfully harvested big game

-By lawfully meeting the requirements listed in the ?Purchasing or selling big game or its parts? section above

-From lawfully gathered antlers or horns shed by big game animals

You may gather shed antlers or horns?or parts of shed antlers or horns?statewide, but there are a couple of seasonal requirements.
From Feb. 1 to April 15, you need an antler-gathering certificate on your person while collecting shed antlers or horns. You can obtain this certificate free of charge by visiting
wildlife.utah.gov and completing an online education course. You
do not need an antler-gathering certificate at any
other time of the year.

?Shed antlers? are antlers that a big game animal has dropped naturally as part of its annual life cycle. Shed antlers have a rounded base that's commonly called an antler button or burr.

A ?shed horn? is the sheath from the horn of a pronghorn that the animal has dropped naturally as part of its annual life cycle. Pronghorn are the only big game animals that shed their horns."

Also from the the 2013 Utah Big Game Field Regulations (Page 39):

"Finding a skull with antlers or horns attached: If you find a skull with the antlers or horns still attached, it's possible the animal was poached. Do NOT pick up or move the skull, or disturb any footprints or other evidence. Instead, we encourage
you to take the following steps: Take photos of the skull from a couple of angles. Pinpoint the location of the skull (preferably its GPS coordinates). Call or visit a Division office to report
your find. Provide key details in your report. The Division will send a conservation officer to investigate and determine if the
animal was poached. If it's clear that the animal was not poached, we may allow you to keep your find."

 

[Kevin D]

>
>KevinD
>Your a tool!!!!!!! Do you drive
>a white Chevy with a
>Cobalt sticker??

Just calling it as I see it my friend....

 

[utfireman]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-08-13 AT 10:14PM (MST)[p]Actually the shot was well placed. I watched the shot through my spotter and saw the impact. The Hornady SST-ML bullet failed to do it's job! Because of the shot placement, we continued to search for the bull knowing that it was a fatal shot!

We did some testing of this bullet afterwards, and in each one of our targets that we shot, this bullet was dissolving into tiny slivers of lead. There was no mushrooming or retaining any bullet weight.

It's one thing if they would have tagged the bull for themselves and taken it, but to leave everything and then smash the skull to get the horns is another thing. I do know the guys in the white Duramax tried to set up their guys on the bull underneath us. This was even after they saw that we were on the bull and moving into position to get the shot. I did talk to someone in their group after they watched the shot and they said that some of them were from Delta. He said the group was just deer hunting, but they did have one kid who was friends with some of their group and that he had an elk tag.

Like I said earlier, no questions will be asked and we won't turn any info over to the DWR. He just wants what he deserves.

 

[Gator]

With that much information I'm sure some-one will point the finger at some group that they know. Hope he gets his horns back, Did he tag the meat.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[flatdead]

>[font size="1" colorON Oct-08-13 ="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED
>AT 10:14?PM (MST)[/font]
>
>. The Hornady SST-ML bullet
>failed to do it's job!
>Because of the shot placement,
>
I have Killed 6 elk in 6 years all with the SST-ml bullet Its a great bullet. You cant hit the shoulder its not a 300 ultra. If you hit behind the shoulder its a quick deal. The elk I just killed went 10 feet and was done, at 156 yards. Last years bull 218 yards. 30 feet. Hope you get your hornes It was not the bullet!