The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is investigating the deaths of two bull elk that were illegally shot and killed near Grygla in the northwestern part of the state.
Part of Minnesota's smallest elk herd, the elk were killed in an area that has been closed to hunting since 2012. A recent aerial survey tallied 18 elk in the Grygla herd, down from 20 last year and 28 in 2013.
The DNR's management goal for the Grygla herd is 30 to 38 elk. Grygla is about 65 miles northwest of Bemidji.
"Our investigation found that these elk had been shot and left," said Lt. Pat Znajda, district enforcement supervisor for the DNR in far northwest Minnesota. "The illegal killing of these bulls chips away at the outdoor heritage valued by law-abiding people in this state."
In a news release, the DNR said wildlife officials spotted the dead elk in late February on state land while conducting the annual winter aerial survey. An onsite visit revealed a dead bull and a younger dead bull with spike antlers that were found in thick willow cover. Both animals were frozen and had been dead for some time. DNR conservation officers were called to investigate.
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"The discovery of two dead bull elk is disturbing," said John Williams, regional wildlife supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji. "These bulls represented about 10 percent of the known Grygla herd. Due to the decline of this herd, the causes of which are unknown, there has not been a hunting season since fall of 2012."
There are three distinct elk herds in northwest Minnesota, which comprise the state's entire elk population. The other two herds are located near Lancaster, Minn., and in Caribou Township along the Manitoba border.
Williams said there is no indication the decline in the Grygla elk herd has been caused by disease.
"From 2006 to 2009, wildlife managers counted more than 50 elk in this herd," he said. "In 2009, the population goal range for this herd was set at 30 to 38 animals, and hunting had brought the herd within that range following the last hunting season in 2012."
Anyone with information about the illegal shooting of the two bulls or the suspicious death of a bull elk in the Grygla area in fall of 2013 is urged to call the 24-hour, toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at (800) 652-9093. Cell phone users can dial #TIP.
