The Department of Conservation is investigating the poaching of a bull elk in southeast Missouri’s Shannon County.

The Department of Conservation is investigating the poaching of this elk.  The animal was found December 29, 2015 in Shannon County (click to see full image - warning, graphic)

The Department of Conservation is investigating the poaching of this elk. The animal was found December 29, 2015 in Shannon County (click to see full image – warning, graphic)

The elk was found dead along the Current River. Conservation officials say it was shot and the skull plate and antlers were removed with a chainsaw. The rest was left intact.

The elk was one of the animals in the Department’s elk restoration program. It was found Tuesday by a hiker.

The remains have been taken to Columbia for examination. Anyone with information is asked to call the Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 392-1111. Information can be given anonymously or a name could be left for a possible reward.