Six elk were poached during about a one-month period of time this winter in Utah. The elk, which were discovered by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) officer Jonathan Moser, were all found “intact… with antlers still in place and no meat removed,” according to Park City and Summit County News.

“I really don’t know why they would go out and shoot these elk,” Moser said. “It’s beyond me.”

All six elk were found north of the Bitner Fire Station near Glenwild. According to Park City and Summit County News, Moser was patrolling the area in late January and decided “to check in” on the bachelor group of elk living off Knob Hill Road north of I-80. When Moser stopped in, he found a dead elk on the hillside and then another. A resident told him about a third and, upon further investigation, Moser found three more elk that had been “killed in the area in the span of a few weeks.” All were shot – one by a .22 caliber rifle.

Elk season ended in November.

“I’m really hoping that somebody was in the area and they saw something suspicious, ‘Was that really a rifle out that guy’s window? Was that something I really saw?’” Moser said. “If they saw something suspicious in that timeframe and they can recall the color of a vehicle or stickers on the back, something that could help me identify a suspect.”

Moser is asking for anyone who may have noticed anything suspicious between Dec. 20 and Jan. 20 to come forward and call the UDWR tip line at 800-662-3337.