Yesterday in the Black Hills, the sad news spread like wildfire. The elusive young bull moose, who had been exploring the area for most of the summer, has been killed. South Dakota Game Fish & Parks confirmed that the young bull was dead and they are calling it a suspected poaching incident.

According to the story in the Rapid City Journal, two elk hunters came upon the moose, near Deerfield Reservoir last Friday. The animal was still alive, but severely injured. The hunters contacted the GF&P Division of Wildlife, who responded to the call.

Mike Kintigh, regional supervisor with GF&P, shared some unfortunate details with the Journal. He said that the moose had been in an open area where someone could have seen it clearly from the road. Kintigh went on to say that the young bull appeared to have fallen immediately after being shot and then lay there, injured and struggling, until the hunters found it on Friday.

Elk hunting season has begun in the Black Hills, but Kintigh said it would have been very difficult for anybody to mistake this bull moose for an elk. Since the story broke yesterday, the response from area residents has been unmistakable. Between the Black Hills Facebook fan page and the Rapid City Journal replies, there have been literally hundreds of emotional comments regarding the incident.

It is a shame that such a beautiful animal met with such a tragic ending. The story of the moose poaching is spreading quickly around the region and it sounds like Game Fish & Parks will be releasing more details in the coming days – stay tuned.