RANGELY I Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers are asking the public for any information that can help identify the person or persons who shot and abandoned a mule deer buck along Rio Blanco County Road 116, south of Rangely.
Only the buck’s head had been removed, leaving the carcass in the field to rot.
“We appreciate the public’s help with any information that can help stop this senseless waste,” said District Wildlife Manager Terry Wygant. “Poachers steal from everybody and take opportunity away from legal hunters, and we will do all we can to stop it.”
Investigators believe the incident occurred on or around the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 2.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Meeker Service Center at 970-878-6090, or if they wish to remain anonymous, they can call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 877-COLO-OGT.
Callers to Operation Game Thief are eligible for a $500 cash reward if their information leads to a citation or arrest in this case.
For more information about OGT, visit: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ RulesRegs/LawEnforcement/TurninPoachers/Pages/TurnInPoachers.aspx.