Elk hunters bag big rewards in poaching bust

PROVO — Two elk hunters who helped the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources catch an alleged poacher are getting substantial rewards — $1,000 in cash and a rare hunting permit worth $5,000.

Danny Adams of Orem and Cliff Leyva of Spanish Fork were in the mountains near Strawberry Reservoir recently when they found a trophy elk that had been shot and abandoned. They knew trophy elk hunting was not allowed in the area and called conservation officers to investigate.

DWR conservation officer Paul Davis said the two men led him to the dead elk after dark, and their help led him directly to finding a man who allegedly admitted his role in the shooting.

The suspect's name was not released, but county attorneys for Wasatch County have agreed to prosecute the case, Davis said. Poaching is a third-degree felony. If found guilty, the defendant faces a $2,500 fine, up to five years in prison and $8,000 in restitution to the DWR.

Adams said he and Leyva went to the area near Strawberry Reservoir to retrieve two tree stands they had left in the area after the archery hunt several weeks ago. As they arrived to park their truck before hiking into the mountains, they parked next to another hunter and struck up a conversation. After talking to the man for about 20 minutes, Adams and Leyva began their hike.

"We hiked down the hill and saw this massive six-point bull elk lying on the ground dead," Adams said. "We pretty much ran up the hill and called the local fish-and-game officer."

Adams and Leyva guided Davis to the animal with flashlights. The next day, the two returned with Davis to see if any of the elk meat could be saved. When they did, the truck driven by the man they had met the afternoon before was parked in the area once again.

Davis waited for the man to return to his truck. After questioning him for about half an hour, the man allegedly admitted that he had shot the animal.

For their help in catching the man, Adams received a rare trophy hunting permit worth $5,000, said Davis. Leyva will receive a $1,000 cash reward.

Adams said he felt strongly about reporting the poaching.

"I think if the game is going to be played, it needs to be played by the rules," he said. "I love seeing these animals, it is a passion, an obsession in my life, being outdoors with friends and family, with my wife and son. And poaching is something that happens more often than people know, they don't ever have to pay the price, and they think they can just get away with it.

To hunt an animal of the type killed by the poacher is usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience, he said. "He left it there to waste," Adams said. "He just shot it and left it. It is hard to understand."