Four deer illegally killed in Utah County, heads cut off, meat left to waste

Ryan Bittan
·2 min read

UTAH COUNTY (ABC4) — Four deer were illegally killed and left to waste in Utah County during last fall’s hunting season, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

DWR officers are seeking information about the four illegally killed buck deer. All four deer were reportedly killed sometime between October and November 2023 in the Woodland Hills area of Utah County, officials said.

In each instance, the heads were removed from the deer and the rest of the meat was left to waste. DWR officers believe the same individual may be responsible for all four killings.

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One of the poaching incidents is believe to have taken place between noon on Oct. 2 and 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 3, officials said. This deer was reportedly found near 11200 South Street, Woodland Hills.

Officials said a rifle was used to kill the buck deer in that incident. A muzzleloader hunt was reportedly happening during that time, making the use of a rifle illegal. Additionally, that particular area is closed to hunting, officials said.

“Individuals who unlawfully kill big game animals and other wildlife are stealing opportunities from those who might otherwise harvest the animal lawfully in the future and who need the meat,” DWR Conservation Officer Daniel Clancy said. “We had some leads at the time we began investigating these incidents, but those have not yielded results. So we are asking for the public’s help in providing any information about these four poaching incidents.”

The killing of protected wildlife to be left to waste is illegal and can result in a class B misdemeanor. In 2023, DWR officers reportedly saw a total of 1,056 wild animals and fish illegally killed — a monetary value of over $619,000.

Anyone with information regarding these killings, or any other wildlife-related crimes in Utah, is asked to come forward to the DWR and report it to conservation officers in one of the following ways:

You can also contact Officer Clancy at 385-289-4023 regarding this specific case.

“A reward may be available for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible. Requests for confidentiality are respected,” the DWR states.

No further information is available at this time.

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