Coeur d'Alene Man Convicted of Illegal Killing of Trophy Elk

A northern Idaho man has been convicted for unlawfully killing a beautiful bull elk and attempting to cover it up.  In a press release from the state’s Game and Fish Department, it was announced that 61-year-old Joel Rose from Coeur d’Alene was convicted on felony charges towards the end of last month.

The case dates back to September 10th of last year when an anonymous tip came into the state’s Citizens Against Poaching line after Rose had turned over a bull elk to a local taxidermist.

According to the department, Rose killed a trophy-class bull elk using a suppressed 6.5 Creedmore rifle during the archery-only season in the Panhandle Region.  The incident, which took place on private property in the Wolf Lodge area near where Rose lives, sparked a massive investigation.

Upon examining the elk’s carcass, investigating officers found a bullet lodged in the animal's hide and soon ruled that the animal had been killed by two lethal shots from a high-powered rifle. Court records show that Rose concealed fired bullet casings and proceeded to stab the bull with an arrow after it had been shot in an effort to conceal his illegal activity from authorities. He reportedly went as far as burying the ribcage and internal organs on his property in an effort to conceal any wrongdoing and even took photos of himself with the bull with an arrow protruding from the animal’s carcass.

Investigators believed that Rose had been targeting this specific bull during the archery-only season given the animal's “unique antler configuration” that apparently made it easily recognizable. With many local hunters legally chasing this bull for many years, it was rumored to have scored more than 300 inches on the Boone and Crockett scoring system and thus, making it a trophy-caliber animal under Idaho law.

After serving a search warrant at Rose’s home, conservation officers located and seized the 6.5, which was handsomely equipped for long-range shooting. With the rifle in their possession, investigators were soon able to run ballistics that later revealed that the rifling characteristics of the rifle were consistent with the bullet officers had recovered from the bull’s hide. In addition to the weapon, officers also seized the elk’s antlers, meat and a bow with arrows. 

In the state of Idaho, the illegal killing, possession or wasting of wildlife with a single or combined damage assessment of more than $1,000 is an automatic felony. Given the size of the elk’s headgear, it was classified as a “trophy” per Idaho law and assessed with a damage value of $5,000.

Rose found himself at the center of a two-day trial late last month in Kootenai County Court and was convicted of a felony for the unlawful killing, possession or wasting of wildlife.

Sentencing is up next and is scheduled for some time in August.