Missouri
Missouri man faces charges of poaching elk in wildlife refuge
A Summersville man has been charged in a November 2025 elk poaching case, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, in part due to information provided by the community.
The man, who was not named in a news release, is facing four charges in Carter County courts: Taking elk inconsistent with the rules (season and permit) of the “Wildlife Code of Missouri,” taking elk inside a state wildlife refuge, taking elk with the aid of artificial light and wanton waste of the elk. The man is set to appear in court on April 14.
Poaching is taking wildlife outside of season, without the proper permit or in other violation of the Wildlife Code of Missouri.
According to the news release, a Poplar Bluff couple found a mature bull elk shot dead “and left to rot” inside the wildlife refuge at the MDC Peck Ranch Conservation Area on Nov. 26, 2025. Conservation agents responded and began investigating the scene, documenting and storing evidence, and performing a necropsy.
In addition to interviewing potential witnesses, agents received several anonymous calls and Operation Game Thief reports related to the elk’s death. Agents also used surveillance video from a cooperating business and information from search warrants, as well as analytical and firearm tracking-support from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Forensics Lab and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Brad Hadley, the lead conservation agent on the investigation, said cooperation from community members and OGT hotline tips helped the case progress.
“This speaks to how much people in Missouri value our wildlife and support efforts to conserve and protect it,” Hadley said in the news release. “From the couple driving the elk viewing route in Peck Ranch who first reported it, to all the people who provided tidbits of information, to the local business that gladly shared its pertinent security videos, to the prosecutors and courts that granted the search warrants, and to the MSHP Forensics Lab and the ATF — a tremendous thank you!”
The Operation Game Thief hotline allows people to report poaching and other possible violations of the Wildlife Code of Missouri by calling 800-392-1111. Callers may remain anonymous and may be considered for a reward.