Moose illegally shot, left to waste in northern Minnesota

(File photo courtesy Minnesota DNR)

There is no open season on moose in Minnesota.

But someone shot one recently during the deer hunting season and left it to waste south of Fosston, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is seeking the public’s help in finding the culprit.

With moose numbers declining toward what some scientists fear will be the eventual disappearance of the iconic animal from Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources last year suspended moose hunting indefinitely, and American indian tribes followed suit. Meanwhile, a series of research projects by federal, state and tribal scientists are attempting to understand why the population is in steep decline.

If the killing was a case of mistaken identity — a hunter who thought he or she was aiming at a deer — the proper response would have been to call authorities. That doesn’t appear to have happened in this case.

From the Fish and Wildlife Service:

Help Us Close the Case of an Illegal Moose Kill

We need your help to solve the illegal killing of a wild moose in Minnesota. During the 2014 rifle deer season, wildlife officers discovered a moose that had been shot and left to waste. The moose was killed a few miles south of Fosston, Minnesota.

With the Minnesota moose population on the decline, the thoughtless act of killing one and leaving it to waste only adds to the loss of these magnificent animals. If you have any information that can help wildlife officers solve this crime, please call 218-844-3423.