ONTARIO — The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help to identify the person or people who illegally shot and killed a cow moose near Ontario and left the animal to waste.

On the afternoon of Jan. 16, a concerned citizen reported finding a dead cow moose in a privately own agricultural field off East Island Road about 1 mile southeast of Ontario.

An OSP Fish and Wildlife trooper and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) personnel responded to the area and found a cow moose that was shot and left to waste.

There is a small population of Shira moose in Malheur County, with a few verified sightings per year, mostly near the Snake River, said Tucker Freeman, district biologist for ODFW’s Malheur District.

Freeman said ODFW doesn’t have much information about moose in the area, and it’s not clear how many animals there are and whether any stay in the area year-round.

“Most everyone we speak with is very pleased with the opportunity to have seen a moose in the area,” Freeman said. “As a district staff, we are highly disappointed with somebody’s decision to illegally kill this moose. We are committed to supporting the Oregon State Police in seeking justice to the case and would like to emphasize the preference points and cash rewards available for tips leading to an arrest or citation.”

Freeman said there are no legal hunting seasons for moose in Oregon.

The state’s largest moose population, numbering about 50 animals, is in the Blue Mountains north of Elgin. The herd there started with animals migrating from either Washington or Idaho, according to ODFW.

Freeman said the moose was shot not long before the citizen called police.

The moose carcass was still warm when police and ODFW employees arrived, he said.

Freeman said there were reported sightings in the past few months, distributed by social media, that appear to be of the same moose that was killed.

He said the spot where the moose fell is visible from Interstate 84, which crosses the Snake River near the field.

Freeman said it’s possible someone mistook the moose for an elk, athough he said that’s purely speculation. There is a current hunting season for elk, intended to limit agricultural damage, in that part of the Beulah unit, which continues through February.

However, Freeman said the field where the moose was shot is a poor place to hunt. Most people who hunt during the current season do so farther from Ontario.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact Sr. Trooper Casey Hunter through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) program hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or dial *OSP (mobile) and reference case number SP24017131. Callers can remain anonymous.

The TIP program offers five preference points for information that leads to an arrest or citation in the illegal killing of a moose. The Oregon Hunters Association offers a cash reward of $2,000 for such information.

The TIP program is a collaboration between the Oregon State Police, Oregon Hunters Association, ODFW, Oregon Wildlife Coalition, Oregon Outfitter and Guides Association and the Oregon State Marine Board.