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Bighorn ram poached, left to rot near Utah ATV trail

(Photo courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) A bighorn sheep was killed by a poacher on Oct. 20 near Mount Carmel Junction, wildlife officers reported.

(Photo courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) A bighorn sheep was killed by a poacher on Oct. 20 near Mount Carmel Junction, wildlife officers reported.

  | Nov. 6, 2019, 8:50 p.m.
| Updated: 9:21 p.m.

Utah wildlife officials are trying to find out who shot a bighorn ram in southern Utah, where it was “left to waste” along an ATV trail.

The ram appears to have been shot Oct. 20 from the Barracks ATV trail near Mount Carmel Junction, east of Zion National Park, according to a statement by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

“The ram was shot through both lungs, and the bullet exited the animal’s left side,” conservation officers wrote.

The poaching occurred about the same time that a bull elk was poached elsewhere in Utah. The elk was found 9 miles west of Escalante near State Road 12, and was believed to have been shot between Oct. 19 and 22.

Anyone with information may call wildlife officers at the poaching tip line, 800-662-3337. A cash award may be offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the poacher.