“Someone shot it and left it lay,” said FWP Warden Capt. Joe Jaquith. “We are hoping someone saw something and would be willing to call.”
Jaquith believes the 3- to 4-year-old moose was probably shot late Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
“It was just coming into the prime of its life,” he said.
Jaquith got the call at about noon from a couple of concerned citizens who spotted the downed moose about 200 yards off Schwartz Creek Road about a mile from the Miller Creek Road intersection.
Schwartz Creek Road runs between Miller Creek and Clinton.
Jaquith arrived on the scene a couple of hours after receiving the call.
It’s something he’s seen before.
“These occur more than you might think,” Jaquith said. “It’s a little disconcerting. We find these dead moose near a roadway where someone just stops, shoots and then drives away.”
It’s one of those cases that wardens need help to solve.
“There are some cases, especially these gun-and-run cases, that we rely on the eyes and ears of the public,” he said. “There had to have been a lot of people driving over that road that day.”
People might have seen something that didn’t seem quite right.
“If they put two and two together and realize they might have some information that would help us, we hope they will make the call,” Jaquith said.
People can get onto Schwartz Creek Road from Missoula, Clinton and the Bitterroot Valley. The route is popular during hunting season.
Jaquith encourages anyone with information to call 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668).
“If they want, they can remain confidential,” he said. “They don’t have to give their names. We will need some help to find the people responsible for this.”
(Missoulian - Oct 29, 2013)
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