The Mountaineer

Misdemeanor poaching charges are pending against a Granville County man suspected of shooting a bull elk in the Cataloochee Valley area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

The suspect’s name is being withheld until an airtight case is ready for prosecution through the federal court system, park officials said.

Around 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13, Cataloochee park rangers discovered the carcass of bull No. 21 lying along the edge of valley pastureland in Cataloochee Valley. The elk, one of the herd’s most stellar bulls, appeared to have been shot, said Great Smoky Mountains National Park Management Assistant Bob Miller. Authorities are awaiting the results of a necropsy report, currently underway by the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, to confirm the cause of death.

Meanwhile, charges against the man suspected of the crime are pending further investigation.

A witness in the valley at the time the elk was killed heard shots being fired and recorded a description of a vehicle seen in the valley at that time, including a tag number, said Miller. That description led park authorities to identify a Granville County man who confessed to the shooting to investigators the following day. The suspect’s name will not be released until charges are filed.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive.

“We have no idea if he came out there to do this or if it was a crime of opportunity,” said Miller, adding that despite the suspect’s confession, authorities need more evidence to build a solid case. “We’re building our case a little more, having ballistics work done to connect him (to the crime) by means other than his confession. We want to make sure we have a pretty solid case before taking it to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. That could take several weeks.”

Whereas hunting regulations in other parts of the county do little to prohibit hunting on unposted private property, laws governing national parkland are cut and dry. Hunting in a national park is strictly prohibited.

Occasionally, however, it happens. Miller said the national park service handles a handful of poaching cases each year.

Because national parkland is federally protected, cases involving crimes therein are handled within the federal court system, prosecuted by U.S. attorneys. Once park investigators have collected all evidence related to the alleged poaching, including the results of ballistics testing, the case will be handed over to prosecutors and poaching charges will likely be filed.

Those convicted of misdemeanor poaching in a national park can face up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.  Offenders can also be forced to forfeit the weapon and vehicle used to commit the crime.

Sentencing depends on a lot of factors, including one’s prior history, said Miller.

The Nov. 13 poaching was the first such case to involve elk in the Cataloochee Valley. In a recent press release, Acting Chief Ranger Steve Kloster attributed the herd’s protection in part to watchful members of the community.

“The suspect was quickly identified and a strong case developed because of the willingness of members of the community to come forward and talk to rangers and state wildlife officers.  The many visitors and volunteers who come to Cataloochee expressly to watch the elk constitute a very effective surveillance network which has undoubtedly prevented elk poaching from occurring earlier,” said Kloster. “While the loss of one bull elk may not jeopardize the success of the Park’s Elk Program, we do see this as a very serious theft of the public’s enjoyment of their national park. Thousands of visitors come to see these elk each year, and many of them know each animal by sight.  Number 21 was one of the largest and most majestic breeding bulls in the herd, so he will certainly be missed.”