Maine game wardens in cooperation with Operation Game Thief are offering a $2,000 reward for each of two moose that were found illegally shot in Washington County.
The first moose, a calf, was found off the Walker Cover Road in Vanceboro, and had been dragged off the road and left to rot after being shot in the rear, according to the Maine Warden Service. The cow moose was reported by a hunter who found it in a wood yard.
Officials suspect the cow was killed on Nov. 23, officials said.
A second moose, a bull, was located near mile marker 5 on the 34 Burn Road in Topsfield. Whoever shot the moose had attempted to conceal it by covering it in fur boughs and cut trees. The antlers were missing and one side of the moose had been harvested for meat, while the other side of the moose was left to rot, officials said.
Wardens believe the bull was shot on Nov. 22.
The last opportunity to legally shoot a moose in the Washington County wildlife management districts was in October. There is no open moose season anywhere in Maine at this time.
Anyone with information can contact Maine Operation Game Thief at 1-800-253-7887.
