The poached elk | Missouri Department of Conservation
In yet another victory for wildlife conservation, a trio of Missouri men faced the music earlier this month for their roles in the illegal poaching of a mature bull elk in Shannon County during the November 2023 firearms season. The incident, which occurred near Klepzig Mill, was resolved through a meticulous nine-month investigation by the Missouri Department of Conservation, and resulted in big fines for the accused.
The case kicked off after a 14-year-old deer hunter discovered the carcass of a bull elk during the opening weekend of Missouri’s 2023 firearms deer season. Elk hunting in Missouri is tightly regulated, restricted to a lottery-based system with specific seasons, making the unique find all the more suspicious. Following the discovery, MDC conservation agents from the Ozark, Central, St. Louis, and Southeast regions launched a comprehensive investigation. They conducted interviews with local deer hunters and businesses, analyzed surveillance footage and elk-monitoring camera data, executed five search warrants, and sent evidence for forensic analysis. In the end, it was tips from the public along with cooperation from local businesses that proved crucial in identifying the perpetrators, once again highlighting the importance of community involvement in tackling wildlife crimes.
On September 3rd, Shannon County Prosecuting Attorney William Seay was successful in securing guilty pleas from the three men involved. Michael K. O’Neail of De Soto, who was the primary offender, admitted to illegally killing and abandoning the bull elk. He received a 60-day jail sentence, which was suspended pending successful completion of two years of probation, and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine within one year to avoid jail time. Kevin B. Click and Travis R. Wadlow, both from Bonne Terre, were not directly responsible for the elk’s death but pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a white-tailed deer without proper Telecheck documentation, a mandatory reporting requirement in Missouri. Each was fined $500, ordered to pay court costs, and required to contribute $750 to the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit supporting wildlife conservation efforts. All three men also faced charges for improper deer possession.
Missouri’s elk population, reintroduced in the early 2000s after being extinct in the state for over a century, remains a carefully managed species. Poaching poses a threat to this recovery and undermines the efforts of legal hunters and conservationists and costs us as hunters a boatload of money in the process. MDC Protection Branch Chief Travis McLain commended the public’s role in solving the case, stating that poaching is not a victimless crime, as it harms ecosystems and deprives future generations of wildlife.
“The assistance from the public and support we received from the Shannon County Prosecutor during this investigation was critical for bringing these poachers to justice,” McLain stressed. “Tips from local residents and hunters, cooperation from area businesses, and community engagement played a major role in helping our agents identify those responsible.”
