Although the Summit County council just passed an ordinance against hunting on the now famous cattle ranch on Sept 6th, the absence of proper signage is slowing down officials from enforcing laws.
While the lack of signage might disrupt things ever so slightly, it won’t stop the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources from kicking off an investigation after a beheaded elk was found on the property last month.
“Someone killed a bull elk on the property, which is clearly marked with ‘no trespassing’ signs,” DWR Northern Region Outreach Manager Mark Hadley said. “Whoever killed the elk removed its head and just a small portion of its meat. The rest of the meat was left to waste.”
The ranch was formerly owned by David Bernolfo who also prohibited hunting on the property before Summit County acquired it. The unfortunately reality surrounding the property is that poaching has always been and continues to be a problem. He has sued multiple individuals for poaching infractions in the past and this most recent incident eerily resembles a similar incident that took place last September that left two elk headless as well.
No arrests have been made in that incident.
Given the size of the property, county officials are gathering resources to form a better presence on the ranch in hopes of not only deterring poaching, but perhaps catching illegal incidents as they take place.
In addition to stepping up policing and patrolling of the 910 Cattle Ranch, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office may form patrols around the ranch and the county is currently fielding applications from citizens looking to help out. They are currently on the lookout for approximately 25 individuals to patrol the ranch on skis, horseback, ATVs and on foot to better establish a presence.
