Teen hunter mistakes moose for elk

A 17-year-old from Bonners Ferry was cited for allegedly killing a bull moose without a permit; he thought the moose was an elk.

“He mistook a moose for an elk,” said Brian Johnson, a senior conservation officer with Idaho Department of Fish and Game for Boundary County. “He actually thought it was an elk, even after he had it dead on the ground. . . until his friend arrived on the scene and explained it was a moose.”

The boy, who was not identified by The Herald because he is a minor, was hunting on Oct. 11 in the Trail Creek area near Naples, Johnson said. He shot the yearling moose from about 20 to 30 yards away.

The youth told his father about the mistake and turned himself into game officials. He also helped pack out the meat, which was donated to the food bank.

Normally, anyone who shoots a moose out of season or without a permit faces $3,000 in fines and penalties.

“Killing a closed-season moose is a big deal,” Johnson said. “There’s a major difference between someone who makes a mistake and someone who intentionally poaches a moose . . . (at the same time) hunters are supposed to know the difference.”

He noted that young bull moose have small paddles.

“This one didn’t,” Johnson said. “It had kind of like spikes coming from its head. He looked like a moose, but did have unusual antlers.

Johnson would not comment on the penalties the youth faces.