BEAVER COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 18, 2024 — State wildlife officials are investigating a complaint against a Millard County sheriff‘s deputy accused of stealing a bull elk shot by another hunter.
Milford bow hunter Mayson Smith shared the story in a social media post Saturday night that by Sunday evening had generated more than 800 comments and had been shared more than 550 times.
“I shot this bull today with [an] over the counter archery tag. I bedded it down after I shot and was giving it time to pass,” the post says.
A YouTube video shows Smith shoot the elk in the left front leg, injuring the bull but not killing it.
Later in the video, another hunter, identified by Smith in his post as Millard County sheriff’s deputy Mike Blad, shoots the bull with at least two more arrows and brings it down.
Prior to the second hunter’s shots, Smith says he interacted with a young hunter who asked if he was going to sneak down for another shot. Smith informed the boy he was going to “give him some time” to die.
“Then he asked if it would be alright if [he and his dad] snuck down and shot the smaller bull that was with mine and I said that should be fine if they didn’t spook the one I had already shot,” the post says.
Smith says he waited about an hour before sneaking down the ravine where he had seen the bull go down. That’s when he found “this kid and his dad with my bull half way quartered and skinned.”
“I said what the hell that’s my bull and he proceeded to say no it isn’t,” the post says.
According to Smith, Blad then told him, “[You] were letting it sit and suffer so I put it out of its misery and now it’s my bull.”
The Millard County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the complaint in a social media post, saying the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been contacted and is conducting an investigation into the matter.
“We ask that all will be patient and allow the legitimate channels to handle the matter,” the post says. “We also call for all to refrain from making any threats or harassing behavior as those actions could also have legal consequences and interfere with the ability for proper procedures to take place.”
The DWR confirmed it is investigating the Beaver County incident.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
