GREAT FALLS — Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks game wardens are investigating after a mule deer buck was shot and left to waste in Black Eagle Park on the evening of Sunday, November 9, 2025.
The agency said in a news release that wardens responded to the scene after receiving a report of a dead deer in the park.
The investigation determined the deer was likely shot in the upper portion of the park near the pavilion and died on the lower level near the baseball fields.
Game Warden Mike Tucker said, “This incident is especially concerning because it occurred in a public park where families frequently gather. We take these crimes seriously and are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything unusual that evening to contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Tucker at 406-594-4813 or visit the TIP-MONT website at tipmont.mt.gov.
Informants may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
FWP is also investigating after three elk were shot and left to waste on the Sun River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near Augusta earlier this week.
Wardens were contacted by a hunter on an adjacent property who reported spotting a dead elk on the morning of Tuesday November 11.
Wardens went to the location in the Shed Creek drainage on the south end of the WMA and found a cow elk as well as two elk calves. They determined all three of them had been shot, most likely a few days earlier. A special license is required to hunt antlerless elk on the Sun River WMA.
“These Sun River elk represent a unique and historical migratory elk herd in Montana,” said FWP game warden Per Wolfisberg. “Shooting and deliberately wasting three of them is disrespectful to not only the animals, but also to the citizens and hunters of Montana. We are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything unusual in that area to contact us and help us catch the people who committed this crime.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Wolfisberg at 406-781-0244, or visit the TIP-MONT website at tipmont.mt.gov.
