AMARILLO — Texas Game Wardens are requesting the public’s help to identify individuals responsible for killing five pronghorn between Friday, Sept. 24and Sunday, Sept. 26. The bodies were discovered one mile north of Interstate Highway 40, just east of Adrian. The carcasses were dumped on private land with the skull and horns missing.
“This is a considerably egregious crime, not just in the manner in which it was committed but also due to the significance of the animal that was harmed,” said Oldham County Game Warden Wesley Driskill, who is overseeing the investigation. “The pronghorn is one of the few big game species native to our state. Its habitat is limited to west Texas and the panhandle which is why their hunting season is shorter than most and hunting permits are highly regulated. A crime of this magnitude impacts everyone working to conserve pronghorn for future generations.”
Texas Game Wardens believe this was an act of irresponsible trophy hunting. They encourage anyone with information about the individuals responsible to call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). Relevent information may include anything out of the ordinary like strange gunshots, unfamilar vehicles in the area, headlights in a field on those nights or observing a truck with a bloody tailgate. Information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible will be elligible for a $1,000 reward.