Man from Kansas pleads guilty to illegally killing Colorado moose with arrow: He "was not a hunter. He is a poacher"

A man who illegally stalked and killed a moose in Colorado has pleaded guilty to several charges including willful destruction of wildlife and poaching. Steven Samuelson left the bull moose to rot after shooting it with and arrow it two years ago.

The killing took place near Pikes Peak in September 2021. Someone reported that the moose had been illegally shot with an arrow in a forested area north of Divide in Teller County. It appeared that Samuelson tried to remove the moose's head after killing it but was unable to. Then he tried to hide its body by laying branches on top of it.  

Samuelson, who is from Oakley, Kansas, pleaded guilty on July 10 in Teller County District Court.

Samuelson has to pay a $20,000 fine as part of his sentence, was assessed 65 points against his hunting license and will be on probation for two years.

 According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Samuelson also "surrendered the bow he used to poach the moose as well as other property that contained evidence of the crime including his cellphone."

"Our officers are determined to stop people like Mr. Samuelson who think they can simply go kill any animal they like. I want to make it clear: Mr. Samuelson was not a hunter. He is a poacher," said Tim Kroening, CPW Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region, in a prepared statement.