Three Missouri men sentenced for poaching elk, leaving it to rot

SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. - Three Missouri men have been sentenced on charges connected with elk poaching, illegally killing and abandoning a bull elk in 2023.

Michael K. O’Neail, of De Soto, pleaded guilty Sept. 3 to illegally killing and abandoning a bull elk. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

O'Neail will avoid a 60-day jail sentence as long as he completes two years probation and pays the $10,000 fine within a year, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Two others, Kevin B. Click and Travis R. Wadlow, both of Bonne Terre, were each sentenced to a $500 fine plus court costs, and a mandatory $750 contribution to the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation for the illegal take or possession of white-tailed deer.

The charges stem from a lengthy investigation, which began in November 2023 when MDC received that an elk was found shot, deceased and left to rot near Klepzig Mill in Shannon County.

Over the course of nine months, Missouri conservation agents conducted extensive interviews with local hunters and visitors. Agents used surveillance footage from local businesses and elk-population-monitoring cameras to identify the suspects.

Investigators determined the elk was killed through poaching, meaning it was killed illegally, either out of season, without a permit or in violation of Missouri's wildlife code. Poaching differs from legal hunting, which can only occur during state-designated seasons.

In addition to the elk poaching, O'Neail, Click and Wadlow were also charged for being in illegal possession of a deer they did not telecheck.

“Lawful hunters contribute to the conservation and management of our wildlife resources, while poachers do not,” said MDC Protection Branch Chief Travis McLain. “Poaching is not a victimless crime; it hurts all of us.”

Shannon County Prosecuting Attorney William Seay prosecuted the cases.