Alberta Fish and Wildlife is investigating a potential poaching incident near Nanton.

Officials were tipped off on November 24 through the Report A Poacher line of a Moose carcass that had been found in a farmers field off of Highway 22 and William Coulee Road, west of Nanton.

Upon investigation, officers found a dead moose in a farmers field and determined through necropsy the moose had been shot and killed.

High River Fish and Wildlife Officer Phil Marasco is investigating the case, and says they were able to determine the scenario from which the animal had been killed.

"We were able to recover a bullet and also able to assess the damages that were done to the animal as a result of that bullet. That information plus looking at it's (the animal's) proximity to the road, the intersection and direction of travel, we're pretty convinced it was shot from the road and left to rot in the field."

Marasco says shooting from a roadway is a violation under the Wildlife Act and can also be a violation under the Criminal Code for the dangerous use of a firearm.

The hardest pill to swallow, says Marasco is that the animal was left there to die.

"Nothing was salvaged off the animal at all, it was shot and left as it lied."

Many outdoorsy people don't understand why someone would shoot a moose, and then not harvest the animal, but Marasco says there's a few situations that can lead to these kinds of incidents.

"I mean, things like this do occur and occur for a variety of reasons," he adds "Sometimes someone misidentifies something or they think they're in the right location but they're not. Sometimes people call in to report their mistakes or some get out of the area and try to cover it up. The motivations of why it was shot and left in such a manor could be the result of a number of different things."

The person responsible could face numerous charges depending on circumstance says Marasco, but the number one charge is the wastage of the moose.

"Whether it was initially shot under the authority of a licence or not, whether it was shot by someone who had permission to be where it was or not but looking at the evidence present on scene this animal would have been shot in the early part of November, probably the first week and since no attempt was made to salvage this animal, wastage of the meat itself is the most prominent one."

Fines will range in severity based on those circumstances which are usually determined at a court date says Marasco.

Anyone with information on this particular incident or any illegal activity regarding fish and wildlife are encouraged to call their local Fish and Wildlife Office or the Report a Poacher line which is 1-800-642-3800.

All information received by officials remains anonymous and will be thoroughly investigated, and some tips may be eligible for a cash award.