COEUR D’ALENE, ID – A 62-year-old Coeur d’Alene man has been sentenced to jail and ordered to pay thousands in fines after being found guilty of unlawfully taking a trophy elk on his property last fall.

Joel Patrick Rose was convicted of Unlawful Taking of Wildlife following a two-day jury trial in June. The case stemmed from a September 2024 incident in which Rose shot and harvested a trophy elk during archery-only season on his property in the Wolf Lodge area of Kootenai County.

Authorities became suspicious when Rose brought the elk’s head, hide, and antlers to a taxidermist, who discovered a bullet lodged in the hide. Idaho Fish and Game officers launched an investigation, and forensic analysis revealed two distinct bullet entry wounds and one bullet exit wound, along with an arrow wound determined to have been inflicted postmortem.

Investigators later recovered a 6.5 mm rifle with a suppressor during a search of Rose’s residence. Rose admitted to using a backhoe to bury the rest of the elk carcass, though a jury acquitted him of altering or concealing evidence.

On Friday, District Judge Casey Simmons sentenced Rose to a five-year prison term, which was suspended in favor of three years of supervised probation. As part of his probation, Rose will serve 30 days in jail. He was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, $5,000 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and permanently lost his hunting privileges.

At sentencing, prosecutors had recommended a prison term with a minimum of two years served, a $50,000 fine, and lifetime revocation of hunting rights.

Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Stanley T. Mortensen commended his office’s attorneys, Idaho Fish and Game officers, and community members who reported their observations, saying their cooperation was critical to securing the conviction.