OTSEGO COUNTY, MI -- A DNR conservation officer investigating an elk poaching has identified the Jackson County hunter believed to be responsible after finding a grocery store receipt among the elk's scattered entrails.

The hunter has allegedly confessed to the killing and charges are now being reviewed by Otsego County Prosecutor Kyle Legel, according to information from the Department of Natural Resources. Elk poaching -- killing without a permit -- in Michigan is punishable by fines of up to $2,500 and loss of hunting privileges for a possible three years.

The six-week investigation started after a passerby discovered elk parts dumped along a rural road in Northern Michigan's Otsego County on Nov. 29. A DNR officer on scene found a grocery store receipt among the animal's scattered body parts -- a key piece of evidence to help in the investigation.

"This case started with very limited clues and evidence, but through solid investigative follow-up, in conjunction with excellent teamwork being displayed by several of our officers around the state, it was brought to a successful conclusion," said DNR Lt. Jim Gorno. "It shows diligence and tenacity in investigating cases involving our high-value fish and game species."

At least six elk were killed during the most recent firearms deer-hunting season -- one, an exceptionally large 620-pound cow elk, was killed with a single shot that hit the heart and lungs.

The Pigeon River Country State Forest, part of which is in Otsego County, is home to many of the state's estimated 668 elk -- down from more than 1,000 in 2008. The animals, once eliminated from Michigan, are the result of seven elk brought here in 1918 to reestablish their presence.

Thirty of almost 30,000 hunters who applied for any-sex elk-hunting permits last year received one. Another seventy of 14,000 received permits for anterless elk.

E-mail Heidi Fenton: hfenton@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/fentoh