Somebody in Montana is shooting bull elk and leaving them to rot – at least four animals have been killed in the past week – and authorities are seeking the public’s help.

The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that its officers had responded to a report of an elk that had been found shot to death east of the town of Roundup.

“The entire bull, a mature six-point, was left to rot in the field,” reads a Facebook post from the Sheriff’s Office, imploring the public to share information that might be useful in an investigation headed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department.

“This is a horrendous crime and the individuals that perpetrated it need to be held accountable!” the post concludes.

Sheriff Shawn L. Lesnik later updated the post to reveal that two more elk carcasses had been discovered, and on Tuesday Lesnik told For The Win Outdoors that, based on tips, a fourth bull elk may have been shot.

That was confirmed Wednesday after the discovery of a carcass 25 miles from where the other three had been found.

Lesnik added that finding wounded or dead elk in the vast and rugged terrain surrounding Roundup is like finding “the proverbial needle in the haystack,” implying that many more animals might have been shot illegally.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks has not disclosed information as it conducts its investigation, but Lesnik said the agency has received numerous tips.

He told the Billings Gazette, “I will tell you there are a substantial number of people who are pretty angry about this because it’s just so senseless. It’s just unfathomable.”

The sheriff is asking anyone with useful information to telephone his office or the state’s anonymous hotline at 1-800-847-6668.

–Top two generic elk mages are via ©Pete Thomas; third image showing a bull elk carcass is courtesy of the Musselshell Sheriff’s Office