Man charged with illegal killing of four elk bulls

TABIONA, Duchesne County — A man faces four charges after investigators say he illegally killed four protected bull elk over a four-year period.

According to an affidavit, 26-year-old Austin Fleek hunted and killed bull elk in the Tabby Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Duchesne County. The Duschene County Sheriff's Office cited that Fleek “never possessed a Wasatch Limited Entry Elk tag,” meaning he did not have the necessary permits to hunt that game.

Investigators found pictures, locations and timestamps of Fleek's hunts on his cell phone.

2020

An image saved to Fleek's Snapchat account in October 2020 showed a “6×6 trophy elk bull,” meaning the elk's antlers had six points and were fully grown. Fleek also documented the kill on OnX, a GPS navigation app commonly used for hunting and hiking. Fleek posted an “elk icon” that was timestamped with 7:02 p.m. October 14, 2020, and GPS coordinates.

Investigators reportedly found the ribcage, spine and pelvis of a moose 115 feet from the OnX coordinates. According to the affidavit, Fleek admitted to officers that he used a rifle to kill that bull moose. Fleek did not have the required permit in the area he was in or with the weapon he was using to “harvest that moose,” officers said.

2021

The affidavit states that pictures were found on Fleek's phone of him posing with a dead 5×5 bull elk. These pictures appear to have been taken in the Tabby Mountain Management Area and are dated October 13, 2021. Fleek also documented this kill on OnX.

When officers followed the OnX coordinates, they say they found the ribcage, spine and pelvis of a moose, as well as vegetation similar to that in Fleek's photos.

2023

According to the affidavit, Fleek admitted to illegally killing a “6×6 bull elk” on December 9, 2023. He reportedly told investigators he killed the elk with a rifle.

Investigators found documentation of this kill on Fleek's OnX account and followed the coordinates. The affidavit states that the ribcage, spine and pelvis of a moose were found 18 feet from the OnX coordinates.

Officials reported that a second carcass of a bull elk was found about 300 feet from the remains investigators were originally looking for. “The antlers had been sawed off the head,” the affidavit states.

Investigators found evidence of this murder on Fleek's phone. The dead bull elk was photographed and Fleek's OnX account had a timestamp of December 9, 2024.

Fleek reportedly admitted to killing both bull elk that same morning and using a rifle both times.