A sheriff in far northwestern Minnesota has been sued by state conservation officials and faces possible prosecution on allegations that he fabricated an “elk possession tag” for a farmer who killed the animal near his house.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in the lawsuit filed Thursday that Kittson County Sheriff Matt Vig not only concocted the document but assured Carl Christopherson — who killed the elk days before getting the tag — that he would not be charged for taking the animal without proper licensing from the state.
The suit is asking the court to bar Vig or anyone else with the Sheriff’s Office from issuing these permits. It points out that the DNR alone legally controls granting the right to hunt and possess wild animals in Minnesota.
On the criminal front, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Friday that it investigated Vig and the farmer, then turned over its findings to the Kittson County Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges. As of Friday afternoon, neither men have been charged, according to court records.
Given the scarcity of elk in Minnesota, winning a DNR license to hunt elk through a lottery is a coveted prize and can only be granted once in a hunter’s lifetime.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reached out Friday to Vig and Christopherson for their reaction to the suit and the criminal investigation.
The DNR alleges that Kittson County Sheriff Matt Vig made up his own document and gave it to a farmer so an elk could be killed. (Kittson County District Court records)
The DNR’s latest count of elk is 233, which are concentrated in three herds in northern Minnesota and included animals that roam back and forth into Manitoba. The agency issues licenses for elk hunting in the fall. Kill totals per season range from five to 20.
The DNR said in the suit that it learned in early April about the elk being shot and the sheriff “was issuing permits to take or possess elk.”