A Missouri teenager is facing a wave of online bullying after accidentally shooting a protected elk during a hunting trip, her father revealed.
14-year-old Abby Wilson thought she was aiming at a deer while hunting with her dad, but they soon realized the animal was actually an elk — a species protected in the region.
The pair had been hunting legally during Missouri’s deer season when the mistake happened. After closely examining the animal, Abby’s father, Don White, reached out to the Missouri Department of Conservation with a simple admission:
“We think we just shot an elk.”
What makes this story even more surprising is that the elk was spotted in Boone County—about 200 miles away from the nearest wild elk herd reintroduced in Carter and Shannon counties.
Even conservation agent Adam Doerhoff was skeptical at first. It wasn’t until Abby’s dad, Don White, sent him a clear photo that he was convinced.
“The dad sent me a photo to my phone, and it was very clear—yes, that’s an elk,” Doerhoff told the Springfield News-Leader. “You don’t expect to see something like that. I’ve learned to never say never.”
Robert Hemmelgarn, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Conservation, echoed the surprise:
“To see one in Boone County is definitely out of the ordinary.”
Tom Strother, the department’s regional supervisor, explained what likely happened:
“She saw antlers, she saw the body, and thought it was a deer. So she took the shot. This young girl probably had never seen an elk in the wild before. Her dad absolutely did the right thing by calling us immediately.”
Since the story went viral, Abby Wilson has faced harsh criticism from online groups, her father, Don White, revealed.
A Facebook group called “STOP Trophy Hunting NOW” slammed the incident with comments like, “Idiots and their offspring with guns in the woods, don’t even know what they are shooting at.”
White fired back firmly, defending his daughter:
“Don’t come at my daughter saying lock her away. If she gets fined, I’ll pay it and we’ll move on. So be it. We’ll deal with it.”
Despite the backlash, White expressed hope that conservation officials might allow them to keep the elk’s meat and antlers.
“I’d make sure everybody around my family would have some of that,” he said.
However, Missouri conservation staff made it clear that no parts of the elk would be returned to the family. The meat, if deemed healthy and disease-free, could be donated to families in need.
The debate spilled over onto social media, where users argued whether the 14-year-old should face consequences for shooting a protected species. One commenter wrote,
“The elk is a protected species. There is no elk season, so shooting it is illegal. Age or ignorance is not a defense. She made a mistake, but there are consequences.”
Others weighed in on the family’s request to keep the antlers:
“Asking for trophies from an illegally shot elk is in poor taste. She shouldn’t go to jail, but a fine is justified.”
Still, some sympathized with Abby’s situation:
“She’s only 14 and still learning. Her dad did the right thing by calling immediately. The elk had no tag, and no one had reported elk in the area—it was unusual to see one there at all.”
