A soldier hunting in Colorado northwest of Gypsum harvested his first bull elk only to have it stolen out of his truck.

The Vail Daily and Eagle County Sheriff's Office say the man downed a 6x6 bull elk in the Derby Mesa Loop northwest of Gypsum. He was making trips back and forth from the kill site to his truck to pack out the elk.

When he got back to the the truck with the last of the elk, around 2 a.m. on Friday, October 20, he found several items had been moved out of the truck bed and the elk's head missing.

The antler tag was left at the truck. The antlers have a chip embedded in them which may help identify the rack.

The Sheriff's Office is hoping someone may have been in the area at the time of the theft and can provide information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects involved.

Call the Eagle County Sheriff's Office at 970-328-8500 or make an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 970-328-7007 or online at tipsubmit.com

Sources: Eagle County Sheriff's Office/Vail Daily