PARK COUNTY, Colo -- The Park County district attorney will probably decide by next week on what if any charges will be filed in the shooting deaths of 32 bison.

The animals were discovered Wednesday on the private Hawn ranch southeast of Fairplay.

Sheriff Fred Wegener said 10 shooters had been held and released in connection with the shootings. According to Wegener, the shooters claimed to have had permission to shoot the animals.

They took some of the bison meat and hides with them.

The property owner has not talked with investigators.

The bison were owned by a neighbor who reported the shooting to authorities.

The shooting of bison on private property does not require a hunting license, so authorities are not sure what charges are available.

Park County resident Sarah Johnson said she was troubled by the news.

Her cattle have been known to go on other people’s property and she worries that they could be shot.

Among the charges the district attorney might file are cruelty to animals, trespassing and evidence tampering.