A dozen elk fell through the ice and died, despite a desperate rescue effort by hunting guides in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

The director of the Department of Natural Resources calls it a “very tragic and unfortunate event.” The elk died Tuesday at Crapo Lake, a private lake in Otsego County, about 20 miles northeast of Grayling.

It was a group of bulls, females, and calves. A hunting party saw the elk heading down a slope and onto the ice.

Two hunting guides in a rowboat tried to cut a path through the ice with a chainsaw but didn’t make much progress. Authorities recovered 11 carcasses Wednesday. The meat will be donated to local charities.