Wyoming Game & Fish is investigating multiple active poaching cases in the state. WGFD is reminding the public that they can help them catch poachers. One of the best ways to solve poaching cases is by receiving tips from the public. Wildlife officers have to cover large tracts of land typically by themselves. Subsequently, officers simply can’t be in every spot at once, using public tips can help officers catch poachers. There are numerous ways to contact WGFD to report a poaching tip or crime. Call the Stop Poaching Hotline: 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847) or 1-307-777-4330 for out-of-state calls. Submit an online Stop Poaching report on the Game and Fish website. Likewise, people can send the keyword WGFD and message to 847-411. Android-based cell phone users may download a free app to submit text message reports. iPhone users must text reports to 847-411.
Wyoming Poaching Cases
Below we will list four of the ongoing poaching cases in Wyoming.
- Officers are searching for information regarding two poachings near Kemmerer. The animals were taken illegally near the Hams Fork River. A bull moose and a buck mule deer were illegally killed near the forest boundary between Poison Hollow and the East Fork. These killings most likely took place during the week of November 7th. No officers were in the area at the time of these killings. As a result, WGFD officials are asking for the publics’ help.
- Rock Springs Game Warden Andy Roosa is seeking information regarding the poaching of a mountain lion. The mountain lion was shot and left to waste near the Utah state line. These events most likely took place on October 24th. Andy Roosa discovered the cougar on Oct 26th by tracking its GPS collar. The mountain lion was dumped on the south side of Teepee Mountain. During the following investigation, officers found that the animal had been shot only once. They also discovered that no part of the animal was taken. As a part of WGFD’s management plan hunters must present the skull and pelt of any cougar taken by the hunter within seventy-two hours of harvest.
Poaching Cases Continued
- Officials are looking for information regarding who left a whitetail buck to waste north of Garland. On November 1 a concerned hunter called in about an abandoned deer carcass. Game Warden Dillon Herman responded to the call and discovered a headless buck white-tailed deer. During the following investigation, Herman found that the deer had most likely been killed between Oct. 29 and Oct. 31. The person only removed the head of the deer and left the rest of the meat to waste. Likewise, the deer was most likely shot at a different location. The deer was dumped off of Lane 3 leading out into the Garland oilfield, east of Highway 114.
- Sometime during the evening hours on Wednesday, October 21 a cow moose was shot and left to waste. This incident took place near Union Pass Road at the north end of Buffalo Meadows on the Bridger Teton National Forest. Likewise, this moose was shot less than one-hundred yards away from the Union Pass Road between Pinedale and Dubois, Wyoming. There was very little sign around the moose carcass. Subsequently, officials believe that someone during the above-mentioned timeframe shot the moose from a vehicle and drove away.
Poaching hurts wildlife populations. Moreover, it steals from everyone, hunters, and nonhunters alike should be angered by poaching. Likewise, poaching can cause issues between hunter and nonhunter relations. Many times law-abiding hunters will catch the blame for poachers from nonhunters. Subsequently, these kinds of accusations can further damage already strained relations.
So, what do you think about these Wyoming poaching cases? Have you ever helped catch a poacher? Let us know in the comments!
