SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 12, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) With nearly 200 illegally taken wildlife cases since Aug. 1, and the year’s biggest hunt still to come, wildlife officials want to remind the public how to report poaching.
“Hunters need to take responsibility for knowing the law, having a current hunting or combination license and also knowing what species and areas their permits allow them to hunt before they go out into the field,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Capt. Chad Bettridge said in a Tuesday press release.
“We need your help,” Bettridge said. “Please keep your eyes and ears open and report suspicious activity to us. Working together, we can enforce wildlife laws, which help with wildlife conservation and maintaining healthy populations, and also keep our recreating public safe.”
To help the DWR fight poaching in Utah:
🚨 Get a license plate number. If you see someone who is potentially breaking Utah’s wildlife laws, this is the most critical piece of information you can provide to conservation officers.
🚨 Don’t confront someone who might be committing a violation; just observe from a distance and take note of as many details as you can.
🚨 Report the violation by texting 847411, calling the UTiP Hotline at 800-662-3337, using the UTDWR Law Enforcement app or reporting it online through our website (wildlife.utah.gov). While reporting a wildlife violation in a Facebook message will eventually get to a conservation officer, it is much more efficient and effective to use the proper channels.Several hunting seasons are in full swing, the DWR said, and Utah’s general-season rifle deer hunt — arguably the state’s most popular hunt — starts Oct. 21.
During the fall’s early hunts since Aug. 1, the division’s Conservation Officers have contacted roughly 10,000 individuals and inspected the hunting and fishing licenses of 4,300 people. “During those interactions, the officers discovered 173 illegally killed animals, including big game animals, fish and furbearer species.
“Most of the animals that were illegally taken are fish; however, there were also 15 big game animals illegally killed in the past six weeks.
“During that time frame, officers issued 500 citations, and they will continue to investigate other violations and turn them over to the court system.”
While wildlife violations can happen any time of the year, the press release said, a spike typically occurs during the fall hunting seasons.
Currently, the division said, there are 73 DWR officers patrolling all of Utah.
