Idahoans Rewarded For Protecting Wildlife

Citizens who took time to help bust poachers in Idaho received more than $15,000 in reward money last year.

The Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) hotline received 487 calls from citizens reporting suspected Fish and Game violations in 2004. Those calls resulted in 61 cases and 123 citations. The people involved in those cases paid nearly $60,000 in civil penalties and fines.

"More Idahoans are realizing that unethical hunters and anglers who steal fish and wildlife are stealing from all of us" said Jon Heggen, Fish and Game's chief of enforcement.

Most of the cases resulting from CAP calls last year involved big game violations. Fish and Game issued 49 CAP-related citations to those accused of poaching deer, and 45 to those accused of poaching elk.

Clearly, many calls to the CAP line did not result in any enforcement activity. In some cases, callers who thought they had witnessed a crime had not. That's not a problem according to Heggen.

"I'd rather get a call on a case that turns out to be nothing, than not get a call on a case in which unethical people are stealing wildlife from law-abiding citizens." Heggen said, "Idaho's wildlife belongs to all Idahoans."

Many calls that come into the CAP line are difficult to investigate because the information provided is not specific enough, or it doesn't come in soon enough. Reporting a case of someone fishing for salmon in closed waters two weeks ago doesn't do much good. Officers might have a hard time investigating someone spotlighting deer in a "white pickup in Boise County".

On the other hand, if you report someone spotlighting deer near mile marker 8 on the Banks-Lowman Highway in a white Toyota pickup with plywood side boards and license plate 54872, chances are the poacher will be caught.

"The more detailed the information the better." Heggen said.

If that specific information leads to a citation or a warrant, you will be eligible for a cash reward based on the violation: $100 for birds, fish and general violations, $250 for most big game animals, and $500 for trophy species such as sheep, goat, grizzly, moose and caribou. You will also have the satisfaction of helping protect Idaho's wildlife.

The CAP hotline is open 24 hours a day at 1-800-632-5999. You can report a violation and receive a reward anonymously.

For more information on CAP, log on to the web:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/about/enforcement/cap.cfm

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