Help fight wildlife crime by calling the CAP hotline

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho Fish and Game has 78 conservation officers in the entire state. With more than 83,000 square miles to cover, officers cannot be everywhere at once. The public’s extra eyes and ears play a critical role in helping officers detect wildlife crimes.  

Here are three recent examples of how concerned individuals have helped conservation officers in the Salmon Region detect wildlife crimes: 

• This past June, an officer received a tip about a group of nonresident bear hunters illegally camping near the Seafoam area Guard Station northwest of Stanley.  As the officer began to investigate, some red flags began to go off.  The officer made multiple visits to the area to conduct surveillance on the camp, to document bear bait locations, and to interview nearby hunters and campers.  After gathering evidence, multiple search warrants were conducted.  In summary, the group placed several baits without baiting permits, and many baits were too close to roadways.  The group harvested three bears and did not complete the mandatory Big Game Mortality Report (BGMR) on any bear harvested.  One hunter even harvested a bear without a tag.  Officers traveled out-of-state recently to conduct additional interviews and issue citations to the group. 
• A conservation officer in the Stanley area received an unusual report of two older archery hunters who threatened an individual.  According to the report, the hunters were driving slowly down a road and as one drove, the other sat in the truck bed with a bow.  The officer made contact with the hunters and immediately observed a small bench in the truck bed.  After conducting interviews, the two confessed to taking turns riding in the bed of the truck and shooting arrows at multiple deer.  Both hunters were charged; one with hunting from a motorized vehicle, and the other with aiding in the commission of a misdemeanor.  
• Another officer received a report from a witness that observed an individual shoot at a pronghorn with a .22 rifle during the archery-only season in Unit 36 near Stanley.  The witness quickly provided all the important details, even the name and phone number of the suspected shooter.  The officer located the hunter who promptly confessed to “shooting at the antelope to put it out of its misery”.  Upon further questioning, the officer learned that the animal was grazed with an arrow in the lower leg and was running around apparently unharmed.  The man was charged with attempting to take a pronghorn with a rifle during closed season.  

If you witness a wildlife violation, call the Citizens Against Poaching hotline, 1-800-632-5999, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cash rewards are available to callers who provide information leading to citations being issued.