WYOMING POACHERS- again !

[hunterman67]

INTERSTATE GAME TAGS REQUIRED WHEN ANTLERS ARE ATTACHED TO SKULL PLATES





by Dennie Hammer, Cody Region Information/Education Specialist




CODY ? Local wildlife officials know that at least two bull elk and three mule deer were poached last winter and one deer this winter?not because someone needed the meat?but because someone wanted their antlers.



These incidents have prompted Cody region wildlife law enforcement officials to reconsider how they enforce Wyoming?s Interstate Game Tag laws.



?When someone finds a dead buck deer or bull elk in the field, they have stumbled upon a potential crime scene,? said Cody region wildlife supervisor Gary Brown. ?If that same individual cuts the head off of the carcass before notifying us of their discovery, the crime scene is compromised and our chance of apprehending the poacher(s) is lessened,? Brown said.



According to Brown, protecting wildlife is a high priority. ?Our job is to enforce the laws and regulations that protect our wildlife resource and we have a responsibility to investigate the illegal killing of our game animals,? Brown said. ?Of course, not every dead buck or bull found in the field has been poached and predation, disease, weather, and old age kill animals,? he added.



Brown admits that his personnel have been lenient in the past on the interstate game tagging procedure and feels stricter compliance with the law is necessary.



When someone finds a skull with antlers or horns attached they must contact a Wyoming Game and Fish Department law enforcement officer as soon as possible and arrangements must be made to game tag the antlers or horns. This same procedure applies to road-killed animals.





According to Brown, the ?soon as possible? reference means just that. ?With the advent of cell phones, soon as possible will be immediate in some cases and in others, contact should be made as soon as a public telephone or cell phone service is available,? Brown said. ?Failing to notify us is a violation we will strictly enforce.?



?Once we have been contacted and obtain detailed information regarding the dead animal and its location, it is possible that the person who found the skull will be allowed to bring it in and have it properly tagged,? Brown said. ?If we feel it may have been poached, we will investigate.?



Naturally shed antlers and horns do not require Wyoming Interstate Game Tags nor does the Department need to be notified when they are found. There are no antler hunting seasons in Wyoming however, the Department urges all antler hunters to avoid moving elk, and deer while they are on their winter ranges, especially when deep snows or cold temperatures persist. Some winter range areas, such as the Sunlight Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area and Bald Ridge near the Clarks Fork Canyon are closed to all human activity during the winter period.



For more information regarding the proper procedure for tagging pick-up skulls contact your local game warden or Game and Fish regional office. Notification of a find may be reported to Department law enforcement officers and the STOP Poaching hotline (1-800-442-4331).




5400 Bishop Boulevard Wyoming Game & Fish Department

Cheyenne, WY 82006

M WAITE, AZ.

 

[rumproast]

Wyoming poachers Still!
That's pretty high profile stuff.
Powder River Basin has had a surge the past year or two, also.
Slime balls never really disappear, they just rotate according to who's out in the field doing what.

 

[hunterman67]

yeah I agree. I have been to wyoming only one time in 2002 for a deer/'lope hunt. born and raised here in southern arizona hunting around here you see some deer. on my trip up there from about las vegas new mexico all the way through colorado into cheyenne then torrington and lusk- I was in heaven. honestly I have NEVER even imagined seeing that many animals, ever. I actually saw more of my beloved MULE DEER hit on the highways than I saw in the last two years of hunting them here in arizona. from torrington to lusk was just a proud time for me, I loved seeing that much game. and after taking the deer on the ranch I hunted, then going to another place to take my 'lope I still just could'nt believe the amount of animals you all have. I know that all poachers should have thier equipment taken and sold, and not be allowed to hunt for at least 5 years plus I also think that more money and years should be added onto thier sentence depending on the size of the animal taken. these are NOT families of 5 with dads on strike taking does for meat only- these are losers shooting the biggest deer they can find on winter range and taking the heads only- that is beyond comprehension to me for killing a trophy deer only for it's freaking head- but think about the big picture- they are taking the breeding stock out of an area, that alone will affect the trophy/deer quality for many more years to come. trophy/deer/bucks in general are already being lost to natural causes. predation, winter kill, traffic, hunting seasons, housing for stupid people, etc..... they don't need the added pressure of being chased around for thier sheds, and/or just being shot for the size of thier horns. they somehow managed to survive the year, and hunting seasons only to be cheated in the end. they don't make a book big enough to throw at these suck off's ! ANYTHING law enforcement can do to get them I am ok with ! maybe even stop them BEFORE they poach ? decoys work good down here ? where do you live up there in wyoming ?
M WAITE, AZ.