Operation Game Thief has helped in Texas
The massive whitetail buck had evaded gnashing teeth when he was a youngster, fought off antlered competitors in his middle years and outwitted a slew of hunters in the fading twilight of his life. However, in the end, the monarch was found by ranch hands near a boundary fence parallel to a county road early one icy morning.
It didn't take much to piece together what had transpired: The old buck had been spotted from the blacktop by someone tooling past with little regard for much, who also happened to have a rifle and decided to use it in violation of game laws. Upon felling the impressive animal, the deviant figured it would be too much work to drag the animal over the fence or to try and cover up their crime, so they simply drove away into the fading light, never to be seen again.
Much to the chagrin of wildlife enforcement officers and law-abiding outdoorsmen and women, there is a strong criminal element that continues to do things that boggle the mind. Whether they do it out of spite or because they don't know any better, those who brazenly break wildlife laws continue to soil the reputation of the honest hunter and angler. And in this day of the never-ending news cycle and sound-bite fever, it only takes one bad incident to spoil things for the rest of us who partake in outdoor activities legally.
However, thanks in large part to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, antipoaching programs have sprung up in every state in the last three decades and it's easier than ever for the everyman to help stamp out this kind of behavior.
The NMDGF started Operation Game Thief in 1977 as a way to stem the poaching tide in the state. The program was modeled after Crime Stoppers, which began in 1976 in Albuquerque, N.M., and has achieved unprecedented success. OGT offers rewards like the Crime Stoppers program. If a lawbreaker is arrested or issued a citation on the basis of information provided in an anonymous tip, a reward of up to $1,000 is authorized.
OGT operations and other anti-poaching programs in each state have hotlines that are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some states also have an online form anonymous tippers can fill out. And in Texas, if you don't wish to give your name when calling in, you will be assigned a code number.
In most cases, states quantify the reward based on the severity of the crime: New Mexico rewards are $750 for cases involving elk and bighorn sheep; $500 for deer and oryx; $350 for antelope; and $250 for turkey, bear, cougar, javelina, ibex, barbary sheep, endangered species, small game, fish, raptors and furbearers.
If an animal is deemed a trophy based on Safari Club International measurements, poachers can face stiffer monetary penalties and possible jail time, which is a big improvement over penalties that had been assessed in the past in many states.
Texas success
During the life of OGT in Texas, more than 28,000 calls have been received on wildlife violations, more than $1,180,000 in fines have been assessed and more than $200,000 in rewards have been doled out.
OGT, adopted in Texas in 1981, is crucial to stopping many wildlife violations. Anyone who witnesses something illegal -- or even thinks it may be illegal -- should call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-792-GAME with as much detailed information as possible as soon as they can after witnessing or hearing about the violation. OGT personnel have said that in the past many folks often wait to call until a Monday or Tuesday after seeing a violation over the weekend, which only makes it harder to track down leads.
The key to the program is that it provides a vital link between the public and what certainly is a stretched net of game wardens. In some West Texas areas there is only one warden for every two counties, which makes it almost impossible to track certain crimes that undoubtedly happen every year. And while game violations are the primary target of the program, the public is advised to report other things they think may be violations, including environmental crimes, crime such as arson in state parks and even the uprooting of artifacts.
For more information on Texas' Operation Game Thief program, visit www. ogttx.com.
Will Leschper's e-mail address is wleschper@yahoo.com.
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