258 Animals Killed Illegally In Utah Over Last Two Months
Oct 6, 2020, 5:31 PM
(Utah DWR)
(Utah DWR)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said poachers have illegally killed 258 animals in the Beehive State over the last nine weeks.
The poached animals included deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and fish, according to a news release. In all 83 big game animals were killed illegally from August 1 to October 4.
Call UTip Hotline to report poachers. (Utah DWR)
During that same time, DWR said officers contacted 22,873 hunters, inspected 9,271 hunting licenses and found 1,147 violations. Officers issued nearly 900 citations. Officers were investigating more incidents, and will hand off the cases to the courts.
“Hunters need to take the responsibility of knowing the law, having a current hunting or combination license and knowing what species and areas their permits allow them to hunt,” said Lt. Chad Bettridge.
Officers have asked the public to keep up the pressure on poachers by reporting anything suspicious to the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) hotline.
“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 and keep our recreating public safe.”
DWR offered the following tips on what to do when reporting a poaching incident:
- Get a license plate number
- Do not confront the individual
- Call the UTiP hotline to report suspicious activity.
The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day. 1-800-662-DEER (3337). It’s staffed 24 hours a day.
Several hunting seasons are underway and the state’s biggest hunt, general-season deer hunt, begins October 17.
