DWR: 104 wildlife have been illegally killed since Aug. 1

SALT LAKE CITY — With various hunting seasons beginning to start up around the state, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says they are seeing an increase in the number of wildlife illegally killed.

According to a news release from the DWR, 104 animals have been illegally killed since Aug. 1. Those numbers include:

• Nine deer
• Six elk
• Two moose
• One bear
• One pronghorn
• 60 fish
• 25 other protected wildlife

“Unfortunately, every time we have our fall hunting seasons kick off, we do sometimes see an uptick in poaching,” said DWR spokesperson Faith Jolley, in an interview with KSL NewsRadio. “So, that has been the case this year as well.”

Between Aug. 1 and Sept. 9, according to the release, conservation officers made contact with 9,900 people and inspected the hunting or fishing licenses of 3,600 individuals. During that that time, 849 citations were issued, and conservation officers continue to investigate other wildlife-related crimes.

“So, we kind of like to remind people if you do see something that looks illegal related to wildlife, we’d love to have you report that to us,” Jolley said. “So, we’re just trying to remind people to hunt ethically, hunt safely and then if you do see any kind of poaching violations to contact us, so our officers can go and investigate.”

An increase in poaching

Jolley said it’s not unusual to see an increase in poaching at this time of the year.

“We do typically see an uptick during this time frame, kind of August to November,” she said. “This year, though, is lower than last year at this same kind of time frame. So, it’s not worse than other years, but it is just kind of typical for this time of year that we will see more poaching incidents during the hunting season.”

She cites people already out hunting as a cause for an increase in poaching. In many instances, the incident is accidental — people not checking their permit or shooting the wrong animal. In other cases, however, it’s a case of opportunity.

“They’re out already looking for wildlife. They’ve got their firearm, their equipment, so it’s kind of that opportunistic crime,” Jolley said.

What to do

Jolley said there are a few things to do, if you witness a wildlife-related crime.

• Get a license plate number.
• Don’t confront the individuals and get as many details as you can.
• Get a GPS location, if possible.

That information can be reported to the DWR is one of four ways:

• Send a text to 847411.
• Call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline at 1-800-662-3337.
• Use the UTDWR app.
• Report online through the DWR website.

Jolley said the consequences of poaching can be serious.

“It is pretty serious,” she said. “Depending on the speices, depending if it was intentional, It can go as far as someone could get their hunting or combination license suspended.”

Related reading:

• DWR officers seek information about cow elk, 18 geese found dead in Emery County
• Four deer illegally killed, beheaded; DWR asking for public’s help with investigation

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Contributing: Adam Small, KSL NewsRadio.