With many hunting seasons underway, the Idaho Fish and Game asks the public to call the Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) hotline if they witness a violation of wildlife laws.
“Those who ‘Make the Call’ are instrumental in catching poachers stealing game and fish from the Idaho citizens,” said David Silcock, Idaho Fish and Game regional conservation officer based in Salmon. “Many poaching cases would not be detected, let alone, solved without the public’s extra eyes and ears.”
Callers to the hotline, 1-800-632-5999, can report wildlife law violations anonymously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cash rewards are available to callers who provide information leading to the citation of suspected wildlife law violators.
Rewards are: $200 for birds, fish and general violations; $300 for most big game animals and wild turkey; $600 for trophy species such as bighorn sheep, mountain goat, grizzly, moose and caribou. In special circumstances, these amounts can be higher.
During the 35 year history, CAP has been an important link to catching poachers. Each year, CAP receives an average of 600 calls from the public, which results in 150 citations issued and $20,000 paid in rewards
Those who report a wildlife violation are encouraged to note as complete a description as possible of people and vehicles involved, as well as report it as quickly as possible.
“The more detailed information you provide and the quicker your report it, the more likely a poacher will get caught,” Silcock said. “License plate numbers are extremely useful, as well as exact location, time and description of suspects.”
Persons with any information about suspected poaching activity are encouraged to call the CAP hotline at 1-800-632-5999, report online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/poacher, or contact their local Fish and Game office.