Fishbonker
Life Member
When purchasing your fishing, hunting and furharvester license please say “Yes” to the $2.00 Turn In Poachers donation. You may also donate $2.00 when you buy your turkey and deer tags. The difference is when you buy a license there is a hard stop on the ELSI machine (and on your computer if purchasing on line) when the person running the machine is supposed to ask you if you would like to donate. There isn’t a hard stop when buying a turkey or deer tag. You have to ask the person running the machine to put in the TIP donation.
For example, I always purchase my combination license in January and say yes to the TIP donation. I purchase my turkey tags just before turkey season and ask the clerk to add the TIP donation. This has caused some confusion as there isn’t a hard stop so the clerk has to go back and figure it out. I do the same for deer tags. It may add a minute or two to the transaction but you are helping put poachers out of business. If you think about it, tell the clerk up front that you want to make the donation and it way save the couple of extra minutes.
I am privileged to be one of the IBA’s representatives to TIP. We have two to three meetings a year that we assign awards to cases that have either been received on the TIP hotline or turned in by Conservation Officers that feel the case was made on information from a hunter or concerned individuals.
We reviewed 11 cases today and approved $3,550.00 in awards. The information received from theses TIPs will result in over $118,000 in fines and liquidated damages.
Case #1: Three young men were charged with a variety of hunting violations including using their truck headlights to spot and shoot deer, using a .223 rifle to shoot deer, and wanton waste of deer. They killed a doe and two bucks scoring 157 3/8ths and 114 5/8ths.
Case #2: A Facebook post lead to the conviction of a known felon for killing two turkeys. He was hunting without a license or tags. The turkey fans, spurs, one full breast and his shot gun were condemned. It was suspected by the CO that one of the turkeys had been shot by the poacher’s girlfriend but he took the fall for both birds.
Case #3: During first shot gun season a caller reported a poacher hunting over bait. The Conservation Officer found the poacher sitting in a tree stand 25 yards from a mineral block. Photographs of the area showed a well used mineral block at the edge of a field with a shooting lane cut in the brush to the mineral block. He also had a trail camera hooked to a tree next to the bait and claimed the mineral block was there only for the use of the camera. He was found guilty, his muzzleloader was condemned.
Case #4: During early muzzleloader season a bow hunter heard several shots and called the local authorities. The local authorities made the initial contact and then called the CO. The CO made contact with a group of hunters. One of them had shot a deer but tried to blame it on a pickup that had driven by and shot out of the window. The CO found a deer at the poacher’s camp that had been shot in the paunch with a muzzleloader and in the head with a smaller caliber weapon. The poacher tried to convince the CO that he had indeed been shooting his hand gun into a CRP field in an effort to make the wounded deer jump up and when the deer jumped up he shot it again with his muzzleloader. He was charged and convicted of illegal possession of a deer and using a prohibited weapon.
Case #5: A caller witnessed a pickup chasing a deer along a roadway. The pickup sped ahead to try and cut off the deer at the next intersection. After the turn the passenger jumped out and shot over the hood of the pickup at the still running deer. He missed. The caller had gotten the pickup’s license number. As it turns out the CO had suspended the drivers hunting privileges in the past. The CO went to the driver’s residence and the driver refused to talk to the CO about the incident and the shooter denied even being in the area at the time. The driver ended up pleading guilty to hunting deer with a motor vehicle; he was fined and lost his hunting license for another year. The shooter pled guilty to hunting deer with a motor vehicle and shooting across a roadway. He also lost his hunting privileges for a year.
Case #6: A hunter was calling in a turkey when a pickup stopped on the road and using a high power rifle the poacher shot the turkey the hunter was calling in. The hunter called the local CO with a good description of the pickup. The CO responded to the scene and saw turkey feathers in the road. Another hunter in the area had seen the poaching and gave the same description of the truck. The landowner was contacted and he wanted to press charges against the poacher for trespassing. The rest of that day the CO drove around the local towns looking for the pickup.
The next day the original caller called again and told the CO they had spotted the pickup. The CO responded and found the poacher who quickly confessed. He was charged with trespassing while hunting turkey, hunting/taking a turkey with a motor vehicle and hunting without a valid turkey license.
Case #7: A local CO had been called about several deer that had been shot. One was a buck whose head had been removed. The CO investigated the scene and found a taillight lying next to the body. He took the taillight to a body shop and it was confirmed that it was a passenger side taillight from a late 1990’s Chevy pickup. The CO called the complainant back and asked them to watch for a pickup missing the taillight. The original caller contacted the rest of the neighborhood with the information.
A week passed and the CO had an idea who the taillight belonged to but the suspect had recently moved. A couple of nights later the CO received a call; the neighbors had heard gunshots and converged on the field where the shots had come from. They spotted a pickup and tried to get a license plate number but the pickup sped away from them.
The CO responded to the scene and found one doe and two fawns left to die. The CO had to euthanize the doe and one fawn. The CO field dressed the deer and took them to a local family that needed the meat.
The CO went to the parent’s house of the potential suspect. The pickup was in the yard with a new passenger side taillight. The CO interviewed the potential suspect and determined he was indeed a suspect and the case involved multiple suspects from multiple states over the past few years. The suspect would drive other people around and they would shoot any animal they saw. They used headlights, spot lights and shot with either .22s, shotguns or center fire rifles. If the buck was big enough they would cut the head off and sell it to an antler buyer.
Each night the suspect would have different riders with him. He always drove because he knew the area. The suspect didn’t know how many deer they had killed because they would only pursue the deer if it was a big buck. The suspect estimated 75-100 deer killed in the past few years.
The TIP led to the arrest of 7 individuals; 2 Iowa adults, 3 Missouri adults and 2 Iowa juveniles. This case alone had fines and civil damages of more than $18,000.00 and the confiscation of one passenger side taillight from a late 1990’s Chevy pickup.
Case #8: A bow hunter sitting in his stand witnessed a deer being shot from the road. The pickup then drove into the field and loaded the deer without field dressing it. The bow hunter was able to get a license number and follow the poacher to a residence. The bow hunter called the local CO with the information, he was able to describe in detail what both the driver and passenger were wearing and that the passenger was the shooter.
The CO was familiar with the suspect from previous convictions. The suspect had been suspended from hunting since 2003 and had not paid any of his previous fines. The CO went to the residence to interview the suspect. The suspect confessed to being the passenger and shooter and that his wife was driving the vehicle. The deer was found in a barn and the firearm had been hidden in a junked car.
The County Sheriff wanted to use the poacher as an informant in a local theft ring. The CO agreed to suspend the charges if the poacher cooperated with the investigation. The poacher did not follow through with his agreement. He was charged and convicted of hunting while suspended, illegal killing of a deer, hunting from a vehicle and no deer license. He was suspended for another three years and has yet to make restitution on any fines. When asked why he did it his reply was he just wanted to hunt again.
Case #9: A poacher was charged with using a high power rifle in Iowa. The poacher thought he was in another state. He was wrong. His transgression cost him his hunting privileges in Iowa for 1 year and almost $5,000 in fines and civil damages.
Case #10: This case hit the news a few days ago. There were several calls to the local CO who was eventually able to make the case. The poachers were charged and convicted of killing 20 deer along with several other charges. All I have is the DNR news release. There was an award authorized.
Case #11: A local CO received a TIP that there were men using a cast net and keeping the game fish they caught in the net. The CO was unable to respond and requested the Park Ranger make contact with the suspects. The Park Ranger was able to get fishing license information, vehicle information and confiscate the net, the bucket and the game fish. In the bucket were 4 walleye, 1 wiper, 1 crappie and 2 largemouth bass. There were also several rough fish in the bucket. They did not have any fishing poles with them, just the cast net.
The next day the CO was able to speak with the Park Ranger and collect the evidence. The cast net measured 11 feet in diameter which is illegal in size. The CO was also able to make contact with the original caller who provided an eye witness account of the activity.
The CO went to the residence to interview the poachers. There was a language barrier that required a three way call to a Burmese interpreter. The poacher, through the interpreter, admitted to netting the fish. He was charged with unlawful take of fish. The liquidated damages were 4 walleyes $200.00, 1 wiper $15.00, 1 crappie $50.00 and 2 largemouth bass $100.00.
I am purposely a little vague on some of the cases. I do not use the Conservation Officers names or counties because most of them prefer anonymity.
Please remember to donate, your contribution helps catch poachers.
For example, I always purchase my combination license in January and say yes to the TIP donation. I purchase my turkey tags just before turkey season and ask the clerk to add the TIP donation. This has caused some confusion as there isn’t a hard stop so the clerk has to go back and figure it out. I do the same for deer tags. It may add a minute or two to the transaction but you are helping put poachers out of business. If you think about it, tell the clerk up front that you want to make the donation and it way save the couple of extra minutes.
I am privileged to be one of the IBA’s representatives to TIP. We have two to three meetings a year that we assign awards to cases that have either been received on the TIP hotline or turned in by Conservation Officers that feel the case was made on information from a hunter or concerned individuals.
We reviewed 11 cases today and approved $3,550.00 in awards. The information received from theses TIPs will result in over $118,000 in fines and liquidated damages.
Case #1: Three young men were charged with a variety of hunting violations including using their truck headlights to spot and shoot deer, using a .223 rifle to shoot deer, and wanton waste of deer. They killed a doe and two bucks scoring 157 3/8ths and 114 5/8ths.
Case #2: A Facebook post lead to the conviction of a known felon for killing two turkeys. He was hunting without a license or tags. The turkey fans, spurs, one full breast and his shot gun were condemned. It was suspected by the CO that one of the turkeys had been shot by the poacher’s girlfriend but he took the fall for both birds.
Case #3: During first shot gun season a caller reported a poacher hunting over bait. The Conservation Officer found the poacher sitting in a tree stand 25 yards from a mineral block. Photographs of the area showed a well used mineral block at the edge of a field with a shooting lane cut in the brush to the mineral block. He also had a trail camera hooked to a tree next to the bait and claimed the mineral block was there only for the use of the camera. He was found guilty, his muzzleloader was condemned.
Case #4: During early muzzleloader season a bow hunter heard several shots and called the local authorities. The local authorities made the initial contact and then called the CO. The CO made contact with a group of hunters. One of them had shot a deer but tried to blame it on a pickup that had driven by and shot out of the window. The CO found a deer at the poacher’s camp that had been shot in the paunch with a muzzleloader and in the head with a smaller caliber weapon. The poacher tried to convince the CO that he had indeed been shooting his hand gun into a CRP field in an effort to make the wounded deer jump up and when the deer jumped up he shot it again with his muzzleloader. He was charged and convicted of illegal possession of a deer and using a prohibited weapon.
Case #5: A caller witnessed a pickup chasing a deer along a roadway. The pickup sped ahead to try and cut off the deer at the next intersection. After the turn the passenger jumped out and shot over the hood of the pickup at the still running deer. He missed. The caller had gotten the pickup’s license number. As it turns out the CO had suspended the drivers hunting privileges in the past. The CO went to the driver’s residence and the driver refused to talk to the CO about the incident and the shooter denied even being in the area at the time. The driver ended up pleading guilty to hunting deer with a motor vehicle; he was fined and lost his hunting license for another year. The shooter pled guilty to hunting deer with a motor vehicle and shooting across a roadway. He also lost his hunting privileges for a year.
Case #6: A hunter was calling in a turkey when a pickup stopped on the road and using a high power rifle the poacher shot the turkey the hunter was calling in. The hunter called the local CO with a good description of the pickup. The CO responded to the scene and saw turkey feathers in the road. Another hunter in the area had seen the poaching and gave the same description of the truck. The landowner was contacted and he wanted to press charges against the poacher for trespassing. The rest of that day the CO drove around the local towns looking for the pickup.
The next day the original caller called again and told the CO they had spotted the pickup. The CO responded and found the poacher who quickly confessed. He was charged with trespassing while hunting turkey, hunting/taking a turkey with a motor vehicle and hunting without a valid turkey license.
Case #7: A local CO had been called about several deer that had been shot. One was a buck whose head had been removed. The CO investigated the scene and found a taillight lying next to the body. He took the taillight to a body shop and it was confirmed that it was a passenger side taillight from a late 1990’s Chevy pickup. The CO called the complainant back and asked them to watch for a pickup missing the taillight. The original caller contacted the rest of the neighborhood with the information.
A week passed and the CO had an idea who the taillight belonged to but the suspect had recently moved. A couple of nights later the CO received a call; the neighbors had heard gunshots and converged on the field where the shots had come from. They spotted a pickup and tried to get a license plate number but the pickup sped away from them.
The CO responded to the scene and found one doe and two fawns left to die. The CO had to euthanize the doe and one fawn. The CO field dressed the deer and took them to a local family that needed the meat.
The CO went to the parent’s house of the potential suspect. The pickup was in the yard with a new passenger side taillight. The CO interviewed the potential suspect and determined he was indeed a suspect and the case involved multiple suspects from multiple states over the past few years. The suspect would drive other people around and they would shoot any animal they saw. They used headlights, spot lights and shot with either .22s, shotguns or center fire rifles. If the buck was big enough they would cut the head off and sell it to an antler buyer.
Each night the suspect would have different riders with him. He always drove because he knew the area. The suspect didn’t know how many deer they had killed because they would only pursue the deer if it was a big buck. The suspect estimated 75-100 deer killed in the past few years.
The TIP led to the arrest of 7 individuals; 2 Iowa adults, 3 Missouri adults and 2 Iowa juveniles. This case alone had fines and civil damages of more than $18,000.00 and the confiscation of one passenger side taillight from a late 1990’s Chevy pickup.
Case #8: A bow hunter sitting in his stand witnessed a deer being shot from the road. The pickup then drove into the field and loaded the deer without field dressing it. The bow hunter was able to get a license number and follow the poacher to a residence. The bow hunter called the local CO with the information, he was able to describe in detail what both the driver and passenger were wearing and that the passenger was the shooter.
The CO was familiar with the suspect from previous convictions. The suspect had been suspended from hunting since 2003 and had not paid any of his previous fines. The CO went to the residence to interview the suspect. The suspect confessed to being the passenger and shooter and that his wife was driving the vehicle. The deer was found in a barn and the firearm had been hidden in a junked car.
The County Sheriff wanted to use the poacher as an informant in a local theft ring. The CO agreed to suspend the charges if the poacher cooperated with the investigation. The poacher did not follow through with his agreement. He was charged and convicted of hunting while suspended, illegal killing of a deer, hunting from a vehicle and no deer license. He was suspended for another three years and has yet to make restitution on any fines. When asked why he did it his reply was he just wanted to hunt again.
Case #9: A poacher was charged with using a high power rifle in Iowa. The poacher thought he was in another state. He was wrong. His transgression cost him his hunting privileges in Iowa for 1 year and almost $5,000 in fines and civil damages.
Case #10: This case hit the news a few days ago. There were several calls to the local CO who was eventually able to make the case. The poachers were charged and convicted of killing 20 deer along with several other charges. All I have is the DNR news release. There was an award authorized.
Case #11: A local CO received a TIP that there were men using a cast net and keeping the game fish they caught in the net. The CO was unable to respond and requested the Park Ranger make contact with the suspects. The Park Ranger was able to get fishing license information, vehicle information and confiscate the net, the bucket and the game fish. In the bucket were 4 walleye, 1 wiper, 1 crappie and 2 largemouth bass. There were also several rough fish in the bucket. They did not have any fishing poles with them, just the cast net.
The next day the CO was able to speak with the Park Ranger and collect the evidence. The cast net measured 11 feet in diameter which is illegal in size. The CO was also able to make contact with the original caller who provided an eye witness account of the activity.
The CO went to the residence to interview the poachers. There was a language barrier that required a three way call to a Burmese interpreter. The poacher, through the interpreter, admitted to netting the fish. He was charged with unlawful take of fish. The liquidated damages were 4 walleyes $200.00, 1 wiper $15.00, 1 crappie $50.00 and 2 largemouth bass $100.00.
I am purposely a little vague on some of the cases. I do not use the Conservation Officers names or counties because most of them prefer anonymity.
Please remember to donate, your contribution helps catch poachers.
