· TIPs Calls Lead to 151 Arrests
· Hunters Should Check Big Game Tags
TIPs Calls Lead to 151 Arrests
PIERRE, S.D.--Despite a change in the Turn In Poachers phone number, statistics show that South Dakotans still knew who to call when they wanted to report violations of wildlife laws.
In November of last year, the TIPs number changed to 1-888-OVERBAG or 1-888-683-7224. That change didn’t seem to affect the use of the hotline. During the reporting period of July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, calls to the hotline prompted 498 investigations, 101 more than during the corresponding reporting period a year earlier.
“Changing the number sure didn’t slow down the calls to the TIPs line,” said Shon Eide, TIPs Coordinator for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “With calls prompting almost 500 investigations, it’s easy to see that the public watches out for wildlife violations and that GFP takes those reports seriously.”
The investigations in the last reporting period led to 151 arrests, $23,423 in fines and $29,100 in civil penalties. The arrests led to jail sentences totaling 623 days in jail with 576 of those days suspended. People who called in wildlife violations to the TIPs line earned $6,900 in rewards.
With fall hunting seasons getting under way or starting soon, it’s important for citizens to be on the lookout for violations of the state’s wildlife laws. “Callers to the TIPs hotline can remain anonymous,” Eide said, “the important thing is that they call in if they suspect that the law is being broken.”
Since its inception in 1984, the Turn in Poachers program has resulted in:
· 8,137 investigations.
· 2,781 arrests.
· $524,868 in fines.
· $371,743 in civil penalties.
· 26,547 days in jail with 24,642 of those days suspended.
· 2,204 hours of community service.
· $103,340 in rewards paid.
--GFP--
Hunters Should Check Big Game Tags
PIERRE, S.D.—Hunters who get big game tags in the mail should make a special effort to check to see that everything on the tags is correct.
“Don’t wait until the start of the hunting season to check your tags,” said Scott Simpson, supervisor of the licensing office of the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Check the tags as soon as they come in the mail.”
The license office in Pierre handles approximately 220,000 big game tags annually. Automated inserting machines put the tags in envelopes. “Sometimes the adhesive used on the big game tags can cause them to stick together,” Simpson said. “It doesn’t happen often, but it can lead to the wrong tags being inserted in an envelope.”
In some cases, hunters may not notice that they have received their second choice in a big game season drawing. This may result in a change in the portion of the season when the tags are valid, the species/sex that may be hunted or the unit where the tags may be used.
Problems can also occur when hunters misplace or destroy big game tags before the season starts. Simpson advises license holders to check their tags as soon as they receive them and then put them in a safe, secure location.
License holders who have tags missing from their envelope, have misplaced a tag or who discover they have the tags of another individual should contact the GFP License Office in Pierre at (605) 773-3393, (605) 773-3485 or e-mail Wildinfo@state.sd.us.