CPW asks public for help solving poaching case near Craig
Rachael GonzalesNorthwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected]
@CPW_NW CPW asks public for help solving poaching case near Craig
Operation Game Thief is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife program that pays rewards to citizens who turn in poachers. You can call us toll-free within Colorado at 1-877-COLO-OGT, or contact us via e-mail at [email protected].
Craig, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking the public for help identifying the person(s) who killed a mule deer buck in the overnight hours between Oct. 6 and 7 near the Town of Craig.
Wildlife officers were alerted to the deer carcass on Oct. 7 off Moffat County Road 31, about 5 miles northwest of Craig. The buck was shot with a rifle and left behind to rot.
“If you saw something, say something,” said CPW District Wildlife Manager Schwolert. “We are asking for the public's help in identifying the person or persons responsible.”
CPW is asking the public to call Officer Schwolert at 970-706-9874 if they observe anything suspicious in the area of Moffat County Road 31 on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 6, through the early morning hours on Friday, Oct. 7.
To provide information anonymously, the public can contact Operation Game Thief by phone at 877-265-6648 or by email at [email protected].
Poaching is a serious and costly crime. It robs legitimate sportspeople of game and fish, businesses and taxpayers of revenue generated by hunting and fishing, and robs all of us of a valuable natural resource that makes Colorado so special: our wildlife. Poaching also has impacts on the landowner where the incident occurred.
Anyone illegally injuring or killing wildlife could face misdemeanor charges including harassment of wildlife, hunting big game without a license, illegal taking of wildlife, and reckless endangerment, among other charges.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.