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**(Warning: You will see dead game in the video)**Jed Boal reporting
Wildlife officers in Utah investigate 1600 poaching cases each year. Poaching is a persistent problem in our state, and the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) needs help with a number of unsolved cases.
Poachers flaunt the law and rob from our wildlife resources. In many cases they steal what they want and leave the carcasses to waste. Poaching is a maddening crime that keeps 40 wildlife officers busy year-round.
As the Elk hunt started last fall, wildlife officers tracked down poachers. Illegal hunters kill what they want, when they want to. Mike Fowlks, DWR chief of law enforcement, said, "It's not people trying to make a profit. It's people who are harvesting these trophy animals."
Utah has cultivated an abundance of trophy caliber big game, and more people head into the wilderness. "There are more people who come in contact with these animals. The temptation is there. You're going to have folks who, for whatever reason, will take a chance," says Fowlks.
Tipsters helped the DWR solve poaching cases in the fall, but unsolved cases need new leads.
In northeastern Utah, a poacher shot a trophy buck deer in November and left it to waste near Watson in the Book Cliffs Limited Entry Area. He says, "Some of it is a crime of opportunity. Some of it is calculated."
In the summer, a poacher shot four antelope, a buck, two does and a fawn, and left them on the Old Bonanza Highway. "When you have somebody who poaches one, they're cutting in line. They're taking these animals from legitimate sportsmen who paid their dues, and they're not happy about that."
The harm done by poachers doesn't only impact hunters, it affects all of us. Fowlks says, "Wildlife photographers, wildlife watchers, they like to see those animals out there too. So, when poaching occurs, it takes from them as well."
This winter, in the Henry Mountains a poacher shot a trophy buck deer, took the antlers and concealed the carcass in the Coyote Benches area. There's a $1,000 reward in that case.
"Most of the sportsmen out there are really good to work with, and in fact are our allies in combating this," says Fowlks.
Those convicted of poaching can face a third-degree felony charge, which could mean jail time and fines. A poacher caught with a trophy elk can face a fine of $8,000. The DWR says 95 to 98 percent of hunters follow the rules.
Anyone with information about these crimes should call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher Hotline at 1-800-662-DEER. For more information, click on the related link.
