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Chapter Three…ODWC’s “Operation Game Thief”
Chapter Two, in the August, 2011, issue of
Oklahoma Safari Trails
, was an overview of endangered species
and the
Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In this issue, with Oklahoma’s hunting season in full swing, we’ll take a brief look at “Operation Game
Thief”, an important program of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to which our SCI
Chapter provides major support:
[excerpted from the official ODWC website
]
DO YOU CARE ABOUT WILDLIFE?
OPERATION GAME THIEF (OGT) is a program of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation designed
specifically to stop illegal killing of the fish and game which belong to YOU, whether you’re a sportsman or not.
It’s a big problem with no simple solution. Help from the public sportsmen, makes a difference.
…One day before the opening of a recent deer season, two men killed four whitetail bucks.
…Late one summer night, three men steered their boat across a state reservoir, stopped at their illegal net site
and hauled in a load of striped bass and other open-water fish they could sell for $1 a pound on the
commercial market.
In each of these examples, you were the loser. You lost hunting and fishing opportunities or the chance to
view wildlife in their natural surroundings. At the same time, law-abiding sportsmen received a bad reputation
from those who fail to distinguish between legal and illegal hunting. OGT is something everyone can do to help
wildlife and help us apprehend the poachers.
What to Look For When Reporting a Violation
GETTING THE INFORMATION GAME WARDEN WILL NEED
When reporting a violation, please note as many facts as possible. You will be asked a variety of questions and
the more information you can provide, the better chance the violator can be caught, and the case successfully
prosecuted.
Y
OU
N
EED
T
O
K
NOW!
…focusing on things we need to know so that all our
hunting-related activities are conducted legally.
Mike Mistelske
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