Walton County

You can get $100 reward for reporting poachers to DNR

By Craig Lucie
By Craig Lucie

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says less than 10 percent of poaching cases are being reported and they need your help.

Channel 2’s Craig Lucie went to the DNR headquarters in Social Circle where they are asking property owners and hunters to help them out. They are offering a cash reward and say right now is when poaching is the worst.

“Deer hunting season is our biggest season of the year,” Sgt. Wanda Roberts said.

Roberts is a game warden and 19-year veteran of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources where they are cracking down on poachers.

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“A lot of our poachers are antler hunters. They are looking for the big deer,” Roberts said.

Roberts says poachers want a trophy for their wall. Many of those trophies are now at the DNR’s headquarters including bear, turkey and deer from many of their illegal hunting cases.

“Our biggest complaints are hunting without permission, hunting deer at night and hunting from vehicles and things like that,” Roberts said.

The DNR has 190 game wardens working the entire state, so they need hunters to help when they see a poacher.

“If they call in or use our website, they can remain anonymous and receive a cash reward,” Roberts said.

It’s a $100 reward.

“That’s a good program if it will catch them,” said Denise Waldrop, who works at Feather, Fin and Fur Taxidermy where the DNR will occasionally stop by.

“Usually they just want to see our records and look at them to make sure we have the date and county and who it was killed by,” Waldrop said.

The DNR said the most important thing to remember is if you spot a hunter illegally hunting on your property, never approach a poacher.

They said call their hotline and let them handle the situation.

“Call our 1-800 number which is 1-800-241-4113 to report a violation they may see,” Roberts said.

Cox Media Group

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