Aaron Berscheid is a district wildlife officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Aaron covers the ìwildî side of Northeast El Paso County, including Black Forest, Falcon, Peyton and Calhan. He also covers some of Elbert County, north of U.S. Highway 24 and south of State Highway 86, including the towns of Elbert, Kiowa, Ramah, Simla, Matheson and a small portion of the Limon area.
If you see something, say something. Donít let poachers get away with stealing our wildlife.As a district wildlife manager, I wear many hats. My job is basically broken up into three relatively equal job duties: education, biology and law enforcement. Thatís a simplified list of course, but this gives you an idea of what I do.†Often in my columns Iíve talked about the first two parts of my job description, but I have not talked much about the law enforcement side of my job.†I am one of about 120 or so wildlife officers in the state. My fellow officers and I are responsible for protecting all of Coloradoís wildlife.†In fact, the first line of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife mission statement says it all: ìCPWís mission is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state.î That mission applies to all 960 species of wildlife in Colorado.Thatís a tall order and we would not be able to do it without your help.†Often that help comes via calls and emails from landowners and other citizens who report wildlife crimes such as poaching. They contact individual wildlife officers like me. Or they reach out to our offices. Or they dial 9-1-1 and reach police dispatch operators who then call us.†But there is another way: tips reported to Operation Game Thief.Operation Game Thief was pioneered by New Mexico and adopted by the other 49 states. OGT was created to give people who witness a suspected poaching incident a way to report it, anonymously or using their names, to help wildlife officers like me protect wildlife from poachers.†What is a poacher? Let me state emphatically that a poacher is not a hunter.This is an important distinction, and I canít stress it enough. Never confuse hunters with poachers.†Hunters are conservationists who take Hunter Education courses to learn how to properly, ethically and legally pursue and harvest an animal. They pay for licenses to help CPW achieve our population objectives. And they utilize the animals they harvest to feed their families.†Poachers are selfish people who donít follow the rules. They take animals out of season and without buying licenses or consuming the meat of the animals they kill. Often, they simply want a trophy. Even worse, many poachers seek to profit from their illegal activity.†And I want to dispel a common myth about poachers. In our experience, poachers are rarely poor individuals trying to feed their families because they canít afford food. In fact, that is probably the least common reason given by poachers as a reason for their activities. Most poachers just kill because of greed.†Poaching is a significant issue. It is impossible to know the exact impact, but some studies suggest that poachers kill as many animals and fish as legal hunters take during legal seasons. If even half of that number is accurate, it is a significant problem.†Poachers also target non-game and endangered animals, as well.†So hereís my request of you. If you see something, give me a call. Or call our office. Or report it to OGT. We take poaching very seriously and weíll definitely check out any tip.If you want to remain anonymous, then reach out to OGT. Call toll free to 1-877-COLO-OGT or email to game.thief@state.co.us.Your call or email will be taken by a call taker in Denver who will assign you a code number, and information will be evaluated and passed on to an appropriate officer. All poaching tips are investigated and must follow the same constitutional rules and guidelines as all other criminal investigations. If a violator is arrested or issued a citation based on information you provided, a reward can be authorized.†Please be specific about what you see. Record dates, times, descriptions of people and vehicles involved, including license plate numbers if you can get them. Pictures or videos can be taken and shared with OGT and shared for the investigation, as well.†Does OGT work? The answer is a big yes!†For example, a moose was poached in Teller County. CPW asked for the publicís help in identifying a person of interest and many tips came in through OGT. The investigation is ongoing, but information provided to OGT has been instrumental in moving the case forward.†The wildlife in Colorado belong to all the people who live in Colorado. If someone poaches in Colorado, they are stealing from all of us.Again, if you see something, say something.†For more information on OGT, here is a link:https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/OGT.aspxIn the coming months, Iíll share more of those stories as I write about wildlife issues in our community: Got a question, problem or column idea, please email me at aaron.berscheid@state.co.us or call me at 719-227-5231.†I might even answer your question in a future installment of ìWildlife Matters.î
