Montana Gears Up to Battle Organized Poachers

• FWP employs three full-time regional investigators whose primary focus is large-scale wildlife crime.
• FWP employs undercover officers to infiltrate poaching rings.
• The Montana Attorney General employs a special half-time prosecutor for wildlife felonies.
• FWP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service work together to investigate and prosecute wildlife crimes.
• All FWP game wardens are deputized as federal fish and wildlife agents with authority to investigate and arrest poachers in other states for crimes committed in Montana.
• In anticipation of more poaching arrests, FWP is pursuing the option of requiring convicted poachers to pay for investigative costs, which is a common practice for other types of crime-related penalties.
• FWP will continue to seek stiffer penalties for poaching and other wildlife crimes and will ask the Montana Legislature to:
  • create felony penalties for professional poachers who offer unlicensed and illegal outfitting;
  • allow restitution penalties paid by convicted poachers to fund FWP's anti-poaching law enforcement efforts.
• FWP is working to increase public awareness of Montana's toll-free TIP-MONT hotline, which seeks public assistance in the apprehension of poachers.  Callers are eligible for rewards and can remain anonymous.