WYOMING — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has released its 2022 Law Enforcement Report, which summarizes the department’s operations and interactions with the public for the year.
The agency shared that it carried out 2,838 law enforcement actions across the state in 2022, including addressing a poaching case that spanned 10 years. Poaching tips submitted by the public jumped 31% over the previous year, with 323 tips leading to 24 citations and 14 warnings issued.
“Your game wardens are working hard to serve you and conserve wildlife,” WGFD’s Chief Game Warden Rick King said in a statement. “The public’s eyes in the field and reports of suspicious activity are critical to our mission.”
The most common violations WGFD addressed in 2022 were fishing without a license, trespassing on private land and failure to get watercraft inspected for invasive species.
The report notes that the Jackson region saw 208 documented violations in 2022, an increase of five incidents from the previous year.
“Although the Jackson Region is relatively small, the game wardens in the region are extremely busy from a law enforcement perspective,” the report reads, “In addition to fall hunting seasons, fishing enforcement, bear baiting and dealing with winter range/antler collection violations, game wardens respond to many calls for service from a diverse public with varying wildlife interests.”
According to the document, game wardens in the Jackson area are kept busy by a “significant watercraft enforcement workload” at Palisades Reservoir, keeping recreational hiking trails clear of traps, enforcing rules around antler sales and monitoring busy elk and bison harvest seasons, among many other activities.
The full report is available to read on WGFD’s website. To report poaching activity, call 1-877-943-3847 or text WGFD to TIP411.
