Passport to Texas

It’s all part of the job.

Ask a Game Warden: How to Report Wildlife Violations Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas’ Ask a Game Warden

It’s officially fall hunting season in Texas. But what if you suspect someone of illegally harvesting wildlife?

If they see something they think is a violation, and they have the contact information readily available, contact your local game warden and let them know that [what you observed].

Lieutenant Lewis Rather is Operation Game Thief Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. If you don’t have your Game Warden’s contact information, then remember this number: 800.792.GAME. It’s the Operation Game Thief hotline.

It’s operated 24/7, and our dispatchers will take those calls and get them out to the game wardens immediately, electronically.

Callers remain anonymous. Before making the call, Lt. Rather says be prepared to provide as much information as possible about the incident. Remember: your safety is paramount.

If you have your phone available, and you can take a picture of the license plate number of the vehicle—take a clear picture of that. Maybe a picture of the violators, if you‘re at a safe location where you can do so. Also, a description of the violators; a good description of what the violation is you think. Where it’s located. And even a description and the color of the vehicle. And one of the most important things, if the vehicle is starting to leave, and you call Operation Game Thief with the information, give them a direction of travel and tell them when they left. And make sure you have a good cell phone number for the dispatcher, in case a game warden needs to call you and ask more questions.

If you spot a wildlife violation call 800.792.GAME. That’s 800.792.4263.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Game Warden on the trail of a violator.

Operation Game Thief Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Operation Game Thief is a wildlife crime-stoppers program instituted in 1981 by the 67th legislature.

[OGT’s] primary focus was to be able to offer cash rewards up to $1000 for information leading to [the] arrest and conviction of violators of Texas’ fish and wildlife laws, therefore, helping our game wardens in the law enforcement division [better deter poaching].

Lieutenant Lewis Rather is Operation Game Thief Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. He says they receive about 15-hundred calls a year.

[It’s been] a very successful way to report our violations. Game Wardens have made many cases due to Operation Game Thief.

When an anonymous citizen tip leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator of a wildlife crime, the caller receives up to a thousand dollar reward. But, Lt. Rather says not everyone takes it.

A lot of callers say, ‘I don’t want the reward, I just want you guys to go out and catch ‘em.’ That’s what our focus. Let’s get the information in as quick as we can, and get it to the game warden as fast as we can—which now we do electronically. And catch the violators.

The Operation Game Thief number to call if you spot a wildlife violation is 800.792.GAME. That’s 800.792.4263.

Tomorrow, the information that’s important to share when reporting a wildlife violation.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Operation Game Thief Clay Stoppers Shootout

Operation Game Thief Clay Stoppers Shootout Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Operation Game Thief Texas belong to the International Wildlife Crime-Stoppers Association.

And I’m proud to say Texas is the leader. Texas leads because of the way we’re structured and the way we operate. Texas offers cash rewards up to a thousand dollars for information leading to arrests and convictions.

Lt. Lewis Rather oversees Operation Game Thief. Generous public support provides money for rewards and education.

We have 14 information and educational. We’re very lucky in Texas, and so we’re very thankful to have the program.

September 23 a fundraiser—Operation Game Thief Alamo Area Clay Stoppers Shootout—takes place in San Antonio. Teams and individuals take aim to raise money for Operation Game Thief.

We have a lot of fun down there. You can come and shoot, and if you’re a top winner, you can win a lifetime hunting and fishing license from Parks and Wildlife. We have great auction items. Raffle items. A great lunch provided by OGT board member, Jimmy Hasslocher. We have a lot of 4-H youth teams coming to shoot. A lot of our paralyzed veterans and wounded warrior teams are coming to shoot. So, it’s going to be a big event. And if you have a chance, come out and support what Game Wardens do for Texas, for wildlife, for all of us.

Find complete registration details for the September 23 fundraiser—Clay Stoppers Shootout Alamo Area Clay Stoppers Shootout—at www.ogttx.org

That’s our show… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Care to ride along with a Texas Game Warden on one of these?

Ask a Game Warden: Can Citizens go on Ride Alongs? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas Ask a Game Warden

Since the TV show Lone Star Law—which is about Texas Game Wardens—premiered in June on Animal Planet, interest in ride-a-longs has increased.

A ride along is when someone from the public that’s not a commissioned peace officer actually rides with a game warden during their patrol—either in a vessel or in a vehicle.

Listener Mason from Southeast Texas sent a question into Ask a Game Warden inquiring whether members of the public are permitted to tag along while they make their rounds. Chief of Special Operations for Texas Game Wardens, Grahame Jones, says the answer is a qualified “yes.”

What they would need to do is contact their local Game Warden; they can go to the sheriff’s office or local game warden office. And you can actually go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, and locate the find a game warden tab—you can actually get the phone number for your game warden that way—and then make contact with them. In general, the ride-a-long can take a while to get approved through the chain of command. So, they’re not always feasible. Ideally, we like to reserve the ride-a-long programs for college students, maybe an internship from a university, or someone from the media that wants a little bit closer look at what we do.

Send your question to Ask a Game Warden from the contact us page at passporttotexas.org. We may answer it on the radio.

That’s our show…funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Game Warden keeping Texas waters and those who use them safe.

Ask A Game Warden: Dangers of the Job Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas Ask a Game Warden

Grahame Jones, Chief of Special Operations for Texas Game Wardens, will be the first to tell you that these law enforcement professionals love their jobs.

It’s an incredible opportunity. Our office is outside; we get some very cool equipment: four-wheel drive vehicles and vessels and ATVs [all terrain vehicles] and those sorts of things.

It may sound like an enjoyable way to spend time outdoors, but there’s more to it. Much more. And radio listener, Mason Outzs contacted us to ask about the dangers Game Wardens face on a daily basis.

There are dangers. We’ve lost 19 game wardens in the line of duty since 1895; six of those game wardens were actually murdered and six of those game wardens drowned. So, we never really know what type of situation we’re going to come up on. We’re often working at night, alone, in very remote areas. Many times our game wardens are doing search and rescue and emergency response during some of the worst conditions imaginable. So, those are really some of the dangers that our game wardens have to deal with on a daily basis.

Grahame Jones says for Game Wardens who’ve been through traumatic experiences, they have access to members of the critical incident team, all of whom are trained in counseling.

Send your question to Ask a Game Warden from the contact us page at passporttotexas.org. We may answer it on the radio.

That’s our show. Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.