September 23, 2010
Authorities looking for deer poachers at Stephen C. Foster State Park
The Valdosta Daily Times The Valdosta Daily Times Thu Sep 23, 2010, 01:27 PM EDT
VALDOSTA — Last week, deep within Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a family from Florida camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park. As they drove along Highway 177 their headlights gleamed upon white-tailed deer: three does and a magnificent buck with at least eight point antlers. Hoping to provide their grandson’s another opportunity to see the big buck again, they made a quick stop at the park store then returned to the spot, but the deer were gone.
Four days later, while walking near the edge of the campground, campers found a patch of fur and followed the sign to a carcass of a deer with its antlers removed and meat left to rot. The big buck, which had delighted campers for years, became a victim of poachers—killed at night, within a few yards of a campground, in a State Park closed for hunting.
In response, Park Manager Travis Griffin has increased ranger foot patrols. Refuge Ranger Jim Shelton says that, “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys featured in Georgia Outdoor News Magazine’s Hall of Shame.”
The person or persons that poached the deer are thought to have camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park the weekend of September 11th, 2010 and are from the NE Florida Area. Should anyone have any information regarding a poached buck at Stephen C. Foster State Park, call the TIP hotline at 1-800-241-4113 7 days a week / 24 hours a day. If your TIP leads to an arrest, arrangements will be made for you to receive a reward even if you wish to remain anonymous. The TIP Hotline is operated by Turn In Poachers, Inc. a non-profit Georgia conservation organization.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 552 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 65 fishery resources offices and 86 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Source: http://valdostadailytimes.com/today...r-deer-poachers-atStephen-C-Foster-State-Park
Pay for a lease like everyone else
Authorities looking for deer poachers at Stephen C. Foster State Park
The Valdosta Daily Times The Valdosta Daily Times Thu Sep 23, 2010, 01:27 PM EDT
VALDOSTA — Last week, deep within Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a family from Florida camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park. As they drove along Highway 177 their headlights gleamed upon white-tailed deer: three does and a magnificent buck with at least eight point antlers. Hoping to provide their grandson’s another opportunity to see the big buck again, they made a quick stop at the park store then returned to the spot, but the deer were gone.
Four days later, while walking near the edge of the campground, campers found a patch of fur and followed the sign to a carcass of a deer with its antlers removed and meat left to rot. The big buck, which had delighted campers for years, became a victim of poachers—killed at night, within a few yards of a campground, in a State Park closed for hunting.
In response, Park Manager Travis Griffin has increased ranger foot patrols. Refuge Ranger Jim Shelton says that, “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys featured in Georgia Outdoor News Magazine’s Hall of Shame.”
The person or persons that poached the deer are thought to have camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park the weekend of September 11th, 2010 and are from the NE Florida Area. Should anyone have any information regarding a poached buck at Stephen C. Foster State Park, call the TIP hotline at 1-800-241-4113 7 days a week / 24 hours a day. If your TIP leads to an arrest, arrangements will be made for you to receive a reward even if you wish to remain anonymous. The TIP Hotline is operated by Turn In Poachers, Inc. a non-profit Georgia conservation organization.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 552 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 65 fishery resources offices and 86 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Source: http://valdostadailytimes.com/today...r-deer-poachers-atStephen-C-Foster-State-Park
Pay for a lease like everyone else
