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Show ispD lS)lnrD(S Ells ' T aeral elk season It. - 28. By that same -use season will y last year there ('. ,-gai lulls of ' . ; lk and deer ! ' i these were ises of mis- out most were mm waste of . ' i v valuable big "i'alolBig Game 'Ji authorized a that will l?iwiucing the "iwber of illegal '!. Under the itlormation we killing a steep, moun-. moun-. '' ' can bring :aup to 5J1,000. "'lnptoPM may ; and antelope ;I500 in cases bear or ;11 Wis, unlike !?wt hunting, are ::!"e. Cows and 1,lcii in maintain-are maintain-are often cases, illegal ;Hserious game Problems. Mven moose ! the newly es-, es-, atl unit, a figure irVi 30 percent of the totil Manti herd. The Daggett unit, on the Uintas' north slope, has been closed for several seasons because of illegal kills. MOOSE are not the only species impacted by illegal kills. Last year 83 elk and over 100 deer were known to have been unlawfully taken. The Division of Wildlife Resources makes every effort to stop the killing, but manpower man-power shortages make the job nearly impossible. Sportsmen must play a role if the number of illegal kills is to be reduced. WILDLIFE belongs to all of us, and we must all share the responsibility for protecting it. Should you witness an illegal kill, it is not necessary for you to face the individual involved. Simply record as much information as possible, possi-ble, such as vehicle license number, physical descriptions descrip-tions of the persons involved and the exact location of the violation so that the animal can be salvaged. The information infor-mation should be given to the nearest conservation officer or available law enforcement officer as quickly as possible. YOUR personal appearance . in court may not be necessary if the suspects are caught with the unlawfully taken animal in their possession. A person convicted of a major wildlife violation faces severe penalties. Fines can be as high as $1,000; and a jail sentence of up to one year can be imposed. Also, all equipment equip-ment used in the violation can be confiscated, and hunting privileges can be revoked for a period of up to five years. THE NEW reward system could be a strong deterrent to illegal kills. Hopefully an individual in-dividual will be less likely to shoot a big game animal illegally if he knows that someone could collect a substantial sub-stantial reward for providing information leading to his conviction. A reduction in the number of illegal kills will mean a greater opportunity for the honest sportsman to participate par-ticipate in that once-in-a-life-time hunt. |