Conservation officers look for help catching poachers

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is looking for your help to find and punish poachers. According to the agency, last year the Turn in a Poacher program received more than 1,000 tips and paid thousands of dollars in rewards for tips that led to the arrest of a suspect.

The program is a nonprofit conservation organization that partners with DNR to protect fish and wildlife resources.

To raise awareness of the program, Indiana conservation offices have outfitted a display trailer with information on how poaching affects Indiana’s natural resources. The trailer is on display this weekend at the annual Ford Indiana Boat, Sport and Travel Show, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It will also be displayed at the Indiana State Fair and other events across the state.

To report a poaching incident, you can call 1-800-TIP-IDNR (800-847-4367) or go online to tip.IN.gov. If your tip leads to an arrest, you may receive as much as a $500 reward.