Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers

About

Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers is a cooperative wildlife law enforcement program sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Wildlife Protectors Association (NWPA).

Similar to the well-known Crime Stoppers program, the Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers program offers rewards for information resulting in arrests for fish and wildlife game law violations. The Game and Parks Commission provides an anonymous online form, a toll-free hotline, investigative operations and public information.

The Nebraska Wildlife Protector Association, a group of concerned citizens, handles fundraising and reward payment. Rewards are paid in cases where charges are filed. The NWPA board decides the amount of each reward under guidelines set forth in the organization bylaws. Rewards can be paid in cash or by check as the informant wishes.

Preparing to report a violation

When reporting a violation, please provide the following information:

1. Provide a description of the suspect — name, address, telephone, physical description (weight, height, hair color, eyes, clothing and any other pertinent information). Was the person armed or carrying a concealed weapon?
2. Describe the type of violation — What took place and where did it happen? Give the date, time and location.
3. Include other details — Were firearms involved in the violation? What about the suspect’s vehicle? If you noticed the year, make, color or style, or the license plate number or any other distinguishing characteristics, please convey this information to the conservation officer.
4. Name the species affected — What animals or fish were involved, how many, and where are they now? What about other physical evidence – like hides, entrails, guns, cartridge cases and knives? Will the illegal game or evidence be moved soon? If so, when and where to?
5. Provide witness information — Give their names and any other information about the violation, suspect or violations that you may have noted.

Common wildlife violations

• Hunting, fishing, or trapping on private land without permission of the owner or agent
• Lending or borrowing a permit to or from another person
• Hunting as a party in Nebraska (every hunter must shoot his own game)
• Shooting from any public highway, road or bridge
• Having or carrying a loaded shotgun in or on any vehicle on any highway or roadway
• Interfering with a person lawfully engaged in hunting, trapping or fishing
• Procuring a permit under an assumed or false name
• Falsely stating place of legal residence
• Hunting or securing a permit if disqualified from holding a permit
• Taking a legal limit of any species and returning to take more of the same species in the same day
• Hunting game birds with any swivel gun, rifle or pistol
• Possessing a pistol, while hunting, if the hunter is under 18 years of age
• Digging, cutting or destroying natural or planted vegetation on any state-owned or state-controlled area
• Hunting, taking, or trapping any wild mammal or wild bird within a 100/200-yard radius of an inhabited dwelling or livestock feedlot, unless permission to do so has been granted by the owner or tenant of that dwelling or feedlot (100 yards for shotgun/archery and 200 yards for rifle)
• Communicating the location of any game animal or game bird by radio or other electronic device to or from any aircraft, vessel, vehicle, snowmobile or other conveyance one day before or during the open season
• Taking migratory game birds with a trap, snare, net, crossbow, rifle, pistol, swivel gun, shotgun larger than 10 gauge, punt gun, battery gun, fishhook, poison, drug, explosive or stupefying substance
• Using records or tapes of bird calls, sounds, or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls to take game birds
• Hunting or taking any game birds by baiting or attracting them to the place where hunted by distribution of grain or other feeds. Federal regulations consider an area baited for 10 days after bait is removed
• Possessing more than one daily bag limit of migratory game birds while in the field or when returning from the field to one’s car, hunting camp, etc.
• Shooting mourning doves or bobwhite quail, except when in flight

Support Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers

The Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers program operates solely on donations from people interested in protecting wildlife from illegal poaching activity. All donations to the program are tax-deductible. If you would like to contribute, send your donation to:

Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers
Nebraskaland National Bank
P.O. Box 829
North Platte, NE 69103