July 3, 2006

TPWD Game Warden Field Notes, July 3, 2006

The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

June 19, 2006

Game Wardens Arrest Poachers With 800 Red Snapper

AUSTIN, Texas — Acting on an Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline tip, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens apprehended seven individuals on June 8 with more than 2,000 pounds of illegally caught snapper. The case, one of the largest seizures in Texas in recent years, resulted in citations for 26 game law violations and could result in fines and restitution of upwards of $20,000.

June 5, 2006

Operation Game Thief Adds Technology to the Battle Against Wildlife Crime

AUSTIN, Texas — Typical Crimestoppers programs assist law enforcement officers only by offering rewards to the public for information leading to the arrest and conviction of targeted law breakers. But with broadened authority from the Texas Legislature last year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s privately funded Operation Game Thief (OGT) program is now going a step further.

May 22, 2006

Boating Season Kicks-Off With Good News, Bad News

AUSTIN, Texas — National Safe Boating Week kicked-off May 19 with a mixed message from the previous year. Overall, boating accidents, injuries and fatalities continued to decrease; however, with about half of the accidents involving alcohol and 85 percent of boating fatalities recovered not wearing life jackets, many of the incidents were preventable.

May 8, 2006

Assessment Raises Concerns About Lower Laguna Specks

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists have completed a new stock assessment of spotted seatrout in Texas. Spotted seatrout along with red drum comprise the two most important species sought by recreational anglers in Texas.

May 1, 2006

Spring Alligator Activity Prompts Public Safety Tips

HOUSTON — As Texas residents expand their homes and businesses into alligator country, encounters between these normally shy reptiles and people are increasing. And late spring through summer is alligator mating and nesting season, when gators are more likely to be visible.

April 24, 2006

Fish and Commercial Netters Ignore U.S.-Mexico Border

AUSTIN, Texas —Managing a fishery and enforcing game laws along an international border are both complicated tasks. Combine the two and you have a nightmare for fisheries biologists and game wardens alike.

April 10, 2006

Bragg Named NWTF Wildlife Officer of the Year

AUSTIN, Texas — Brian Heath Bragg, a six-year veteran Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden, has been named 2005 Texas Wildlife Officer of the Year by the Texas State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

April 3, 2006

TPWD Game Warden Field Notes, April 3, 2006

The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

March 6, 2006

State and Federal Investigation Results in Convictions of Six Delaware Men

CALHOUN COUNTY, Texas — In January, a concerned citizen contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden Kevin Stancik regarding the unlawful take of migratory waterfowl by several Delaware residents who own property in the Guadalupe River Delta.