Report OHV and Habitat Violations

• Calling 911 is your best option if there is immediate public danger to others or if you need emergency medical help. If a firearm is present or you feel your life could be in danger, leave the area immediately and make the 911 call when you feel you are in a safer situation.
• If you witness an OHV violation, please call local law enforcement immediately. The more detailed the information that you have, the more you can help law enforcement officials. Never put your life in harm’s way but do your best to remember as much as you can about the situation. License plate numbers, descriptions of the person(s), and details of what you witnessed are much needed in these investigations.
• Closures can result in response to long-term damage to wildlife habitat, dust problems, chronic trespass issues, littering, and vandalism to private ranching property. If you observe any of these acts of vandalism, livestock depredation, or habitat destruction, please note a description of persons, vehicles, license plate numbers, location, time, date, and any other helpful information. Report this information immediately to the Arizona Game and Fish Department 24-hour hotline at 1-800-VANDALS (1-800-826-3257).

Reporting a Wildlife Violation

Operation Game Thief (OGT) is a highly successful and confidential reporting program that allows people to call a toll-free hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to report wildlife violations. Poaching is serious business in Arizona. Poachers are not hunters—they are thieves, and they are stealing from the citizens of Arizona.

Rewards are offered for information leading to the arrest of wildlife violators. If the information provided is enough to warrant a citation or physical arrest, rewards will be paid immediately. If desired, the reward will be offered confidentially. Funding for rewards comes from fines and civil penalties assessed to the poachers. In essence, the bad guys are paying the good guys for the crimes they commit.

Contact Operation Game Thief:

• Call 1-800-352-0700, 24 HOURS A DAY
• Report a violation online at http://www.azgfd.gov/ogt_form.shtml

Cellular phone calls to the OGT hotline have proven to be extremely beneficial. An officer’s chances of apprehending the violator while he is still in the woods is greatly enhanced when the offense is reported immediately. If your service is provided by either Verizon or Alltell, simply enter # HUNT and you will be connected to the hotline.

Rewards of $50-$1,000 are offered in certain cases for information leading to the arrest of wildlife violators. Many states require a conviction before a reward can be offered. This is not so in Arizona. If the information provided is enough to warrant a citation or physical arrest, rewards will be paid immediately. If desired, the reward will be offered confidentially. Funding for rewards comes from fines and civil penalties assessed to the poachers.