Colorado Division of Wildlife area manager Rick Spowart offered several tips for battling poaching.

Shots heard, particularly after dark, should be considered suspicious because legitimate hunters are prohibited by law from shooting more than a half-hour after dusk.

Poachers often target their prey with spotlights when illegally hunting at night, so use of spotlights is another cause to be suspicious.

Someone driving at night without the use of headlights should also raise suspicions.

Seeing someone in a ditch should be a cause for suspicion as well.

Any apparent hunting taking place when there is not a legitimate hunting season occurring should also raise suspicion.

There are seven elk seasons in the Estes Valley area.

Though none is currently in progress, the two biggest elk seasons will start soon, Spowart said.

The first is scheduled Dec. 2 to 17, and the second will be Jan. 1 to 16.

Additionally, a small game season is under way and will continue until the end of February.

A mountain lion season also is under way and will last until the end of 1995, to be replaced by a new mountain lion season when 1996 starts.

Autumn and winter are times when poaching is more likely, Spowart said.

The bulls and bucks have their antlers and have moved to the lower elevations, he noted.

In the spring when they shed their antlers they are less desirable to poachers, and in summer when they move to the higher elevations, particularly in Rocky Mountain National Park, they are more difficult to hunt.

Be a good neighbor

Hunting that is occurring on a property owner's land without his or her permission is illegal and should be reported, Spowart said.

"Even in season, people can't hunt on your private property without your permission," he advised.

Spowart said neighbors should keep an eye on other properties in their area, and if they are going to hunt on their land themselves or have given a particular hunter permission to use their land, they should let their neighbors know.

Neighbors can then keep an eye on adjoining properties.

"Estes is pretty good about this one. When I was looking at a wounded deer the other day, a man wanted to know what I was doing on his neighbor's property," Spowart said.

"He kind of chewed me out for being on his neighbor's property."

Within the Estes Valley, it is against the law for a bullet to leave a property on which the hunter is hunting, so that too should be reported.

An elk that doesn't look right or move right should also be reported, because it may have been injured by a poacher. Spowart's wife caught another poacher in the act of field-dressing one of three illegally killed elk on Nov. 11 when she followed a trail of blood from an injured one in the Grey Fox Estates area near Carriage Hills.

"Just increase your level of awareness," Estes Park Police Department Lt. Gregg Filsinger advised.

He joined Spowart in asking people to talk to their neighbors and pay attention to details.

Report possible poachers

If a suspected poacher is spotted, there are a few things the reporting party should try to do.

"Whatever you do, get a license plate number. That helps us so, so much," Spowart said.

He said that is the single best piece of information that can help the DOW track possible poachers.

A physical description of the suspect also helps.

Photographs or videotape also can be helpful.

"You'd have a good piece of evidence," Spowart said.

He said that he has worked a couple of cases where someone videotaped an on-going illegal activity, including a case of a poacher illegally shooting songbirds.

Even if a suspected poacher leaves an area, residents should call in a report, Spowart said.

Poachers often will shoot an animal, then leave the scene to avoid being caught, only to return later for their kill.

Last year, a Carriage Hills resident reported hearing shots and called the Police Department with a suspect vehicle description.

Spowart went to the scene and waited and was able to apprehend the poacher when he returned.

Following a suspected poacher can also yield arrests.

Spowart said some poachers have been apprehended by citizens who have followed the suspected poachers back to the trailhead and their vehicles, where they could get a license plate number to report.

Call the police

To report incidents, people can contact the Estes Park Police Department or Larimer County Sheriff's Department at 586-4465, which can reach Spowart or whatever Division of Wildlife officer is on call. Spowart said the Colorado State Patrol is also able to notify him about incidents.

For incidents that are emergency situations, people can call 911, but if it is not an emergency the other number is preferable.

"You're the best judge of that because you have the circumstances before you," the EPPD's Filsinger said.

People also can call 1-800-332-4155 to reach Operation Game Thief, where they can get rewards of up to $250 for reporting enough information to lead to a conviction in a big game case. For small game and fish crimes, the reward is up to $100.