Maine Organization Offering $4,000 Reward For Information on Alleged Poachers

When it comes to hunting in Maine, there is a robust history of animal harvesting that stretches back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. If you didn't already know, sportsmen from all around New England, and the country, come to Maine every year to take their 'shot' at one of Maine's large game animals.

From deer, to moose, pheasant, black bear, turkey and more, there is almost always an open-season on something happening in the Pine Tree State. And, as such, Maine has some very strict laws when it comes to hunting seasons.

According to an article from WGME 13, Maine's Operation Game Thief (OGT), is currently offering a large reward of $4,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case(s) of two deer being illegally shot and killed on Maine's Mount Desert Island.

But before we get into the specifics of what happened, let's first take a deeper look into what exactly Operation Game Thief IS, shall we?

According to MaineOGT.Org, Operation Game Thief is a wildlife law enforcement program that was designed to help protect the state's natural resources by encouraging the public to report wildlife crimes.

It is a cooperative initiative between the Maine Warden Service, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Maine Operation Game Thief Board of Directors, a nonprofit organization, the website explains.

The article from WGME goes on to explain that Operation Game Thief is currently offering a $4,000 reward for information on who may be responsible for the alleged poaching of multiple deer on MDI.

The news station says that one of the deer, a large buck, was shot in the nighttime hours sometime on October 5-6. The second deer, also a large buck, was found with its head removed and is suspected to have been shot sometime in the early hours of November 6th.

The breakdown on the reward is $2,000 per deer. Even if the deer had been shot in the daylight hours it still would have been a violation as deer hunting on MDI was banned years ago.

Anyone who has information is being asked to contact the organization by calling 1-800-ALERT-US.