Field Notes: TIP Line Rings

A 14-year-old boy shot his first buck, an eight-pointer, from a roadway at the urging of his father. A county worker speared a muskie in a ditch. From inside his residence, a rural homeowner shot a trophy deer as it fed from a pile of corn.

All of these fish- and game-law violators were caught in recent years because someone who saw the crime contacted a DNR conservation officer through the Turn In Poachers hot line. November is the top month for tips.

Since 1981 more than 15,800 TIP calls have resulted in more than 6,000 arrests for violations ranging from overlimits of crappies to big-game poaching.

The hot line rings steadily around the November firearms deer hunting season, according to one of the DNR dispatchers who answer TIP calls in St. Paul. "We get a lot of calls about people taking deer out of season, not tagging deer, or tagging deer with their spouse's license."

Other busy times include October (during waterfowl, pheasant, and other small-game hunting seasons) and May (when walleye, northern pike, and other fish become fair game on inland lakes). Weekend and evening calls are routed to the Minnesota State Patrol dispatch in Thief River Falls. All TIP calls are passed along to a DNR conservation officer within 24 hours. The number of TIP calls varies from year to year, according to Doug Lage, a conservation officer who patrols parts of Lincoln and Pipestone counties in southwestern Minnesota. "Some years I get a ton of calls through TIP," he says, "other years just two or three." Last year, which was "fairly busy," Lage said he took about a dozen TIP calls.

The busiest year for TIP was 1991, with 1,050 calls, followed by 1993 and 1992, when there were 1,022 and 1,006, respectively. Last year 914 TIP calls were referred to conservation officers. Since 1991 nearly $700,000 has been paid in restitution to the DNR Game and Fish Fund.

TIP reports that contain critical details have the best chance of resulting in an arrest, according to TIP staff. Dates, times, locations, vehicles involved, and license plate numbers are all very important, they say. So are descriptions of people, clothing, and equipment.

TIP callers may remain anonymous and are eligible for cash rewards ranging from $25 for fish, small-game, and nongame violations to $500 for flagrant or commercial violations. Since 1981 the nonprofit organization has paid out more than $310,000 in cash. About 70 percent of TIP callers refuse the cash reward, though many choose one of TIP's wildlife prints. Cash for TIP rewards is raised through donations and at four annual TIP banquets.

For information on joining TIP or participating in TIP banquets, visit Turn In Poachers Anyone who sees a fish- or game-law violation in Minnesota should report it to 800-652-9093.

Jason Abraham