Department of Wildlife Conservation
State of Oklahoma
J. Kevin Stitt
Governor
Wildlife Conservation Commission
Leigh Gaddis, Ada
Chairman
James V. Barwick, Edmond
Vice Chairman
Rick Holder, Creta
Secretary
Bill Brewster, Marietta
D. Chad Dillingham, Enid
Jess Kane, Bartlesville
John P. Zelbst, Meers
Mark Mabrey, Okmulgee
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
J.D. Strong
Director
Amanda Storck
CFO & Chief of Administration
Wade Free
Assistant Director of Operations
Bill Dinkines
Chief, Wildlife Division
Ken Cunningham
Chief, Fisheries Division
Nels Rodefeld
Chief, Communication & Education Division
Nathan Erdman
Chief, Law Enforcement Division
Smokey Solis
Editor
Jason Schooley
Sr. Biologist & Co-Editor
Ron Smith
Sr. Biologist & Co-Editor
Contributing Staff
Mike Chrisman and Chad Strang
Cover image courtesy:
Barry Bolton
Do You Care About Wildlife?
Help Us Protect Them...
Operation Game Thief (OGT) is a program of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation designed specifically to stop illegal killing of the fish and game which belong to you, whether you’re an angler, sportsman or outdoor enthusiast. It’s a big problem with no simple solution. Help from public sportsmen and sportswomen makes all the difference.
Here’s why:
- One day before the opening of a recent deer season, two poachers killed four whitetail bucks.
- Late one summer night, three men steered their boat across a state reservoir, stopped at their illegal net site and hauled in a load of striped bass and other open-water fish they could sell for $1 a pound on the commercial market.
In each of these examples, you were the loser. You lost hunting and fishing opportunities or the chance to view wildlife in their natural surroundings. At the same time, law-abiding sportsmen received a bad reputation from those who fail to distinguish between legal and illegal hunting. OGT is something everyone can do to help wildlife and help us apprehend the poachers.
The OGT toll-free phone number is (800) 522-8039.
Callers can remain anonymous.