Over the past two big game hunting seasons, protection rangers have employed intelligence and information gathered from field contacts to conduct focused anti-poaching operations in areas of the park that have been heavily poached over the years. Action plans were developed and operations were conducted throughout the park. Tactics included wildlife decoy operations, hunter checkpoints, and surveillance. Since the park is under concurrent jurisdiction, local Kentucky and Tennessee game wardens and a Tennessee state park ranger assisted in the operations. Also participating were recent FLETC graduates who were completing their field training assignments at the park. During these operations, rangers and wardens made a total of 24 illegal hunting cases. Nearly 50 violation notices were issued, 19 weapons were seized, and almost $5,000 in restitution was paid into the park’s resource protection fund. The money was used to purchase specialized equipment and to pay ranger overtime. All the operations were conducted safely under the park’s SOP for anti-poaching details.
