MINERAL, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is looking for tips on an illegal killing of a black bear south of Creede last fall.
CPW wildlife officers responded to a call of a dead bear in the Rio Grande River at the Mountain Views at Rivers Edge RV Resort on Oct. 1, 2021. Wildlife officers found a 7- or 8-year-old sow that had been shot. Through their investigation, wildlife officers recovered a .22 caliber air rifle pellet from the chest cavity of the sow and determined it had been shot as much as two days before it was found.
Wildlife officers have been investigating ever since. They’re now looking to the public for tips on the person responsible for killing the bear.
People who turn in poachers can be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. A citizens committee as part of CPW’s Operation Game Thief program administers reward funds, which is maintained by private contributions, in many poaching cases.
Anyone with information on who’s responsible for the illegal poaching is asked to contact CPW’s wildlife manager in the Creede district, Brent Woodward at at 719-850-6366 or at brent.woodward@state.co.us.
To provide information anonymously, the public can contact Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648 or at game.thief@state.co.us.
Illegal poaching of a big-game animal is a felony in Colorado. A conviction can result in a fine of $750 to $3,000, jail time and a lifetime suspension of hunting and fishing privileges.