Fall 2013
Alabama Deer Poaching Problem
In 1978, the director of the Alabama Game and Fish Department (AG&F) telephoned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Law Enforcement’s Washington office requesting assistance with a poaching problem. I was Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Special Operations unit and the call was passed through to me. The director advised he’d heard of our covert endeavors and expressed hope of receiving assistance with what he said was “a very difficult situation.” He described the problem as involving numerous individuals who individually and collectively were killing deer in Alabama and selling the meat in Florida and Georgia. He said that their enforcement people were not trained in covert activities and asked for any help we might extend them.