Poachers do not confine their killing only to game animals. Threatened, endangered and nongame wildlife show up in the poacher's bag as well. Poaching is surrounded by romantic myths which just aren't true. Poachers are not poor people trying to feed their families. In fact, putting food on the table is one of the least common motives for poaching.
Poachers kill for the thrill of killing, to lash out at wildlife laws, or for profit.
They kill wildlife any way, time and place they can. Poaching rings can be well organized and extremely profitable. In a nutshell, poachers are criminals and should be dealt with as criminals. Operation Game Thief was pioneered by the new Mexico Department of Game and Fish and has been adopted by 49 of the 50 states, including Colorado. Since 1981, Colorado's Operation Game Thief has received more than 2,400 reports of poaching, resulting in more than 700 convictions.