The Turn in Poachers (TIP) program began in Iowa almost 15 years ago as an effort to stop poaching in the state.

TIP is a private, nonprofit organization run by members of individual sporting groups and monitored by the Department of Natural Resources.

“It has been helping a lot. It’s a valuable tool for Natural Resources Law Management,” said Lowell Joslin, chief of law enforcement for the Iowa DNR.

TIP provides a 24-hour toll-free number monitored by DNR staff, which citizens can call to report fish and wildlife violations.

Joslin said one benefit of the program is the anonymity granted to all callers.

“Once we receive a call, we’ll take the information. Then we pass it on to an officer, who will decide if there is enough info to investigate,” he said. “If there is a case out of it, the person who reported the incident can receive a reward.”

People who report information always will stay anonymous and are eligible for rewards in successful TIP cases, Joslin said. The type and amount of the rewards vary by case.

“Most people don’t call back for the reward,” he said.

Nick Pudenz, sophomore in animal science, is familiar with the TIP program.

In order to get his hunting license, Pudenz had to go through a required hunter safety course where he learned a lot about the TIP program and was given the hotline number.

Since Iowa’s TIP program was started in 1985, the DNR has issued about 1,500 citations and received more than 7,000 calls, Joslin said. Nearly $100,000 has been approved in reward payments.

Last year, the department received 313 calls and issued more than $6,500 in rewards, he said.

Without programs like TIP, Pudenz said hunting “won’t be sport anymore, just slaughter.”

“This program is a good tool to call in and let someone know,” Joslin said. “Because it’s anonymous, we get a lot of good information and we’ve made a lot of excellent cases.”