Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Law Enforcement
Report Violations & Accidents
Wildlife Rehabilitators & Educators
Impaired Boat Operation PSA
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) offers a reward of up to $1,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of wildlife poachers.
Individuals with information about poachers or poaching activities can contact the TWRA by calling one of the regional offices from 7:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight, seven days a week.
In addition to the reward offered by the TWRA, the Tennessee State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation offers up to a $300.00 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals poaching wild turkeys.
Information such as the individual’s name or description, vehicle tag number or description, nature of offense and location of the offense greatly assists the TWRA in apprehending wildlife poachers. All information received by TWRA is kept in the strictest confidence.
To report a Hunting/Fishing/Boating violation, call the numbers below, 7:00a.m. until 12:00 midnight, seven days a week:
| West Tennessee - Region I | Middle Tennessee - Region II | Cumberland Plateau - Region III | East Tennessee - Region IV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-800-831-1173 Submit a Tip for Region I Online |
1-800-255-8972 Submit a Tip for Region II Online |
1-833-402-4699 Submit a Tip for Region III Online |
1-800-831-1174 Submit a Tip for Region IV Online |
TWRA Officers Tell About Their Boating Accident
TWRA is a dream job for this Officer.
2023 Boating Officer of the Year – Wildlife Officer Montana Michelson – Sumner County
Officer Michelson, assigned to Sumner County, finished 2023 out with an admirable number of accomplishments in Boating Safety. While his most frequented patrol area is Old Hickory Lake, he is known for gladly assisting in any location or capacity. Office Michelson was dedicated to waterway safety as shown through his 837 vessel inspections logging 136 Citations and 23 Warnings. He additionally removed 12 impaired operators from TN waters and performed field sobriety tests on another 10 operators. Officer Michelson worked marine events, assisted multiple boaters, responded to, and worked 8 boating incidents which 1 resulted in a BUI arrest, assisted stranded duck juvenile duck hunters, and conducted 6 boating education events. He was awarded the 2023 Donelson Chamber of Commerce 1st Responder Award and was also district 21’s 2023 nomination for the Operation Dry Water National Award.
Officer Michelson was applauded by his command staff for having an exceptional work ethic, positive attitude, and for his commitment to boating safety through training and enforcement.
This year’s nominations were D12 WO Dalton Gooch, D41 WO Greg Julian, D42 WO Justin Pinkston, D31 WO Dylan Maynard, D32 BO David Holt, D22 WO Hailey Guffey. Each of these officers truly did some phenomenal work to educate boaters, identify and remove impaired operators, and contribute to the safety of the citizens and visitors on our Tennessee waters. We are exceptionally proud of their dedication and drive to reduce injuries and fatalities on our waters and hold those accountable who violate existing waterway laws.
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact is an agreement that recognizes suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses in member states. This means that illegal activities in one state can affect a person’s hunting or fishing privileges in all participating states. Any person whose license privileges or rights are suspended in a member state may also be suspended in Tennessee. If a person's hunting, fishing, or trapping rights are suspended in Tennessee, they may be suspended in member states as well. This cooperative interstate effort will enhance the Division of Wildlife’s ability to protect and manage our wildlife resources.
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact also establishes a process whereby wildlife law violations by a non-resident from a member state are handled as if the person were a resident, meaning they can be served a ticket rather than being arrested, booked, and bonded. This process is a convenience for hunters, fishermen, and trappers of member states, and increases efficiency of Wildlife Officers by allowing more time for enforcement duties rather than violator processing procedures.
Tennessee honors all similar wildlife violation suspensions from other member states. This would include Failure to Appear in court violations.
One of the benefits to sportsman who violate wildlife laws is if they are from a member state TWRA officers can write them a simple citation instead of taking them to jail and having them post a cash bond.
If a non-resident sportsman is issued a wildlife citation fails to comply with the citation or appear in court, the TWRA will notify their home state of a Failure to Comply. The home state will then suspend that person's resident hunting or fishing license. Once the sportsman complies with the Tennessee violation, their home state will be notified and their resident license will be reinstated.