TWRA Region IV Law Enforcement
TWRA’s Region 4 Wildlife Officers enforce boating, hunting, fishing and trapping laws, but may also enforce all other Tennessee State laws. There are full time Wildlife Officers located in each county and more than 15 part-time Wildlife Officers who assist with boating enforcement. We need your help to report violations.
To report a violation or a boating accident, please call our poaching hotline from 7:00 AM to Midnight (not for information calls) at 1-800-831-1174.
Duties Of A Wildlife Officer
The following are just a few of the tasks performed by Tennessee Wildlife & Boating Officers:
- Patrols lakes, streams and forests in an assigned area to enforce laws governing the taking, possessing, transporting and disposal of wildlife.
- Investigates suspected violations of wildlife laws, rules and regulations.
- Checks licenses, tags and bag limits of sportsmen.
- Enforces state boating and water safety regulations.
- Assists in the control of nuisance wildlife and humanely disposes of injured wildlife as required.
- Makes direct habitat improvements through food plantings and the construction of nesting boxes.
- Instructs boating safety education classes.
- Develops and maintains a hunter and firearms safety education program in assigned county or district.
- Investigates hunting and boating accidents.
- Assists in or teaches wildlife management and wildlife law enforcement at schools, clubs and universities.
- Works with Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs and others in promoting and assisting in wildlife related projects.
- Participates in Project CENTS as instructor or facilitator.
- Works with radio, television and press media and records radio and TV programs.
- Attends and speaks at meetings at local schools, sportsman clubs and civic organizations.
- Exercises general law enforcement authority on public property, managed lands, and waters.
- Assists other law enforcement agencies such as the State Police and Sheriff Departments.
