The vigilance of rural residents in North Yorkshire resulted in a 4x4 suspected of involvement in poaching on farmland being seized.
Rural Watch volunteers contacted the police over potential poaching concerns on Friday 22 November.
They spotted a group of men with dogs walking across farmland near Bedale at 11am.
North Yorkshire rural crime police officers carried out a search of the area and located a silver Nissan X-Trail.
When challenged, the occupants claimed they had opened the boot and their dogs had run off.
However, the car was untaxed, and so it was seized by police.
Earlier this year, police in the county sought to soothe farmers' concerns and warned poachers that their illegal behaviour would not be tolerated.
North Yorkshire has large, isolated areas of farmland, forestry and lakes, which tend to be vulnerable to poaching activity.
In addition to being a wildlife crime, illegal poaching on farmland can cause significant damage to young crops, resulting in large financial losses for farmers.
Residents have once more been urged to note down and report any suspicious activity, such as unusual vehicle movements, particularly in remote, rural areas.
Poaching refers to the illegal taking, killing, injuring or pursuit of game, deer or fish.
It comes as figures show the scourge of rural crime in the UK cost the country £50m last year.
