Run in with our local warden...

[squirrelslayer]

Buddy and I went out to a local wildlife area to see if we could scare up some coyotes and when we were walking out happened across a warden. After about ten minutes of shooting the breeze he asked for our licenses. No biggie, I promptly provide mine and notice my buddy has a lost stare on his face. He bought a house in nevada because his wife got a job there and changed residency last year. MAJOR BRAIN FART!!! Now being a non resident he was without a valid license and here in CA you must hold a license to hunt ANYTHING. Not so in NV. So he's looking at a 640-720 dollar fine. So remember boys, keep up on your local regs as well as the area you're hunting! Seems simple enough but accidents and oversights do happen. 

[52bagman]

Yep Murphy strikes again. That dude is sure hard on me.

[squirrelslayer]

haha thats my trucks name!

[geezerbiker]

I know what you mean but it's worse in Tillamook county Oregon.  They make up stuff to charge people with just to keep the courts busy.

Tony

[squirrelslayer]

Thats unfortunate, this particular warden was really cool and cordial with us. We know my buddy goofed and even though he didn't let us off scott free, he didn't take it to the max fine by confiscating his gun or anything crazy. And we were standing on the county line so he wrote the ticket for the county that had the better court system and cheaper fines.

[geezerbiker]

That's really nice for CA.  In Tillamook county OR, they will write you up for stuff that will go with a warning anywhere else in the state.

I won't hunt there any more and I'm not sure I want to fish there either.  A friend keeps telling me how great the handicap landing is in the north end of the county.  I have a handicap hunting and fishing license but after my last run in there, I don't even like driving through the county.

Tony

[squirrelslayer]

Well if you're on the up and up would it really matter? Is it one warden in particular? We've been pretty lucky with good wardens but had a horrible park ranger for a few years that was nothing but trouble and actually called me out and taunted me about how he'd never loose a gunfight. Guy was crazy!

[Sourdough]

Here in Alaska, the Game Wardens were taken out of F&G and put under the State Troopers.  Now they have the attitude that they have to take everything to the max.  No leanacy what so ever.  We are working with the Legislature to move them back under Fish & Game.

[geezerbiker]

It's like that in Oregon too but it's never going to change.  Tillamook county is noted for prosecuting where there's nothing to go on just to keep the courts busy.  I have a friend that lives there and has been on Jury duty and says 90% of the cases are tossed out for a lack of evidence. 

It's to the point where people from outside the county avoid the place.  The same friend there works on the board for the local farmers market and one of the problems they have promoting it is too many people know about the problems there.

Tony

[squirrelslayer]

Too bad their funding didn't come solely from the hunters hunting the area... funds would dry up pretty quick.

[JonnyReb]

 My first experience with a game warden was my funniest for sure. Was about 17 and went fishing with a buddy near the N.C/S.C. line. We had parked and with armloads of rods and coolers\tackle made our way down a long dirt trail, finally coming out on the banks of lake Wylie. On my first cast i heard a boat motor open up and a patrol boat came from across the lake, straight to us.

  When the 2 wardens tried to approach the bank, their boat grounded out in very shallow water, leaving 4 or 5 feet of water between their bow and dry land. With no hesitation, the senior officer made his way to the bow and gauged the distance, then jumped! Unfortunately for him, his pushing off was enough to move their aluminum boat backwards and the dude literally had his foot come out from under him. He almost made the jump but he was horizontal when he hit. Arms and maybe head hit the bank, the rest of him was in the lake. Wether it was from the beer or 2 i'd had or because i was just goofy..i lost it. I laughed until i cried and i couldn't stop. My buddy, fresh into the army and home for a few days was horrified, he did his absolute best to silently convey to me the need to shut up but i couldn't. The junior warden, the one running the boat laughed too, i saw him cracking up as the pissed, hurt and very wet officer pulled himself outta the water but he somehow contained himself and got a straight face on again as the older man finally stood up. Without a comment and with a red, wet, dirty and straight face ask for our fishing licenses. I was still on the ground crying but i managed to get my wallet out and find my license, which i'd proudly bought that year myself for the first time. My buddy had his too, and we both handed them over. The warden took a quick glance and said, "these are N.C. licenses, we're in S.C., wheres your S.C. license!" Huh?? . David looked sick and i quit laughing.

 I forget how much the fine was but neither one of us bothered to fight the ticket on account of a hidden and mysterious state line we must have crossed on our way in, We just humbly paid our ticket and David vowed to never fish with me again. Later that summer i dropped a car hood on his head accidently and he swore me off for almost 20 years, we just now are hanging out again after his long military service and he told me how many times in Afganistan,Iraq and Kuwait he thought of me laughing hysterically at the officer in the drink and hoped i'd finally learned to control myself. . We also now have wondered if we indeed really were in S.C., or if the officer had just decided we were lol

  Glad to have seen this thread, needed to tell that tale.  j

[FPH]

Had a buddy who was a Game Warden.  He was doing the belly crawl as he was sneaking up on some poachers in E. TX.  He crawled right through a fire ant mound........he didn't stay sneaky for long.

[squirrelslayer]

Jonny, ya outta look that spot up on mapquest or something if you can remember where it was. That would be the topper for sure!

[ironglow]

Our  wardens are similar to Sourdough's experience..  In NY State they are first trained a state police..then as game wardens..and carry the authority of both.  That gives the warden more authority than a state trooper, since he doesn't need a search warrant to go in to your housem barn or freezer. 
       Generally, they are not too bad though, first time I got checked out was last year.  I had pulled up into the edge of my woods and was getting ready to go in, when a warden cruised by..turned arouind and came directly back.  I don't blame him, I had my hunting vest on and was entering the woods with a rifle..and no hunting season was open.
  His first question was "What are we hunting today?"..  That was a reasonable question, so I replied; " I just came down to sight in my rifle, on windy days the range I have on the old logging road in the woods is usually quite still."  I added; "I'm one of your hunter safety instructorsand know I could have said I was hunting red squirrels (no closed season) but I wouldn't do that, I truly have come to sight in my rifle." 
   He continued with a little chit-chat..then asked, "What's that rifle you have, may I take a look at it?"  I replied, "sure", I then proceded to pull the magazine, clear the action..leaving the bolt open, and hand over the little Anschutz.  Frankly, I think he was testing my safety trainer credentials. One check in roughly 60 years of hunting, I don't consider to be excessive.
   There seem to be wardens with understanding, and there seem to be some who are real pains.  We should keep in mind however, when we hear horror stories about how somebody was treated by a warden, it could very well be true; but then we should remind ourselves that as with any other situation, we are hearing just one side of the story.

[JonnyReb]

Jonny, ya outta look that spot up on mapquest or something if you can remember where it was. That would be the topper for sure!

  You know SS, i never once, until recently anyways, even conceived that the warden was pulling one on us but i'm on my way to mapquest now, i know EXACTLY where we were. BRB

  Edit:  No doubt, The game warden lied and screwed us. We never even knew it. Coulda beat that ticket with a map. Was to naive i guess and just figured a man in a uniform was an honest and honorable man. I was older before i learned that nothing in life is for certain and trust is earned.

 Anyone, if they cared, could get on mapquest and look up Wildlife rd, right off shopton in Charlotte N.C., is completely on the N.C. side.  The S.C. line is the center of the river and so the wardens boat was in S.C. when they were observing us on the bank, on their way to us they crossed over into N.C. and were in N.C. when we were given the ticket. Wow... 

[ironglow]

  Now..that WAS rotten!

[JonnyReb]

I completely agree 

[squirrelslayer]

You can bet he knew!   Most wardens I run into are fair enough but I can't imagine the dirty low down crap they constantly encounter. You want a good read, pick up a copy of "wildlife wars" or any of those good warden books. Pretty bad stories. We used to have an ole' warden where I hunt named Randall. He always checked us and had a very neutral presence around us. He was the last of the "old" wardens around here. He'd come into camp and talk for quite a while or sometimes just to check. Never accepted a cup of coffee or so much as a sniff of chow. I had/have a TON of respect for that guy. Kinda measure all the wardens I meet against him. This officer was friendly and I think we got him as nice as he gets. Most of the time I like to think that if you're not a vagrant and have a good attitude they will respect it and take it into account. I personally feel he coulda let my buddy off. Something so simple has turned into over $700 fine and he was supposed to seize his firearm. Apparently CA is cracking down on out of state hunters according to the clerk at the courthouse and my buddy is headed for a serious set of fines. So once again, double check all your stuff! 

[ironglow]

  Sometimes you have to look beyond the warden and try to picture what kind of pressure is coming down on him... from the governor on down.
  It looks like "Moonbeam" is already struggling, but hasn't yet caught onto the "stop the spending" idea as of yet.

[Oldshooter]

Here in Alaska, the Game Wardens were taken out of F&G and put under the State Troopers.  Now they have the attitude that they have to take everything to the max.  No leanacy what so ever.  We are working with the Legislature to move them back under Fish & Game.

Sourdough do you get the Alaska State Trooper show on the National Geographic channel. If so whats your opinion of the Wardens portrayed there?

[bobg]

     Had 2 run ins with wardens in over 50 years of hunting. The first was when i was a kid. There was a corn field in the middle of the woods that i don't think  anyone but the guy that planted it and i knew was there. This was in the early 60's when we had lots of pheasants. When the city guys got done hunting all the easy spots the pheasants would head for that corn. My dog and i would walk down the road and down a 15 foot creek bank and cross a log that had fallen across the creek. I went through the woods and into the corn field. Just made it accrossed when the warden pulled up and wanted me to come back so he could check my license. I told him no but i would wait there while he came over to check it. He stood there a minute and finally said have a good day and left. Don't think he knew if he went around to the next road there was a lane that the farmer used to get to the corn.
     The second was when my brother and i were coming out of a field from hunting woodchucks. The warden was waiting out on the road. Like and idiot i had my back tag through the sling strap on my rifle. Told me that belonged on my back. If i didn't want to put holes in my shirt to tie a string to it and put it around my neck so it was on my back. He checked things out and told us to get in the car and get the hell out of there.

[thxmrgarand]

Sourdough,


I follow the AK leg. pretty closely and I have not even once heard anyone mention moving the Brown Shirts into ADF&G, but it is a great idea.  In states where game wardens actually know something about fish and game (instead of what we have in AK where troopers move back and forth between Blue Shirts and Brown Shirts as career moves for retirement and geographical considerations) the best ones get to know the area, stock fish, work with trappers and do a myriad of tasks that enhance the situation.  AK habitat and users of fish and game would be better off if game wardens were fish and game professionals first and enforcement people second.

[FPH]

TX and NM Game Wardens have always been respectful and helpful to me.  CO GWs have been butts.,

[Bubber]

Ive met up with a few game wardens. Most were pretty standard tag checks and no big deal. One was in regards to me trapping on land that had always belonged to the irrigation compant and I was very close to the line of a small parcel they had unbenownst to me sold. As it turned out I was legal, and it was luck that kept my ignorance from getting me in some trouble. But again he was very cordial.
 
Then there was the night I was parked out in the woods, about 3 miles from town, very early in the morning, trying very hard to violate a different kind of game law, with this little brunette. That one was very unpleasant for me and I will never forgive that man.