Author Topic: Bad exsperiance with Maine Wardens (Read 3870 times)

darrell8937 · « **on:** October 13, 2005, 11:01:06 AM »

Went Patridge hunting in Northern Maine and was totaly harrasses by wardens. Had many run in with them. First,, There was a lot of night shooting that they suspected we were doing.. This had been going on for months.. We were there four days.. second,, My shotgun barrell was not long enough. "That is a slug gun" he said.. "Are you hunting moose"..No I said.. yes you can shoot a slug but if I were shooting slugs I would shoot a rifled barrell.. "Remington does not make a rifled slug barrel" he said. I asked him to put some money on that! He declined.. Then they stoped us and said this trail was closed to ATV's.. Well the warden the day before said it was a state atv trail.. and we even found some state markers.. Then he was not so sure. What a pain in the You know! What are we going to do. The Maine woods are being sold off to resorts and large anti hunting land owners. We are losing our heritage to become a private play ground for the rich. And they have the backing of the law. he also did nto like my poncho.. Millsurplus swiss-- It has a red pattern in it and looks like blood.. You would have thought he had won the megabucks when he saw it.. His face light up. They are looking for Moose poachers and suspect everyone.. Guilty until proven inoccent. They showed us no respect! Much of the weekend we all talked about all this.. Not what you should be talking about at camp.

myronman3 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2005, 12:44:33 PM »

so get his name and his supervisors name. file a complaint. contact the local state representative and complain to them also.

i have no problem with wardens checking me out. but if they cross the line i go after them through their chain of command. $#!* roles downhill. so go to the top and take a dump.

oso45-70 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2005, 02:25:05 PM »

Darrell8937

Just another way to discourage people from doing what they enjoy. The Jerks don't hunt them selves and hate any one that does. Like Myronman3 suggested keep all the information,,, Names Badge #s and so forth and bring it to the attention of the local Authorities. Don't let the creeps get away with any thing............Joe............

Doe · « **Reply #3 on:** October 13, 2005, 04:48:39 PM »

Over here in Michigan we call that hunter harrassment game warden or not!

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #4 on:** October 13, 2005, 09:09:48 PM »

With some people a little bit of authority goes a long way. For some people, that's not far enough!

Mayor of Hobbs Knob · « **Reply #5 on:** October 14, 2005, 10:15:07 AM »

I probably should be quiet, but I have nothing but respect for the warden I've encountered in Maine. During a 2002 moose hunt in the Alagash region with a buddy who was dieing of cancer, a local warden gave us an enormous amount of help. He was a real hunter and gentleman and I sent a glowing letter to HIS supervisor. It's a real tough job that they do with little respect or compensation. They may have their bad days, but, believe it or not, it's likely that none of us are great ALL of the time. (Well, maybe me.)

Just my two pennies.

rockbilly · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2005, 02:34:26 PM »

:roll: Some LEOs remind me of a border town mexican cop. Give em a gun and a little authority and they think they are six feet tall and bullet proof.

Like a couple of above post said, write a letter. You and all that were with should write separate letters to your state representative and ask them to inquire as to why they are doing this

williamlayton · « **Reply #7 on:** October 15, 2005, 02:01:34 AM »

I have had good and bad experiences with wardens.
I had a good experience with a warden, who I later became friends with, when he gave me a ticket for not enough life vest in my boat.
I had a bad experience from one who "could not" give me a ticket. I had caught a limit of redfish. I had measured them before keeping them. When I returned to shore, I was wade fishing, he sped from the brush, sliding up to my truck.
I gave him my lic. and fish as he demanded. He measured those fish twice-I thought he was going to measure them again until I told him that I did not believe those fish were going to grow.
Write a letter or, better yet, visit with his supervisor in person if it is at all convenient.
Blessings

cntryboy1289 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 18, 2005, 12:35:51 PM »

I would definitely write a letter to his supervisor if it had been myself. At the time when all this kind of harassment is going on though, it is very hard to keep a cool head and write things down. I have had similar experiences where I live. The thing of it is this, there will be bad apples in every barrel no matter where you get the barrel from. I am sure the supervisor would appreciate hearing the guy has a bad attitude. Not all of the LEO's are bad all over, but they sure give the rest of them a bad name.

I married a Warden's daughter and knew the guy for years as a standup guy. He worked with this one guy that was eventually fired over how he interacted with the public. I guess after more than 100 people write into the main office complaining about the guy even his buddies couldn't save his job. He was well liked by all of them, guess he didn't show his bad side until he rolled up on the scene. I know because I was one of the guys that wrote in and called numerous times trying to find out what the status was on the investigation. This guy liked to have gotten shot numerous times by the folks he harassed. He wrote me a ticket for no- wake out in the main channel of the river where there were no signs waring against no-wake. Needless to say, the judge threw the case out of court.

The last straw was when he threatened to beat up a teenager who was hunting next to his buddies hunting club. Guess he didn't realize the boy's Dad had walked up on them when he saw the Warden drive up. He got fired almost immediately after this last encounter, so it does pay to make a complaint. Call and ask who the guy was that you interacted with. Give the time, date, and location of where you were harassed and let them figure out who the guy was. They will know, they have to keep up with who works where.

ShadowMover · « **Reply #9 on:** October 18, 2005, 02:16:43 PM »

Writing or calling on a badge heavy type will work. Make sure you know who you are notifying, and that they know you know. Your call or complaint may not be the one that sinks his boat, but it will show his supervisors which direction he is heading. Often a guy has previous situations or problems and the 'Boss' already has a hint at the problem. I feel the same way about bad professional drivers who do stupid things in traffic. Make the call. If it was a one time mistake, it will not be his undoing, but if it has happened before, the boss will start worrying about covering his fanny when the SHTF, and start solving the problem.

wyocarp · « **Reply #10 on:** November 04, 2005, 06:12:44 PM »

Quote from: rockbilly

Give em a gun and a little authority and they think they are six feet tall and bullet proof.

It would be easy to prove they weren't bullet proof.

I had a warden give me a very hard time this past summer when I shot a couple of lions that charged me. He found out that he had threatened the wrong guy and that I wouldn't put up with it. But you have to be in the right. It seems that they don't trust anyone, which is okay, but it seems that their standard is -- guilty until proven overwise.

Mainer · « **Reply #11 on:** December 06, 2005, 04:33:39 PM »

I always find it hard to assess a story when I've only heard one side. But by all means, if you honestly feel you were harassed, do as the others have said and both file a (respectful) complaint with the Warden Service and write to your State legislators. Wardens are supposed to be public servants, not bullies. Furthermore, this State depends on revenue from sportsmen, so we can't allow overzealous LEOs to drive them off.

Maine Woods · « **Reply #12 on:** December 07, 2005, 04:19:38 AM »

Hey Darrell sorry to hear of your poor experiance with ME. Warden service. Like any profesion some are better and (smarter) than others. I have over the years encoutered many, most were great (not all) Yes land is being bought up, much of it is still open and more is being purchased and kept open with ME conservation easement program. I felt bird numbers were low this year lets hope for a better 06 !

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 07, 2005, 11:31:58 AM »

I've never had a bad experience with the wardens. What few times I've encountered them they were friendly and courteous. Just like any career, there's alway a few bad eggs.

Savage · « **Reply #14 on:** December 08, 2005, 08:20:56 AM »

Wardens! You mean Maine has wardens? Hunted there for two years, never saw one. Of course that was 61/62!
Savage

1911crazy · « **Reply #15 on:** December 10, 2005, 04:16:16 AM »

In Vermont once We were checked on my own land. I could see the look on their faces as they walked up to us so i told my son to put the guns down right away. This seemed to open up them to an excellent conversation and some tips from them on where to hunt. Luckily I read the body english right away as they approached us they felt threatened.

I have had some really bad experiences too but not in Vermont. I could feel how the Jews felt in WW2 with the nazi's they think they have the power over you so you get the wrath they dish out. I'd be surprised if some of them had mothers.

darrell8937 · « **Reply #16 on:** December 06, 2006, 09:36:58 PM »

Had a good time this year. Partridge hunt was great. We went later in the season. After moose hunting. Didn't see a soul. No wardens = good time. I think they are bored sometime. Look for problems where they are none. Got many birds! Yes you can complain.. but good luck. they can be retaliate... Just report the local cop for speeding! and see.

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #17 on:** December 07, 2006, 10:44:32 AM »

For the most part,Va wardens are pretty good. I did have a run in with one about 5 years ago though that got a little heated. I backed off after getting his info and called his Boss the next day. Turns out that I wasn't the first complainer. It turned out that his boss had been doing business with me for about 10 years and knew that I didn't get twisted about much. I got a call about 3 days later informing me that I wouldn't have any more problems from this warden. He no longer had a job with the State of Va.

HWD

LEO · « **Reply #18 on:** December 08, 2006, 03:30:09 AM »

I hate that you had a bad experience with the Maine Wardens. While I have never been to Maine, I have interacted with a bunch of Wildlife Officers all over the Country. Like every profession there are some bad officers, just as there are bad mechanics, carpenters, doctors, lawyers, and clergy. The bad ones should be weeded out but don't paint them all with the same brush. In my experience Wildlife Officers work long hours under adverse conditions for very little pay. My point is that most of them do it because they care about the resource not for the money alone. It sounds like you dealt with some who weren't sure of the rules which is bad but they are the exception not the rule. Think about how much game you would have to hunt if it were not for the "good" Wildlife Officers, in my part of the world probably not much. As others have said let their supervisors know what is going on, it may be an attitude problem or it may just be a training problem either of which needs to be addressed. Hopefully the next time you are contacted by a Wildlife Officer it will be a better experience for you. The sad part is more and more agencies are interested in hiring cops rather than folks with a strong hunting and fishing background. You can take a qualified person and in six months or so teach them what they need to know to be a fairly decent cop but it takes years to teach someone who has never hunted or fished to be a good Wildlife Officer

Thundermaker · « **Reply #19 on:** December 16, 2006, 03:36:32 PM »

We have had some problems like this up home(WYO). Leftists from either the far east or far left coast decide they like the mountains, and they like the idea of straightenin out the rednecks. They dont usually stay around long. We all know everyone up there. Their bosses get enough grief over coffee or at church and they go byby.

tpdtom · « **Reply #20 on:** December 17, 2006, 01:04:08 AM »

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with game wardens. I'm not from Maine but I've had bird dogs there for the summer and visited and attended a field trial where I met a few wardens. They stopped to chat and see the dogs. Nice, professional, friendly fellas.

I agree that there are law enforcement officers everywhere who go a little power crazy. It seems that the professions attract some individuals who simply want to display their macho facade. Maybe they have little ones. On the other hand they deal with the lowest, lying, cheating, stealing, killing element in our society. They either become suspicious of everyone or they place themselves even more in harms way. That's still no excuse for harrassment or rude behavior on their part.

I've been hunting "partridge and woodcock" for about 45 years now. In my experience, when I'm clad in upland hunting garb, tan and blaze orange for me, walking with an English Setter or two, cursing ATVs, and carrying a SxS with 28" barrels, I've never had a problem with Fish and Game types, just a few conversations, but that's my experience...Tom

JerryNH · « **Reply #21 on:** January 23, 2007, 11:53:15 AM »

Darrell are you a Maine resident? I also had a run in years ago with a Maine warden, it wasn't anything major but I just felt that he could've & should've treated me with a little bit of respect. I didn't do anything wrong but the way he was asking the questions, you would have thought I made off with the crown jewels. I spoke to some co-workers who were Maine residents and they seemed to think it was because I wasn't from there. One guy told me this particular warden was trying to make a name for himself ever since he got his name in the newspaper for catching some kids shooting pigeons with make shift blow guns (straws with darts) in the local McDonalds parking lot. I guess he got more ribbing than fame.

Bubber · « **Reply #22 on:** January 23, 2007, 12:46:30 PM »

I have never had a bad experiance with a warden, however having met a number of them in the field I agree with the comment that you are treated as guilty untill proven otherwise. Every time I bumped into one, while they were professional, they were very sneaky and were fishing for a slip of the tounge. I learned a long time ago to be friendly but awnser questions directly and in as few words as possible. It will shorten the conversation letting you get on with your day (every warden I have met was a marathon talker) and keep you from putting your foot in your mouth. It is also a good idea to ask for their business card, they usually gladly give it out and will set them at ease.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 23, 2007, 01:02:09 PM »

Sad to hear your bad experiance. 99% of wardens are standup guys. I've only had onebad runin with a warden here in MN. He swerved in front of me to stop me to check if I had a loaded/ uncased gun. I ended up in the ditch. Luckily my brother ( the local sheriff) was riding with me and the warden was charged with careless drivig and it stuck. I'm for enforcing the game laws but no one needs to be hurt over an uncased gun. Overzealous enforcment of the law is dangerous.

darrell8937 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 24, 2007, 03:56:45 PM »

JerryNH ,, Yes I am a Maine resident, Lived here all my life except fro 4 years in the Army. Hunt and fish on a regular basis. The maine warden service has been declining in quality in my opinion for years, It is getting harder and harder to live here. Maine is a nice place to visit but living here with the high taxes, declining road quality and wardens is getting tough. It has gotten so bad in this area that If I pull into a boat launch and see there truck and trailer I go somewhere else. There have even been articles written in local papers about this rift. I had a warden sneek up on me a few years back. I was fly fishing on one side of the stream. He was on the other side, He wanted to see my licence, He made me wade to the far side to show him. It was tough going. fairly deep and fast flowing and slippery. I almost fell in. I told him next time it is your turn to wade across. He gave me an irrated look and left. It was my attempt to irrate him, so I just smiled. he was rude! I know it is not just my attitude as most all of my friend feel the same way. They just tried to prosecute a local hunter for not labeling his deer meat properly. They went to the guys house on a so called anomomus tip. They do this all the time. Asked him to open his freezer, They found a few packages of unlabeled meat, Deer meat. The warden told him he needed to labe it with the name of the pearson and their licence number etc. He said he would and the warden left. He imediatly labeled it all. 4 hours later the warden returned and gave him a summons. Wow, that is not good PR. Yes it is the law to label game meat, the guy is no poacher just did not label properly. The warden just changed his mind. The guy challenged it and won, If your going to give a ticket, do it then. not go home and come back later. I while back I had complained about a local police officer. It all blew over but for a while cops looked at me in traffic all the time. They seemed to have forgotten now. Also had a cop come thru my back yard at night a year ago, I just happened to be passing a window and spotted him. He was looking for my girlfriends son, who a witness in some small claims suit. I told him he should not be wandering around back yards in the night! it was dangerous, He could be mistaken for a burgular or trip and fall on one of my weird projects I have going. He said he knocked on the front door but my girl friend was sitting not five feet from the door reading some romance novel. She never heard nothing. He never knocked , He took offence. I will shut up now!

JerryNH · « **Reply #25 on:** January 24, 2007, 04:54:18 PM »

Darrell...sorry to hear that. I thought they just liked to harass non residents! Sounds like one horror story after the other to me. It just goes to show you if some people are given a little authority, it can go to their heads. It happens in all walks of life. I think if I were in your shoes/waders and someone asked me to cross where it was dangerous, I would've had to tell him to meet me shoreside or something safer than crossing in the deep water. You know as well as I do what can happen once the waders start filling with water. Hope you have better dealings with them in the future.

scout34 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 03, 2007, 03:47:48 AM »

Here in TX we had a warden that was well known as meddlesome type. A while back he got a "tip" about some brothers that he had a particular jones for; seems thay were spotlighting deer in some pasture in the middle of nowhere. Warden gets there and sees a flashlight moving around in the pasture and gives chase. He chased that flashlight all night. When dawn arrived and he could see, he found he had been chasing a goat with a flashlight taped to it's head all night. Don't think it made him any easier to deal with, but those boys got a good laugh out of it.

Careful what you say in camp too; around here they they use a parabolic ear to listen in on conversations from the road to get probable cause.

darrell8937 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:43:42 AM »

scout34

Are you serious,, ease dropping with a parabolic ear. Wow, that seems wrong with a Capital "W"' A while back, the cops, not wardens, were using a thermal imaging device to look into houses, They busted a bozo for growing pot in the attic. The attic was all lit up in the thermal image, They suspected heat lamps. They were correct but it was thrown out of court, Illegal survalience! The cops looked like a bunch of idiots. It made national news.

JerryNH · « **Reply #28 on:** February 03, 2007, 12:18:07 PM »

Boy that does sound like they're going way overboard. Then again, the FBI is always eavesdropping on the mafia but I 'd say they have bigger fish to fry....no pun intended!

scout34 · « **Reply #29 on:** February 04, 2007, 03:00:45 AM »

Darrell,

I've heard of the case you are referring to. The police just cruised around with a thermal imager looking for a hot spot. It's not much of a jump from that to a listening device. It has already been ruled that the police can legally listen to conversations on cordless phones because that is a "public broadcast." Makes me want to go camp out and say all kinds of inflammatory things to get them busting in on me, so I can talk to them about the 5th Amendment.

I'm not sure what the actual law is, but in TX the game wardens do not seem to need a warrant to investigate your property. TX landowners make it a point to lock the gate behind them to keep the wardens from just driving on in.