Got pulled over by the game warden this evening

Jeff in TX

My buddy and I were hunting coyotes on my neighbor place with high fence this evening. We were just pulling out and our new game warden for our area pulled me over. 

Checked my license and said he just wanted to introduce himself and gave me his business card. Super nice guy told me he was patrolling hard since deer season opened and that he’d be in the area. 

While hunting coyotes tonight this little fellow showed up. Yes it’s probably a pen raised high dollar deer, but still super cool to look at from 30 yards 

earlyagain

Ive been checked and even had my vehicle searched. No problems came of it. Knock on wood.

Six-Gun

A good game warden - and a good relationship with them - is huge for landowners and general hunters alike.  

The warden overseeing county of my Missouri property is a great guy.    While I was deployed, an animal popped one of my cellular game cams open.  Using an OnX waypoint that I sent him via text message, he went all the way into the place (in the freezing February cold), buttoned it back up, and investigated the scene to make sure a trespasser hadn’t opened it.

Needless to say, I got him a gift from overseas for his work.  Guys that do their job and serve the public in this capacity without being gratuitous jerks are priceless. 

CaliFFL

Six-Gun said:

Guys that do their job and serve the public in this capacity without being gratuitous jerks are priceless. 

This ^

I've dealt with game wardens in Texas, California, and Idaho. 

The California wardens are the worst. You are a poacher until you prove yourself innocent. 

bellcat

The only negative experience I've had with a warden is when we mistakenly got on Tribal land.....and shot a deer.....and got ticketed......but I talked our way out of most of the tickets.......and everything worked out OK.

bullsi1911

The only game warden I ever dealt with while hunting pulled up while I was in a field dove hunting down in Hondo, TX.  I saw the truck pull up, so i unloaded my shotgun pointed my gun at the ground, and walked over while digging out my wallet.  When I got up to his truck, I asked if he needed to see my license and doves.  He said:
”Naw.  In my experience, the people who unload their guns and get out their licenses without being asked aren’t the ones I need to worry about.”

Never had to deal with one while deer, pig or varmint hunting.

JerryBobCo

I've been stopped and checked several times by game wardens.  Without exception, they were all positive experiences, and the warden was just doing what he/she was paid to do.   In one instance, I had failed to sign a tag on a deer I killed.  The warden pointed that out, and let me sign in front of him.  He did point out that some would write me up for that, but he didn't.

Six-Gun

CaliFFL said:

Six-Gun said:

Guys that do their job and serve the public in this capacity without being gratuitous jerks are priceless. 

This ^

I've dealt with game wardens in Texas, California, and Idaho. 

The California wardens are the worst. You are a poacher until you prove yourself innocent. 

Sounds strikingly similar to anecdotes about their stance on gun owners and gun ownership in general.  You are a potential criminal until proven otherwise, and if you’re innocent, we’ll pass another law to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

But I digress...

Six-Gun

bullsi1911 said:

The only game warden I ever dealt with while hunting pulled up while I was in a field dove hunting down in Hondo, TX.  I saw the truck pull up, so i unloaded my shotgun pointed my gun at the ground, and walked over while digging out my wallet.  When I got up to his truck, I asked if he needed to see my license and doves.  He said:
”Naw.  In my experience, the people who unload their guns and get out their licenses without being asked aren’t the ones I need to worry about.”

Never had to deal with one while deer, pig or varmint hunting.

I believe it was former forum member ericb who nearly had a hilariously bad run-in with a warden after a dove hunt.

The warden saw Eric leaving the field with the 5-gal bucket he sat on all day now inverted and brimming over the top with dead doves and stopped him immediately.  Poor warden didn’t realize that Eric had piled all of and his buddy’s his spent shells into the bucket before putting a legal limit of doves on top of them.  No harm, no foul in the end.

CHIRO1989

CaliFFL said:

Six-Gun said:

Guys that do their job and serve the public in this capacity without being gratuitous jerks are priceless. 

The California wardens are the worst. You are a poacher until you prove yourself innocent. 

MN too, I have only had one good experience in 40 yrs of hunting, I have never been ticketed

Diver43

Only one time did a Game Warden approach me.   I used to ride my bike along the C-9 Canal with a collapsible fishing pole and a few artificials in a back pack.  
I was East of the pump station (brackish water) and hooked into a very large Snook.  As I released it I notice the SUV approaching. He lowered his window and said Hi. I asked if he wanted to see my license and snook stamp.  He laughed and said no, he saw me catch the fish and wanted to know what I was using. Pulled out one of the BPS Flukes on a 3/0 widegap hook.  He said have fun and drove away.  I've never even been checked during lobster season to count tails.

CaliFFL

CHIRO1989 said:

CaliFFL said:

Six-Gun said:

Guys that do their job and serve the public in this capacity without being gratuitous jerks are priceless. 

The California wardens are the worst. You are a poacher until you prove yourself innocent. 

MN too, I have only had one good experience in 40 yrs of hunting, I have never been ticketed

I had one good experience in California. The warden asked "do you have any beer in the truck? Oh, I mean deer..." That set the tone for the encounter. 

Zee

I’m friends with a few wardens in my area. 

I’ve trained most in my county. 

I’ve never had an interaction with a Warden while hunting. 

GunNut

I gave my local warden free use of the heated tack room in my barn, use of the phone (cell reception in my area was dismal) in that room and permission to help himself to anything in the fridge.  I’d see his truck parked by my barn on really cold mornings and wife or I would come down with some coffee and say hi.  

He was a great guy just doing a tough job so we were helping him in small ways we could.  We became friends and needless to say when I had folks trespassing on my property it was dealt with decisively by him.  Win-win.

Every game warden I’ve met was a good man.

Zee

My best friend (rancher buddy) was a deputy game warden for 35 years. 

Freezer

I have had many contacts with game wardens, most in California both fishing and hunting. Every one was an amiable, positive experience. One was Officer Little from a TV show about wardens, Wild Justice I believe. Even if I had prior experience with them I pulled my license, permit, ID and if hunting a marsh or waterfowl a round from my shotgun. They simply have a job to do. We had may great conversations.