The Game Warden checked me out today...........
William81
Member Posts: 24,668 ✭✭✭✭
We moved to Missouri over 10 years ago when we retired… I have been coming down here for vacations since I was a teenager. Today was the first time in all these years I was checked by a Game Warden.
I sort of chuckled when I saw him at the top of the hill scoping out if anyone was fishing. Then he drove ever so slowly down the long drive to the Lake. I just kept fishing, he parked next to my truck and walked the 200 yards over to where I was fishing.
He was a nice young man, he asked if they were biting and what was I using. We talked about the lake and the low water level and weed issues. I finally looked at him and said "I and 65, what do you need to see" He asked to see my drivers license and then handed it back. We talked a little hunting and then he said have a good day and he was off….
I lived in Illinois for almost 50 years of my life. Up there I got checked multiple times while fishing and hunting every year. The difference always seemed to be the Illinois game wardens were very interested in trying to write you up for something… I never received a ticket up there but certainly observed many written to those hunting or fishing around me…
Any good Game Warden stories ? Share them if you wish….
The Blue Gills were pretty active today…
Comments
for many years I bought a license every year if I went or not . stopped about ten yrs ago
wife and i many years ago had just bought our licenses and just as we set down on the river back the game warden came up not a great story but nice to be legal.
many years ago a coworker use to go up north as hundreds of locals did to snag the fish as they spawned did it for years using a lead treble hook
he took his dad along and found a long lonely Strech of road and water
told his dad you can see both ways if you see any one call out in time I can cut my line
he was in the river and heard his dad yell the "game warden is here "
as he looked up the game warden was standing next to his dad 😲
the warden said do not cut thet line and come up here 😁
lucky that was a popular area to snag fish and the game warden was in a good mood ? so he got a good butt chewing and he told him he could fine him take his truck all his equipment and was aware every one snaged fish in the area but still not make it right but after scaring him did let him go
my buddy after it was over ask his dad WTH why wait to shout when he was standing next to you
his dad was not paying attention and the Game warden just walked right in on them
maybe the game warden found some humor in the guys dad shouting the game warden is Here 😕
but he did let him go and he did not snag any more fish that year
Fishing Blue Lake in Modoc County, Ca. Wife was in camper fixing lunch when her pole started dancing. I told her she had a bite and she being busy said "you get it". I did and the grizzled old cowboy looking guy fishing in a canoe promptly pulled up on shore, flipped open his vest showing his badge and wrote me a ticket for fishing with two poles. It cost me $42.00 back in 1981. He checked both our licenses and counted our fish. I don't think I deserved the ticket.
If and when I went I was legal besides too fat and lazy to run. I suppose I could pretend to have a heart attack to see if dude will drive away.
I have been checked by the game warden and I don't fish 😜
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams
We had a local game warden that was one of the guys that could see right through you if you were lying to him,sort of like my dad.He was a good game warden that cut people slack if they were honest.He also told people where fish were biting and what bait to use.I saw him give people hooks and sinkers if what they were using was too large or too small for what they were fishing for.This new generation of game wardens are out to write as many tickets as they can.If they are not sure of the law,they write you a ticket and let the judge sort it out.
Possum cops are Jerks and Pricks in my neck of the woods.
Several years ago I was fishing a state stocked trout stream in WV that only allowed you to keep 4 fish. Walking the road that was adjacent to the stream I came upon a couple of other fishermen. One asked if I had any luck. I said yes that I had caught 21. He whipped open his jacket showing his badge and stated " I am the Conservation Officer in this county", I need to see your fish and your license. I told him I had caught 21 but only kept 3 and released the others and I had my license because I am a lifetime WV hunting/fishing license holder. All he said after checking me was "OK" and went his way.
A story from my years in Illinois…
I was fishing in a large lake in North Central Illinois. I was waiting for a buddy to show up with his boat and we were going to do some Muskie fishing. I grabbed one of my bass poles out of my truck and started fishing while I was waiting. I caught six bass in about 10 minutes and threw each one back as I caught it. About the time my buddy showed up, a game warden showed up also.
He checked out my buddy's boat…. life vests, fire extinguisher, proper State stickers, emergency paddle etc, etc, etc…. No problems. I continued fishing the whole time. The Game Warden turns his attention to me next.
'I was watching you from across the lake before I came over" " I saw you catch some bass out of the slot limits and you need to show me your stringer." I told him I did not have a stringer with me, there was one in the truck in my tackle box. He said "I saw you catch at least 5 bass and you bent over after catching each one"
I told him I put them nicely back into the lake which is where they are right now…… He started walking around where I had been fishing and kicking the weeds still searching for a stringer. I told him again, I did not keep any of the fish. His answer was "lets just make this easy, tell me where it is…..
I just shook my head and repeated my story. He stepped it up a might and said, "I need to see your fishing license and your driver's license and other ID…. I did not badge him at that point….I gave him my fishing license and he read the name and said 'Do I know you" I said yes we had been in a meeting or two in the past and you have checked me before and also out hunting…..
He figured out who I was at that point and said do you have your official ID….so I badged him then and he again said where are the fish…… I said in the lake. He finally just walked away muttering to himself…
A week or two later I ran into him at the Judicial Center where I worked…… He was a little sheepish and even apologetic. He said he was having a bad day that day…
He checked me out at least half a dozen times in the next couple of years. He finally retired and moved away.
My best memory encounter with a game warden was many years ago just before deer season. It is legal to shine deer at night here in the days leading up to the hunting season. My brother and I were taking turns between driving the car and holding the spot light. It was my turn with the light and I made the mistake of accidently shining through an old farmhouse. Within about 15 minutes and several miles down the road we were pulled over by the local Conservation Officer. Turns out the old house I shined was his home!!!
I could easily see his anger as his face when he was firmly and loudly speaking was turning darker shades of red with each word coming out of his mouth. All I could do was apologize with my accidental excuses not helping. He had us both out of the car and inspected every inch of it including the trunk, looking for firearms or weapons of any kind. When he got to our ID's, he asked if we were related to Harry. Told him he was our dad and at that moment his red face seemed to whiten up like a switch had been thrown!
Turns out, he was a good VFW buddy of our father and gave us a free pass from an almost certain ticket!
My one and only experience with a game warden/ fish and wildlife officer was as a kid. The officer approached me, my brother and dad as we were fishing. Hellos were exchanged and when dad leaned over to remove his wallet the officer put up his hand and said something like “we’re good” and he slowly backed his boat up and cruised on down the lake
Once while duck hunting on Lake Shelbyville, the cpo pulled up to our boat and climbed into our boat to check us out.
After a couple of minutes my buddy told him that his boat was floating away.
He waded out to it but it got too deep for him.
He came back to the boat, head low, and asked us if we would take him out to his boat.
We told him after he finished checking us out.
He told us we were good.
Catfishing?
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
I would have told him to wait here on the bank because our boat does not have a life jacket for you and I do not want to take a chance on exceeding the load limit or breaking any boating regulations and then he would have got to watch me not return.
Adds new meaning to the term demanding resect, vice versa.
No 'good' comments from me about bunny cops. I've watched them make a mess of things for too long.
So far , knock on wood, all of my interactions with them have been fine . They were professional and courteous.
This happened back in the 70's when jail, loss of vehicle and large fines were the norm for such, I was NOT involved in any way but know 2 good-ole boys caught shining deer at night by a Warden, good-ole boys overpowered the Warden and removed his firearms, keys, clothes (every stitch), radio mic. and locked his truck, left him on his own to make it miles back to wherever……naked 😲. Good-ole boys returned the firearms the same night via a late night drop at the Headquarters and were never caught. The Warden with a little persuasion from friends & family he needed to change professions….he did.
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
Local rabbit sheriff here would go to extremes to catch a "violator"
This occasion he spotted a "poacher" fishing on game lands. He sneaks up on the fellow. Did I mention copperheads and laurel hells? Just as he reached to grab the "poacher" a limb smacks him on the back of the leg, snake, not. Warden jumps and both hit the the river head first.
Never heard the rest of the story but I bet the fisherman got a ticket of some sort.