A cautionary tale / dealing with game wardens

[Dos Perros]

It was a LO I was pretty certain would involve law enforcement first thing, simple as that. If the odds were very good the wardens were getting called I preferred to be the one calling them. Also, involving them first thing offered the highest chance of recovering the most meat before spoilage.

 

[idcuda]

Thanks for sharing. It was particularly high-stakes, given your job situation, so kudos for taking the high road.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Did you write that truly thinking anyone was going to flame you?





Anyways, its an example of good intentions and one I'm pretty certain 95% of hunters would do. Good for you being in the right here group on this one. FWIW, I wasn't there and can't say for sure but, handshakes are supposed to be firm. He wasn't warning you. He was reinforcing what he told you. It was a gesture of respect.

 

[SWOHTR]

It was a LO I was pretty certain would involve law enforcement first thing, simple as that. If the odds were very good the wardens were getting called I preferred to be the one calling them. Also, involving them first thing offered the highest chance of recovering the most meat before spoilage.

Ok, that makes sense and I understand and appreciate that. Thanks for the additional info. It will definitely help some in future decision making I am sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MtnOyster]

Had they found a carcass this might have went the other way, no carcass means no evidence and no evidence means they know the judge will shake his head in disgust, i'd say you got lucky.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Good job on manning up and doing the right thing. I am surprised it happened while you were using OnX maps though. We were hunting a 5 sq mile area, and ended up on a bull that was within 1000’ of private land. I was able to pull out my phone and clearly see that as long as he was in the dark timber, we were good to go. Once he hit the aspens or the clearing it was private. It’s worth checking regularly for sure, especially when working your way in on a bull and figuring out where he might be.

 

[11boo]

I never had a problem with them till a couple weeks ago. I had left camp for a night at home with the wife, got checked by CPW on the way out.
No issue with checking my license, but I must have said something that triggered them. Told them I still had a friend from out of state in camp I was hunting with. They found my camp and friend and grilled him about me “guiding “ him. Wanted to know how much he was paying me.

Those jack wagons were trying to bust me as an unlicensed outfitter, lol. I would be the worst outfitter ever, never have taken a bow shot at an elk. Lesson learned, never talk to the man.

But wait, there’s more. My friend went hunting solo after the CPW interrogation, and dropped a nice bull less than a mile from camp. He went up a ridge we had not yet been too, after I suggested it as an easy hunt close to camp.

View attachment 79650

 

[the_bowhunter]

Have had a similar encounter with a warden. Still received a ticket but no meat was wasted in the recovery efforts. Always the better route to report anything you have messed up on.

A big thank you to the OP for being an honest hunter and sportsmen. If we ever meet in the woods, I’ll give you a hand with packing some meat out!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Swede]

I see this a little differently. I recommend contacting the landowner and explaining what happened, but going to the police seems over the top. At least in My State the police can't give you permission to trespass. That comes from the landowner. If the landowner wants to pursue trespass action, let them do that, but getting an elk that has been hit before it wastes seems to be of paramount importance.

 

[HookUp]

Yeah, I'm with Swede. I would have contacted the land owner and workred something out. Show him your gps, tell him exactly what happened and ask him if he wanted a reasonable fee such as case of whiskey, cash, etc. I would not voluntarily call the warden. They have a high statue of guilty until proven innocent that is very difficult for someone in a privilege position to get out of.

 

[Azone]

Yeah, I'm with Swede. I would have contacted the land owner and workred something out. Show him your gps, tell him exactly what happened and ask him if he wanted a reasonable fee such as case of whiskey, cash, etc. I would not voluntarily call the warden. They have a high statue of guilty until proven innocent that is very difficult for someone in a privilege position to get out of.

Your last sentence is spot on to most of my encounters with them. Try to be respectful and friendly and they try to intimidate you. I have met a few that were really solid men and women, but the bad far outweighs the good in my area. Nothing like getting your truck searched at 5 A.M. when it's still dark to see if your "over the limit" when it's still 30 mins to shooting light on opening day! Nicest warden I ever met though was on my first trip to Idaho if they were all like him I would not have a bad thing to say about them.

To the OP you did the right thing in the end honesty will set you free. It may not set you free from fines and consequences all the time but it will keep your conscious clear anyways. If it went to court at least you had the "I immediately called the cops and try to make it right card to play".

 

[Dos Perros]

Just got back from trip #2 which was a lot more successful...

I'm curious if those suggesting I ought to have contacted the landowner, would you have done that if it were someone like the Wilks brothers, Ted Turner, or Department of Defense? I could see your point if you expected a prototypical Montana rancher to pick up the phone, but that wasn't the case here.

 

[Vids]

Just got back from trip #2 which was a lot more successful...

I'm curious if those suggesting I ought to have contacted the landowner, would you have done that if it were someone like the Wilks brothers, Ted Turner, or Department of Defense? I could see your point if you expected a prototypical Montana rancher to pick up the phone, but that wasn't the case here.

Sounds like you got one, congrats and pictures please.

I agree with your statement about how property owners are all different and you have to know who you're dealing with. I've seen both sides of that - some are straight up cattle ranchers/farmers that understand the situation and have no problem with it, other landowners are extremely protective and will press charges as fast as they can. Sometimes you can't blame the overprotective ones, they may have had major trespassing issues with locals and law enforcement was the only way to deal with it.

 

[MLemmens]

I know that feeling, its a very distinctive feeling, ...I was a young teenager whitetail hunting with the bow in Wisconsin, creeping down a fenceline and a buck jumped out of his bed and hopped the fence and stared at me. A wave of adrenaline took over, 20 yards, broadside, and my first buck with a bow, that I lost sight of the fact it was now on the neighbors side of the fence. The arrow released, thumped and the buck tore off further into the neighbors field and fell over. Thats when I heard "Hey!"..."what are you doing?" From a tree 100 yards away. Not the same story as I was "caught" and never had a chance to turn myself in as you respectfully did, but the feeling I had in my stomach as I waited for my deserved scolding as that guy crawled down out of his tree is an unforgettable feeling that I keep in the back of my mind now when hunting. No animal is worth the memory being tainted with that feeling.

 

[FLAK]

In the OP I believe it all hinged on finding the bull. If it had been found they would have thrown the book at you. They even admitted their intentions, after you did the right thing. So no reward/leniency for doing right.
And the other poster with the Bobcat, same deal. Admitted his mistake and they threw the book at him. No consideration for admittance.
Prime examples as to why I believe its best to keep your mouth shut, do what you have to do and be more careful not to make that mistake next time. I mean if they're going to throw the book at me anyway, I might as well take my chances.
Sad but true.

 

[JeffRaines]

In the OP I believe it all hinged on finding the bull. If it had been found they would have thrown the book at you. They even admitted their intentions, after you did the right thing. So no reward/leniency for doing right.
And the other poster with the Bobcat, same deal. Admitted his mistake and they threw the book at him. No consideration for admittance.
Prime examples as to why I believe its best to keep your mouth shut, do what you have to do and be more careful not to make that mistake next time. I mean if they're going to throw the book at me anyway, I might as well take my chances.
Sad but true.

Whats ridiculous is they'd sooner throw the book at the honest guys when their punishment for poachers isn't shit... "we're gonna suspend their hunting privileges for a year" oh okay, the guy who's poaching is gonna be REALLY upset that he cant buy a hunting license. Guess he'll just have to wait a year to kill another animal out of season.

 

[LostArra]

Dos: have you given thought to how you would have handled things if you immediately found the bull that night then realized you were on private land at some point? As I was reading I thought that's where the story was heading. Do you call first? Field dress first? What if you didn't have OnX.

I really don't know but wanted to throw it out there. I think I would have called then quartered then leave it until they arrived. OnX may have saved you in this case. If you didn't have OnX you might just have packed it out unknowingly.

 

[MTJake]

Thanks for sharing, and good on you for doing the right thing! Respect. I would hope to handle that situation the same way.

 

[Dos Perros]

If he had tipped over right there (which I thought he was going to do, he kinda leaned and swayed a bit standing there after I hit him), I think we could have gotten to work quartering him and I would have discovered my mistake when I went to mark the location before we left with the first load.

Then, I think I would have still called my friend when I got back to the truck, stewed over it sick, and probably still turned myself in. The downside of getting convicted of a felony is too steep (lose my good job), and I was involving my innocent friend. Who knows what would have happened then. If I had to guess: animal confiscated and a decent fine. That's my median guess. Like others have said serial legit serious poachers haven't been penalized very heavily before, I doubt a judge would hammer someone admitting their guilt and asking for forgiveness. Could be wrong there. Always a chance to be made an example of. As long as I avoided the felony I felt like I won, considering the circumstances.

 

[LostArra]

My son inlaw who is a hunter and fisherman is an assistant DA and he frequently handles "Critter Court". He said the wardens he deals with are great guys and the cases are usually easier because the wardens have them air tight and are good judges of the character of the accused. Most cases never see a trial and he almost always takes the warden's recommendations on punishment. He said most cases fall into two categories: honest mistakes or habitual liars who wouldn't tell the truth even if it was to their benefit.

Interesting thought on punishment. Taking away hunting privileges/license is usually too harsh for the honest mistake and ineffective on the habitual liar/poacher. Fines usually hurt the most.