How to deal with game wardens?

[OregonSteeler]

I had a unique and eye-opening experience last year, turkey hunting in OR that really shaped how I will interact with a game warden/LE going forward.

My son recently turned 16 and was hunting alone out on a quad. I was not there and heard what happened after he got back to camp. The game office approached my son and asked to see his license, he had an e-tag and at that time, couldn't get his phone to pull it up (was logged out and out of service). Then game officer asked if he had an OHV riders permit, which he did not. Game officer took his information and asked where he was camped so he could speak to me.

About 2hrs go by and the game officer shows up to our camp. I voluntarily show him my license; he looks around then explains the situation of his encounter with my son:

Since my son was respectful, polite, and showed remorse for not being able to show his e-tag when asked; the officer only gave me a warning for his turkey tag and not having his OHV riders permit.

We then talked for about 45 minutes while I asked him question and discussed random other topics. Here are some things I learned from him:
-They observe EVERTHING before making their decisions. He said that if we had a dirty camp, beer cans thrown about, litter around, etc.., we would of had a much different encounter with him. He appreciated that I was also respectful and was very happy to see me guiding the next generation of hunters the right way.
-He explicitly said that how he is treated by individuals is typically how the encounter will play out. He always lets the hunter/fisherman create the environment.
-He hates e-tagging. His experience is 1 out of 4 people that have e-tags will not be able to reproduce the tag in the field due to some phone glitch. Also, a screen shot is not acceptable since it cannot be e-tagged/verified there on the spot.
-For OR residents: If it has a steering wheel, a drivers license is valid, if it has handlebars, you need an OHV riders permit...

*That being said, he is a very tenured and well-respected officer in the area. I do not doubt that this encounter could have been very different if we're talking about a junior officer looking to make a name for himself.

 

[Laramie]

I avoid them if at all possible, and talk to them with the same level of respect the give me when I do have to deal with them. But as others mentioned, they are not your friend and should be treated with caution.

The mentality of some you guys is surprising to me. Game wardens are absolutely hunters friends unless said hunters are breaking the rules. They are there to protect what we value so much as hunters.

If some guys would invest the time to truly know the rules and regulations, it would eliminate so much stress and change perspectives. It's a great feeling for me to see a game warden while I'm hunting. I know I'm doing everything right and I'm happy they are out there trying to make others to do the same.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

This is a great question. And I would guess will run several pages.

I myself am a 29+ year LEO. And I HATE the GW inquiry. They have a shitty job. But the Inquisition really gets old. It honestly feels like they troll until they can find SOMETHING.

I hunt 3 states, sometimes 4. Knowing all the rules is a HUGE challenge. Idaho give zero Fs about most things. Hunter Orange, suppressors, magazines capacity, loaded magazines in your pocket, etc.

Other states do.

One thing that constantly comes to mind in the enforcement of Law is- Intent. It's often lost.

If I have a Tikka magazine in my pocket and I am driving to a new or alternate location, I have no INTENT to shoot shit out my truck window. However in several states, it's a citable offense and the firearm is considered Loaded. Bullshit...... Barbed vs Barbless, from BridgeX to BridgeZ but only on every 3rd Sunday. "That barb could be pinched down a little more".

I don't bonk ANY fish I catch and get it in the net and back in the water as quickly as possible. Chill Dude.

Wings attached to a duck breast, balls attached to legs, whole bone in and not deboned, heads, capes, geezus.

I will say that in all my travels, Montana FWP guys generally seem to give a shit that you're having a good time, successful, and enjoying the outdoors.

I've only ever received one citation in my entire career. I earned it. My mistake. Paid a large fine for it.

But GD.....you would have thought I was coming back from Mexico with black tar Heroin up my azz.

I've caught all kinds of shit bags. Some with LOTS of drugs. If you're not an azzhole...we can actually laugh and joke about it. It's just a Game. Christ on a Cupcake.

 

[roadrunner]

We were walking out one day back to the truck from behind a locked gate for vehicle access (admin use only) and saw a GW parked next to us.

It was my daughter's youth deer hunt and I simply reached into her pack and got her license ready and handed it to him before he even asked full well knowing he would ask.

Conversation was anything but negative and he even told us where he'd been seeing a buck frequenting passing back and forth across a short access road to an overlook.

 

[voltage]

I live in Missouri, and let me tell you, the Missouri game wardens approach every interaction like you have broken a law. I have had my boat and truck searched. I even watched one open a bag of doritos during teal season to search for God knows what. I have seen them open my Mojos as well - what for? No idea. I will say, they seem to have become nicer over the last 5ish years, but it seems like a shakedown every time nonetheless.

Conversely, I have been stopped by GWs in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana, and all were super nice and easy going.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I was surprised in 2024 when a US forest ranger asked for my hunting license. I gave it to him but asked if that wasn't a state thing not federal. He said they all work together. No big deal but a first for me.

The federal GW , state GW & park rangers commonly stop me , nothing unusual about rangers looking at my federal land permit, they never check my license, gun , ammo, bag

 

[Steve300xcw]

There is a very short list of people I refer to as Sir. They are not on that list.

They are just a cop and are treated as such. If they are civil, so am I. If they need to be a dick, well I can be one of those too. No problems showing them my papers, I also have no problems telling a cop that something is none of their business.

 

[IDVortex]

Im a sovereign citizen. Law enforcement has no say over me.

Only dealt with one GF cop, no problem and he was chill. Learn to read the situation that youre in, dont be a dick, and learn what questions you need to answer and other ones that theyre fishing for info.

If you actually acting a little sus, they tend to start asking or prying for info from you to see if you've committed a crime.

Not all cops are out to get you. (Magorty are not), step back from the folks who say every cop is only out to get you. Theyre probably a d-bag already.

But. Im also have a few friends who are local pd or staters. So probably bias, but I also pay attention to what I still say around folks.

 

[Burnsie]

Been hunting since the mid 80s all over this country. I haven't had a single negative encounter with a game warden. Know and follow the laws and magically you won't have any issues at all!

^^^ This
Same here - I often hear the sob stories from people that keep having all these multiple bad experiences with the law, and I'm wondering how the hell are you living your life that you are always putting your self in a situation where you have to interact with the law. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to interact with law enforcement in 63 years of living.
My experience has been that those who have a negative opinion of law enforcement have themselves or had a family member run up against the law, and it didn't work out in their favor - and of course they weren't doing anything wrong, the officer just decided to single them out of the thousands of other people in the community for the fun of it.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I know someone who had a pretty crappy encounter with a warden this year that involved a youth.

My experiences have been positive, well as positive as you can have with someone looking for a reason to give you a ticket.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

I think most of us now a SOMEONE with a negative GW encounter this year....lol

The thread is locked.........

 

[hoooogan]

Never had an issue with any LEO or GW. Treating someone with respect goes a LONG way. I've seen plenty of people make a quick and easy interaction painfully slow. I just don't have time for that kind of BS. Let me answer your questions and we can both move on with our lives. I'll even throw in some questions to make use of your expertise. I find that most of these folks appreciate being able to help and not just feel like they are hassling people.

 

[Jimmy]

I've never had anything but a positive interaction. I have ran into plenty of other hunters that left me shaking my head.

 

[CorbLand]

I think most of us now a SOMEONE with a negative GW encounter this year....lol

The thread is locked.........

What did I miss?

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

What did I miss?

R.L.

 

[Jimmy]

What did I miss?

rhymes with Dryan Blampers

 

[CorbLand]

R.L.

rhymes with Dryan Blampers

I am following you all now.

 

[velvet muley]

I have always had pleasant encounters with game wardens until this year. We shot an antelope not too far from the truck, instead of gutting or quartering it at the kill site we decided to drag it to the truck so it didn't get a bunch of dirt and crap in it.

Antelope are obviously small and the drag was easy, wanted to take it home whole so I could take my time processing it to harvest as much as possible. (I typically quarter everything and pack it out)

Get close to the truck and I dump the guts there, game warden pulls up, we show him the permit all is good.

Then he starts badgering me accusing us of shooting in on private and taking it to public land, he states that people that don't gut at kill sites are hiding something. I see his point of view and am sure it happens a fair amount, so I tell him my reasoning of why I did what I did, he proceeds to basically call me a liar 3 more times.

By this time I have already told him multiple times that I would walk him back to the kill site to prove to him where it was shot since there was a lot of blood from the shot, he continues to refuse to walk over there and keeps giving me a bunch of shit.

I finally start matching his assholeness and tell him if he doesn't want to go to the kill site than that's his problem not mine. He finally says I guess you seem like your trustworthy and leaves.

Initially I had no problem with him questioning it because its a fair assessment but the escalation and laziness to go look at the kill site was ridiculous.

He was a whack job.

 

[Bubblehide]

So many people think fish and wildlife law is the same as criminal law, i.e., they think there is no difference between being stopped by a cop-police-sherrif or a fish and wildlife officer. They are completely wrong. Wildlife laws are Prima Facia laws. If you are, have been or are engaged in hunting or fishing, wildlife officers do not need a warrent to search you, your gear, or your vehicle. As such, if you appear to potentially be, have been... doing anything illegal, but you haven't, you are better off answering relevant questions, as if you don't, the warden will have no choice but to cite or arrest you. And you be be left with no option but to defend yourself in court.

Anyone that has dealt with the IRS gets Prima Facia laws, as they work the same way, because they are Prima Facia laws. You must diminish suspicion, or be charged.

In all my decades of hunting, I've only ran into one bad Warden, that was in the 80's. Every other Warden I've come across has been professional, polite and respectful. With the exception of that one Warden, I've never felt that a Warden was out to get me. Having spent copious amounts of time on the water and in the wilds, I've had plenty of Wardens that recognize me, remember me... yet still do their jobs, completly and respectfully. I don't give them a hard time, I don't avoid questions, and I'm happy to discuss field questions they have.

Wardens are out there to assist in the protection of the very resources we value and utilize. The reality is that if you are operating legally, it should be a symbiotic relationship. I know I've come across plenty of grows, poachers, dumpers of trash... which all harms the wildlife we value, or at least some of us do.

Now, I've also, over the years, had plenty of cop ask leading questions, obviously going on a fishing expedition, trying to find anything to write a ticket or make an arrest. I completly get the resistance to such fishing expeditions.

 

[Antares]

Im a sovereign citizen. Law enforcement has no say over me.

Only dealt with one GF cop, no problem and he was chill. Learn to read the situation that youre in, dont be a dick, and learn what questions you need to answer and other ones that theyre fishing for info.

If you actually acting a little sus, they tend to start asking or prying for info from you to see if you've committed a crime.

Not all cops are out to get you. (Magorty are not), step back from the folks who say every cop is only out to get you. Theyre probably a d-bag already.

But. Im also have a few friends who are local pd or staters. So probably bias, but I also pay attention to what I still say around folks.

Wow. At first I thought you were joking with the SovCit BS, but a closer look at your spelling and grammar indicates you likely are not.