How to deal with game wardens?

[Speaks]

Lighten Up Francis....."as hostile and deadly...." a bit much.

Police are trained to face all interactions as if they could be hostile and deadly and it seems prudent to think about it the same way. By this I dont mean the LEO has any intention to do anything bad or even dishonest, they most likely do not.

But when the goal of the interaction is to find an infraction to punish you for that is hostile in nature. Keeping in mind with anything you say that they might use it against you if given the opportunity is prudent.

And the deadly part I absolutely stand by though likely was not intending like you think. Approaching any interaction law enforcement is looking for potential threats and for good reason. They have means and ability to very quickly react with deadly force to a threat. There is no other interaction short of with a criminal that carries this dynamic. There is no other interaction where if you unthinkingly reach somewhere that makes them feel threatened that you can be shot and have that be ok.

This does not mean be a dick to the LEO, in fact the opposite. Keep your hands in view, if hunting unload and keep actions visibly open. If reaching for a license tell them that is what you are doing etc.

For all you know when they stopped you they think you might look a little like a person they are pursuing and although you have no way of knowing this they are on very high alert. Then you reach for a wallet quickly and suddenly things are escalated.

Anyway, be overly polite and respectful, obey direct orders, be as unthreatening as possible, and do not consent to anything other than providing ID, license, etc. Most are great guys, some are not, you dont know which is which.

 

[Shraggs]

Utmost respect for the, all uniforms. I’ve only had a few on land in my life and all were business like, cordial and respectful for both parties. As it should be.

My experience on the waters of the Great Lakes has slanted in the opposite direction. But I do understand it is so much easier for the minor lawbreakers to try and not get caught with limits, license etc.

One example stands out. Fishing alone, 15 miles offshore wind and waves building to 4-5’ and my auto pilot failed and I cannot turn right. Wind is right to left and need to make periodic left loops to course correct as I wait for a blitz of phone calls how to disable system. I had just changed a bait trolling and my 3 rod limit in the water, the rod and bait I changed in a rod holder as I scrambled to tend helm when it quit. I see DNR b- lining for me and thought great i may get help! Nope, a senior well known officer with an infamous reputation shows up with 2 trainees. He said we’re boarding you, I replied ok - and explained the crisis with details. Granted it was very rough but trainee was unable to stand. He checked everything, life vests, registration, fire extinguishers, horn, license etc He made me measure each fish etc, so I had him hold course. After an hour I was cited for 4 rods in the water, his reason the bait was now dangling 3’ and touching the water. They left me 15 miles in building seas alone with mechanical issues. An hour later they returned and asked if I Was ok - to which I strongly that I pointed out the crisis before you boarded and you offered no assistance just barking commands to your trainees to find a citation. I will take my chances without and I’ll see you in court. I did make it back - I went slow and finally got a call how disable. I absolutely beat that in court and now have the captains phone number - a good soul.

It’s rhetorical, of course, I don’t understand how DNR/gw can be so fixated and micro focused on citation you can’t prioritize a situation. Nor, cannot ever forgive the arrogance and destine this INDIVIDUAL conducts himself and failing to give aid offshore.

In my state, unfortunately I see dirt bags who poach and trespass, etc. makes me sick. In one example, we had dad / son low class neighbor leas-sees, but they routinely trespassed on our lease and others close by. After a dozen incidents all caught in person pics or cams and several discussion with the land owner we called our Dnr officer and asked to press charges and provided evidence. No charges, apparently their contrary word trumps pics of faces with a ATV plates included…. So, when son killed his 7th deer with only one tag I called again while it was Fresh and hanging in their backyard - nope no charges a warning. Now, we had a magazine cover monster in the area like I’ve never seen, the BOAL after season closed a different neighborhood hunter called me to report the son shot him - out of season on another’s property. He was not charged or cited - but DNR took horns.

Maybe not rhetorical, can someone justify that from an officers perspective?

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Yes sir,no sir unless there a dick.
No reason to hassle them if they don’t hassle me.

 

[skmoore108]

I'm in AZ and I've never been approached by a warden. The one time I actually saw one in the field I was with my 7 year old looking for rabbits and squirrels. He answered some questions I had about land access in the area and pointed me to a spot where the squirrel population had exploded that winter.

 

[Steve300xcw]

We had a pair of them roll up while we were getting ready to go ride. I have never seen somebody who was looking for it as bad as that guy was.

I've wondered how it would have gone down had his partner not been with him.

 

[Tilzbow]

Last time I chatted with one was after a long day of chukar hunting. I was walking a road back to where I’d parked and the warden pulled over, checked my license and my birds then asked if I’d ever seen quail along the road we were on that followed a creek down the canyon. I told him I’d hunted the area since I was young (that’d been around 40 years at the time) and I’d never seen a quail in the area. He told me to keep my eye out and I again told him I’d never seen quail there and once again he told me to keep an eye out. I was being a dumbass and couldn’t really figure out why he kept pressing the point, We parted ways, I walked 100 yards down the road and both dogs went on point a short distance from the road. Stupid me stands there thinking they’re not pointing like they normally point plus I’ve never found chukar this low late in the season.

Obviously to everyone reading and the warden I flushed quail when I approached the dogs, ended up chasing the covey of few hundred yards down the canyon and took a handful of bonus birds before I got back to the truck. I can’t remember how long it took before I realized the warden was trying to tell me he’d just seen a covey of quail 100 yards down the road without actually telling me but it took way longer than it should have!

 

[3325]

I will treat any interaction with any kind of law enforcement as hostile and potentially deadly and assume anything they say is a lie. The vast majority of the time none of those things are true and the officer is a good buy but I dont know that.

Interesting viewpoint, perhaps understandable. If so, perhaps this should be the way the warden treats any interaction also?

Consider:

“Make every traffic stop extending the olive branch of peace; while having a tactical plan to kill everyone in the vehicle.” - Source unknown

 

[3325]

If you haven’t had a bad encounter with a game warden, you’re not a manly man.

Ha! And certainly not a real patriot!

 

[DuckDawg22]

There was that NatGeo show "Wild Justice" 10 years or so ago that followed around CA game wardens, especially John Nores of "we're the special forces of marijuana enforcement" fame. Always hard to tell off of a tv show but for the most part they looked and acted like they could have been normal cops or sheriffs. None of the GWs I've encountered here looked like them, however. All have been puny chip-on-the-shoulder types that washed out of other LEO tracks and chose wildlife as an easier way to get a badge, these are definitely not hunters/anglers becoming wardens in CA

 

[Mtndawger]

Interesting story: as a kid we had a cabin in northern Wisconsin with a lot of state land around us and also a lot of private. Me and my friends used to free range a lot which often included hunting on both. Private landowners back then ( late 70’s early 80’s) were not nearly so uptight as they are now. Anyway I was hunting alone for squirrels, rabbits and grouse and I came out on a county road at the same time a forest ranger was patrolling for illegal Xmas tree cutting. He stopped me and questioned me ( 12 or 13 year old). I didn’t happen to have my firearms safety cert with me so he “ escorted “ me back to our cabin to verify it. Just so happened that my dad had a few tips ups placed out on the lake fishing for northern and walleye that were unattended while he went out for a snowmobile cruise. Long story short, the now involved conservation officer had a great interest in that and not so much in me. My takeaway was it was a petty move by the forest ranger to give a damn about a teenage boy out in the woods hunting. But that lead to a bust for my dad who was technically breaking the law. Draw your own conclusions. I hold no animosity toward either them nor current conservation and forest people. They have tough jobs protecting our natural resources. Own your culpability in breaking rules or laws.

 

[Speaks]

Interesting viewpoint, perhaps understandable. If so, perhaps this should be the way the warden treats any interaction also?

Consider:

“Make every traffic stop extending the olive branch of peace; while having a tactical plan to kill everyone in the vehicle.” - Source unknown

My understanding that this is exactly what they are trained to do. And frankly what the reasonably should likely do at the start of an encounter. As an encounter proceeds you gain more information and can continuously reassess.

Im sure the reality for everyone on both sides of the encounter is you can gauge a lot in the opening seconds of how it will go.

Also just to be clear the tactical advice coming out of how I think about this is to be polite, respectful and absolutely avoid anything that could be interpreted to be even remotely threatening

 

[Bubblehide]

There was that NatGeo show "Wild Justice" 10 years or so ago that followed around CA game wardens, especially John Nores of "we're the special forces of marijuana enforcement" fame. Always hard to tell off of a tv show but for the most part they looked and acted like they could have been normal cops or sheriffs. None of the GWs I've encountered here looked like them, however. All have been puny chip-on-the-shoulder types that washed out of other LEO tracks and chose wildlife as an easier way to get a badge, these are definitely not hunters/anglers becoming wardens in CA

Grow operations, when time permitted, were managed by the regional Interopperations Coordination Center, involving several agencies.

 

[DuckDawg22]

Grow operations, when time permitted, were managed by the regional Interopperations Coordination Center, involving several agencies.

John Nores would have you believe he invented marijuana eradication

 

[OregonSteeler]

Interesting story: as a kid we had a cabin in northern Wisconsin with a lot of state land around us and also a lot of private. Me and my friends used to free range a lot which often included hunting on both. Private landowners back then ( late 70’s early 80’s) were not nearly so uptight as they are now. Anyway I was hunting alone for squirrels, rabbits and grouse and I came out on a county road at the same time a forest ranger was patrolling for illegal Xmas tree cutting. He stopped me and questioned me ( 12 or 13 year old). I didn’t happen to have my firearms safety cert with me so he “ escorted “ me back to our cabin to verify it. Just so happened that my dad had a few tips ups placed out on the lake fishing for northern and walleye that were unattended while he went out for a snowmobile cruise. Long story short, the now involved conservation officer had a great interest in that and not so much in me. My takeaway was it was a petty move by the forest ranger to give a damn about a teenage boy out in the woods hunting. But that lead to a bust for my dad who was technically breaking the law. Draw your own conclusions. I hold no animosity toward either them nor current conservation and forest people. They have tough jobs protecting our natural resources. Own your culpability in breaking rules or laws.

That is an interesting story. Thanks for sharing and the transparency about your Dad.

 

[Mtndawger]

That is an interesting story. Thanks for sharing and the transparency about your Dad.

My dad was really pissed about it and gave the guy an earful about how the boy was out in the woods minding his own business and not loitering on a street corner causing trouble. Still had to pay the fine though!

 

[Bubblehide]

John Nores would have you believe he invented marijuana eradication

Yeah, a guy with time on his hands. However, I have no doubt he has had some very real experiences.

 

[Speaks]

Interesting story: as a kid we had a cabin in northern Wisconsin with a lot of state land around us and also a lot of private. Me and my friends used to free range a lot which often included hunting on both. Private landowners back then ( late 70’s early 80’s) were not nearly so uptight as they are now. Anyway I was hunting alone for squirrels, rabbits and grouse and I came out on a county road at the same time a forest ranger was patrolling for illegal Xmas tree cutting. He stopped me and questioned me ( 12 or 13 year old). I didn’t happen to have my firearms safety cert with me so he “ escorted “ me back to our cabin to verify it. Just so happened that my dad had a few tips ups placed out on the lake fishing for northern and walleye that were unattended while he went out for a snowmobile cruise. Long story short, the now involved conservation officer had a great interest in that and not so much in me. My takeaway was it was a petty move by the forest ranger to give a damn about a teenage boy out in the woods hunting. But that lead to a bust for my dad who was technically breaking the law. Draw your own conclusions. I hold no animosity toward either them nor current conservation and forest people. They have tough jobs protecting our natural resources. Own your culpability in breaking rules or laws.

Few years ago we were at my cabin opening it for the spring and got two quads started and took them down the drive out onto the road, went as far as the end of my property and turned around and as we were starting up the drive a truck up the road flipped on lights. We did not have the new tags on them yet. I told him I had the tags and would be happy to go grab them but he asked if he could follow me up instead. I said sure which was not a good idea.

He cited me for them anyway with the tags and also cited me for two more that were still in the barn, batteries out, with tags sitting right next to them on the work bench but not stuck on them yet.

First two were technically correct though kind of nitpicky, 2nd two I am pretty sure were not correct to cite for. Anyway I was not going to argue with him. He started quizing us about deer hunting "where do we put our corn" and other clearly violation seeking questions. I told him I was mainly a bird hunter and the mood totally changed. We chatted about about recent logging activity etc and it was friendly enough from that point out.

He called me later that afternoon and told me that since we were clearly not intending to violate anything and had all the tags that he would not submit any of the citations.

I would not submit this as either a good or bad interaction but emphasizes both the points that in a longer interaction they can fish for things to get you for while acting like they are helping you. And also that by being polite and respectful you can get some benefit of the doubt in return.

Only actual ticket I ever got was also in Northern WI, it was a life jacket violation in a canoe in about 18 inches of water about 5 feet from my shoreline and right next to my dock as I was putting the boat in the water and moving it up the dock to tie it off. I was 14 or so at the time. I dont even think I had a paddle in the boat.

 

[loganwayne]

man some of yall are way to up tight. I've had 4 encounters on land with game wardens, and a couple on the water, none have ever been bad.
1 was in a public dove field, checked for license, plug and how many i shot said looks good have a good day.
2 was about 3.5 miles from my truck walking back after hunting he drove up and it took me a minute to process he was a warden in the truck. checked me and asked if i wanted a ride back down the mountain, i declined and he headed on up.
3 was this year deer hunting i was quartering and de boning a couple does i shot in a CWD zone so had to be boned out. they checked my tags and asked if i needed any help.
4 was this year in WI grouse hunting, checked license and said have a good time watch for wolfs.

maybe i see wardens different as i hunt with a few and have police friends.

The most uptight ive seen a warden get was when we were floating the snake river in Grand Tetons, guy pulls a beanie out with the blank logo of the NC wildlife. I look over and ask him if he is a warden or works for the commission. That stood the hair up on the guys neck, come to find out he is buddies with one of the guys i hunt with.

 

[WRO]

I give them 5 minutes if pleasantries, if they start their bullshit with questions trying to trip me up I just ask them if I need a lawyer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[akhunter3]

Few years ago we were at my cabin opening it for the spring and got two quads started and took them down the drive out onto the road, went as far as the end of my property and turned around and as we were starting up the drive a truck up the road flipped on lights. We did not have the new tags on them yet. I told him I had the tags and would be happy to go grab them but he asked if he could follow me up instead. I said sure which was not a good idea.

He cited me for them anyway with the tags and also cited me for two more that were still in the barn, batteries out, with tags sitting right next to them on the work bench but not stuck on them yet.

First two were technically correct though kind of nitpicky, 2nd two I am pretty sure were not correct to cite for. Anyway I was not going to argue with him. He started quizing us about deer hunting "where do we put our corn" and other clearly violation seeking questions. I told him I was mainly a bird hunter and the mood totally changed. We chatted about about recent logging activity etc and it was friendly enough from that point out.

He called me later that afternoon and told me that since we were clearly not intending to violate anything and had all the tags that he would not submit any of the citations.

I would not submit this as either a good or bad interaction but emphasizes both the points that in a longer interaction they can fish for things to get you for while acting like they are helping you. And also that by being polite and respectful you can get some benefit of the doubt in return.

Only actual ticket I ever got was also in Northern WI, it was a life jacket violation in a canoe in about 18 inches of water about 5 feet from my shoreline and right next to my dock as I was putting the boat in the water and moving it up the dock to tie it off. I was 14 or so at the time. I dont even think I had a paddle in the boat.

Not sure how you can view this as anything other than a bad interaction- he followed you onto your private property and cited you for inoperable machinery? Just because he walked back after the fact doesn't make it a good interaction