Montana game warden show

[Q_Sertorius]

I'm always surprised how many people they contact. The only warden I've seen in the field posts up on a waterfowl production area and checks shells and plugs. Outside of that, I haven't seen one anywhere else in close to a decade

While hunting upland birds up north, we saw the same warden all three days. He checked our licenses the first time, chatted a bit, then suggested a good spot for pheasants. Very friendly and helpful.

 

[Jethro]

It was when it happened

So, the guy’s a poacher?

No, he’s not. Simply a guy that violated a wildlife regulation.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Come on don’t you know all the problems in MT and ID are caused by all the NRs?

Are they? Well we should definitely keep you out then.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

How we taught a Game Warden a lesson!

We have lots of geese here year round (mostly honkers) and the field hunting can be outstanding. We got a new young Game Warden as a replacement for our local Warden who retired. We (3 of us) were breaking down our blind and bagging up the decoys when the new Warden walked out in the field to check us. Licenses, steel shot, plugs in shotguns and our limits, which are 2 dark geese apiece. He mentioned that he would like to hunt geese someday as he hadn't hunted much waterfowl growing up. He gave me his card and left.

Later in the season, we talked about inviting him for a hunt. I called and set the date and all the details with him. We were hunting a field that was getting a lot of geese feeding and we got some good shooting. The 3 of us had our limits and the warden had only one. I saw a flight of about 50 coming and started calling and they set their wings and came in to the decoys really great. The warden shot and killed 2 with one shot! Low & behold....he was over limit. I thought he was going to have a stroke!! LOL. I called the farmer who owned the field and he came out and took the extra bird. He showed the new guy his licenses and stamps so he could legally have the bird.

We usually have breakfast at a local diner after the hunt is over. We got to talking to the new guy and he got a valuable lesson how accidents happen. I think the message was received..........

 

[Stache Attack]

Sad part is the wardens now can’t answer questions on the refs, it’s up up to their interpretation. I’m pretty good friends with one warden on the show and one that worked with all the guys you see. They were the ones who are friends of locals and not out of GWOT or police academy. Now every warden assumes guilt until proven otherwise, three current biologists have told me this.

A new warden stopped a group of us cow hunting on the main road out after dark (she was checking every vehicle) and it was past the end of the last day. After confirming we all had tags I asked her what would happen if we didn’t and were just along. She didn’t have an answer and I also spoke with whom she replaced telling him the story. There are no legal bounds for her to check past last light of the season and no requirement to stop

 

[fishslap]

According to the Colorado regulations book, you can’t pack out a portion of an animal and put it in a cooler and drive with it in your possession to get more ice or drive home then come back and pack out the rest. According to the reg, you can’t drive away with any meat unless you have all of it together.
I called a wildlife officer on this topic and he had no clear answer. I have a local hunt I do where I drive each day and don’t camp. I’ve killed elk before so the only solution is to pack it all to the trailhead and leave it hanging until it’s all out. With the distance and being solo, it takes a few days. Can’t put the first loose meat load into a cooler and take it home until it’s all out. See last sentence below.

“If a carcass is cut in pieces or deboned, evidence of sex needs to be attached to a quarter or another major part of carcass. All portions must be trans-ported together.”

 

[bmart2622]

It was when it happened

So, the guy’s a poacher?

Pretty sure I never said that. Im also pretty sure that having the head naturally attached would have sufficed evidence of sex requirements.

 

[MuleyFever]

According to the Colorado regulations book, you can’t pack out a portion of an animal and put it in a cooler and drive with it in your possession to get more ice or drive home then come back and pack out the rest. According to the reg, you can’t drive away with any meat unless you have all of it together.
I called a wildlife officer on this topic and he had no clear answer. I have a local hunt I do where I drive each day and don’t camp. I’ve killed elk before so the only solution is to pack it all to the trailhead and leave it hanging until it’s all out. With the distance and being solo, it takes a few days. Can’t put the first loose meat load into a cooler and take it home until it’s all out. See last sentence below.

“If a carcass is cut in pieces or deboned, evidence of sex needs to be attached to a quarter or another major part of carcass. All portions must be trans-ported together.”

I know a guy that packed out part of an elk back to the truck then drove to a different access point closer to the animal for the rest. I would think this would be common. I also know a guy that has accidentally cut the sex organs off not thinking about it a few times. Its not hard to make a minor infraction that would result in a ticket if held to the letter of the regulations.

 

[fishslap]

I know a guy that packed out part of an elk back to the truck then drove to a different access point closer to the animal for the rest. I would think this would be common. I also know a guy that has accidentally cut the sex organs off not thinking about it a few times. Its not hard to make a minor infraction that would result in a ticket if held to the letter of the regulations.

Yep. Lots of legit scenarios where someone might have part of the animal in transportation but not all of it. The wildlife officer didn’t dispute that but didn’t have an answer on meeting the letter of the law. He just said take lots of pictures of the carcass.

 

[Yoder]

Yep. Always every time. Tagging is first, like it should be.

In PA you don't have to tag it until you move it.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've had to "educate" a couple wardens up at our boat during crabbing season. They saw me putting some cooked and cleaned crab in my cooler in the truck. Both of them said the same thing, that the possession limit was 2 daily limits. I then pulled out the regs and showed them that was not the case. In processed form, which includes being cooked, you can have as many as you want. Both of them sulked back to their trucks and I could see them looking at the regs on their laptops. They never bothered me again.

 

[fishslap]

In PA you don't have to tag it until you move it.

Same for Colorado. You have to validate the tag immediately, but you don’t need to physically attach the tag unless at camp, transporting it in a vehicle, etc.

 

[Rich M]

I’m just not naive enough to claim a large majority of people are perfect.

I think most are well intentioned, but perfect is laughable.

Imo, a lot of this nitpicky stuff was contrived by lawyers for law enforcement so they tell people how that people cant follow laws.

And yes, i logged my buck in before even leaving the stand cause of stuff like this and people who would call GW over it.

I have a lil more compasdion on folks and care less about the small stuff, are you a LEO or lawyer?.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Pretty sure I never said that. Im also pretty sure that having the head naturally attached would have sufficed evidence of sex requirements.

Correct.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Show me the man
I’ll show you the crime

So, you drag a bull elk out whole.
Cut it in half. Put it in the tack compartment Tag is notched and taped to antler
At game check station you pull the two halves out and the warden says he’s going to fine you and confiscate the elk

Guess why?

Because you didn’t leave proof of sex on the hind quarters

So. Now you’re a poacher?

Huh? If it’s a whole elk as you say then proof of sex is the antler attached to the carcass.

And I’d love to see someone drag a bull elk out whole. Sounds like quite the story you’ve got yourself…

What state?

 

[Jason Snyder]

Show me the man
I’ll show you the crime

So, you drag a bull elk out whole.
Cut it in half. Put it in the tack compartment Tag is notched and taped to antler
At game check station you pull the two halves out and the warden says he’s going to fine you and confiscate the elk

Guess why?

Because you didn’t leave proof of sex on the hind quarters

So. Now you’re a poacher?

No, this would have been legal under the old law. If the head was attached to the front half there is and was ever a legal requirement to have proof of sex on the other half.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Imo, a lot of this nitpicky stuff was contrived by lawyers for law enforcement so they tell people how that people cant follow laws.

And yes, i logged my buck in before even leaving the stand cause of stuff like this and people who would call GW over it.

I have a lil more compasdion on folks and care less about the small stuff, are you a LEO or lawyer?.

I think you are mistaken on what I’m saying.

I’m not arguing that anything is just or in just.
But another member indicated him and his entire camp and the majority or hunters never ever slip up even a little.

And I think that’s naive and laughable.

And I was just showing 1 very easy way that I think a lot of people could get pinched on. Because in most states I’ve ve hunted it says immediately tag.

Again I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I’m saying there are a lot of little places a person could slip up and not even realize.

 

[butcherboy]

Heck, in NM you can’t even have an animal you killed in your freezer for more than a year if you don’t get a permit from G&F to store it for more than a year. How many people do you think get the special permit? I can’t tell you how many times hunters over the years showed up with an animal for me to process it without a tag. I had to have a tag at one time because the law said the carcass had to have the tag with the carcass. It’s now been changed to it has to have the tag attached to the carcass during transport or until it reaches the place of storage. Back then, I didn’t really care if it had a tag or not. I told most hunters that it’s not my job to enforce the game laws. They could leave it without a tag but if a GW checked and they confiscated their animal then that would be on them.

The problem with NM for a very long time was they issued paper tags. They were always getting wet, bloody, destroyed, etc. They issued paper tags changing colors every year but still couldn’t read the info on them. Finally went to etags and physical tags that are waterproof now.

 

[bmart2622]

Huh? If it’s a whole elk as you say then proof of sex is the antler attached to the carcass.

And I’d love to see someone drag a bull elk out whole. Sounds like quite the story you’ve got yourself…

What state?

He mentions a tack compartment so Im guessing he had horses, but it seems a little fishy to me that you would drag a bull whole, then half it at the truck just to shoe horn it into the tack room of your horse trailer instead of the bed of your truck.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Heck, in NM you can’t even have an animal you killed in your freezer for more than a year if you don’t get a permit from G&F to store it for more than a year.

Really??

Everywhere I’ve lived you could store it indefinitely so long as you had the notched tag in the freezer with it. I’ve had elk and deer in there for several years before. That’s wild.