What's been your experience with Game Wardens???

yotehunter57

yotehunter57

New member
My experiences have all been very positive, with them just doing their jobs, like checking fishing liscenses.

Before he retired, I worked with one to stop "Road hunting" in my area. At one time it was so bad, jerks would stop in front of your house and shoot out of the window.
There are peeple who don't like me for it, but I really don't care what they think.

Shayne
 
Everyone I have ever encountered(for the first time) act and look like your a violator. Even after you get to know them they SEEM to be questioning your behavior; even if you are the most honest sportsmen out there. Give me the impression they are more cop than the civilian version. Maybe I just look like a violator to them.
 
its always hit or miss with me. have ran into some real A holes and other just out doing thier job. some have even pointed me in a direction of game.
 
Around here they are either excelent to deal with and talk to and others well....they thing their badge is a safegaurd and let them do anything.
 
Originally Posted By: HardwickNits always hit or miss with me. have ran into some real A holes and other just out doing thier job. some have even pointed me in a direction of game.

That seems to be a common opinion. Some are good guys, and some are real "A holes".

So let me ask a question:

Are all of the Troopers or deputies that stop you for speeding or running a stop sign "good guys", or are some of them "A holes"?
 
My experience with NM game wardens have all be positive. I've probably had personal encounters with wardens a dozen times over the years and have had no issues. "How's it going, seen anything, had any luck, what are they biting on, can I take a look at your license, have a good day." My one encounter with a WY game warden was likewise not unpleasant.

Some work "harder" to find something wrong to give you a hard time over, but I've never had one really go on the attack.
 
I think they are all human and as such are subject to the failings of the human race as a whole. Guess I’ve been pretty lucky; I haven’t had any bad encounters with any of our Missouri Conservation Agents. I have worked closely with some of them professionally and I have been checked while hunting and fishing when they didn’t know me from Adam and I have always been treated professionally. The only outdoor specific officer I have ever felt had a bit of an attitude was a U.S. Forest Service Ranger. As it was he recognized me and knew where I worked, he had been “let go” from my agency several years before and I am quite sure that had everything to do with his attitude. There wasn’t a problem this was just a routine check while my dad and I cleaned some game in the field but when he realized who I was he immediately stiffened up. He moved on quickly and it was a non-issue other than my dad commented how awkward the encounter seemed. That was the human factor within the Forest Ranger; it certainly wasn’t on my end as I hardly knew the guy.
 
I had a bad encounter with one I was looking at deer with a light (spotlighting) I had no weapons or anything that could be used for killing. In the tuck. I was outside my vehicle looking at deer. Well the gamewarden saw me and I guess he needs to reread the laws because what I was doing was completly legal. Well to make the story short I was not charged for anything I was right he was wrong. He acted like a. Towards me the whole time
 
no thats just out doing their jobs. some are A Holes about it and some are cool about it. If Im breaking the law then Im breaking the law. I expect to get a ticket or at least a warning. But I Have had one treat me like I was breaking the law when I wasnt. That is what I ment about being an A Hole. Some LEO are out there to burn any one and every one they can. Some give people the benifite of the dought that hey maybe it truely was an accident or they just tuely did misunder stand the gray areas.

I have only ever ran into one that was being a real A. He thought we were breaking the law. it was a very very gray are in the law book. I called headquarters and explained the situation. he wasnt to happy that I went above his head but every one around knew that he was a real stickler for that small print stuff and always had his own interpratation of what the book said. Needless to say we didnt get ticketed. All other have always been very friendly and just out doing their jobs. I have no problem with that as I cant stand people who have no regards for the law.
 
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Originally Posted By: fw707Originally Posted By: HardwickNits always hit or miss with me. have ran into some real A holes and other just out doing thier job. some have even pointed me in a direction of game.

That seems to be a common opinion. Some are good guys, and some are real "A holes".

So let me ask a question:

Are all of the Troopers or deputies that stop you for speeding or running a stop sign "good guys", or are some of them "A holes"?


Agreed. My experience is there isn't an in between either. As far as troopers, have dealt with a few (little right foot heavy occasionally), they have all seemed to be stern, but fair, very serious, as they should be, generally not a holes though.

Common LEO, I had a few run ins in my younger days, they were hit and miss, some were a holes, some were stern but fair, and others were real cool.

Other peoples experiences I'm sure differ.
 
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Originally Posted By: fw707Originally Posted By: HardwickNits always hit or miss with me. have ran into some real A holes and other just out doing thier job. some have even pointed me in a direction of game.

That seems to be a common opinion. Some are good guys, and some are real "A holes".

So let me ask a question:

Are all of the Troopers or deputies that stop you for speeding or running a stop sign "good guys", or are some of them "A holes"?


It deppends on their demeaner. you can have a boss that is a realy A. and you can have one that is stern. there is very much so a diffrence between an A$* and some one who is stern and professional. some act like you have already broken the law and your on Americas most wanted list and others are just out doing thier job. checking to make sure you are legal and not breaking the law.
 
I have always been borderline crazy about hunting and fishing,as well as guiding for years, so I've met a lot of game wardens.

I've found thenm to be like all the hunters I've met. Some friendly, some not so much, some a total disgrace to the job and some so helpful they were like lifelong friends. In fact some have become lifelong friends.

I have met some that were just incompetent and others who were just high on authority. I have a few good stories both good and bad that still make me smile.

For the most part they have been like any one else doing a job.
 
Originally Posted By: dog1whckrEveryone I have ever encountered(for the first time) act and look like your a violator. Even after you get to know them they SEEM to be questioning your behavior; even if you are the most honest sportsmen out there. Give me the impression they are more cop than the civilian version. Maybe I just look like a violator to them.

When I was younger we had one that was a major AAAA=HOLE. He would have loaded your gun and held the light to get you to poach a deer.

When the GW that I worked with to stop the road hunting by my house retired, it took a lttle while with the new guys, to get them on board with me.
Now they know if I call them, it's over something potentially dangerous, like the road huntng or spotlighting deer, where a person or house could get shot.

Shayne
 
The idea is to make as many contacts as possible during routine patrols. The good ones will be friendly and handout cards with their personal cell number. They know they can't be everywhere and enlist the help of the public to inform them of suspicious activity. GW or any Leo for that matter cannot and will not catch violators w/o the publics help. Be an ahole and nobody will help.

With that said you must keep in mind the age of the GW. The younger they are the more prone they are to "know it all". Especially fresh out of college and the police academy. They are no different than your own kids. The seasoned GW will tend to be more skillful during routine contacts. He won't get to high or too low and it's never personal.

Just like any person (Leo or not) they all have their own pedujuce and life experience. What may be a serious violation to one is only a minor thing to another.

The newer the GW the more likely he is to view a violation as a personal attack. He takes ownership and the public perception is that he acts like he owns the animals. Most of the time he has no idea this is how he is coming across.

Just some thoughts to keep in mind during your next encounter....
 
..Years ago, in my wilder days, I had an encounter with a GW who had been around for several years. Two other guys were with me, and we all got tickets. We were in the wrong, and the GW did his job without much fuss, without acting like it was a personal insult to him.

Since then, I have made sure I was in the right, and have had no problems. (Strange, that if you're not doing something wrong, or something that LOOKS wrong, you won't have too many problems.)

Anyhow, the local GW we have is a really decent guy. If you're in the wrong, he will write you up, no doubt about it. If you are just out hunting, and you aren't throwing up any red flags, you have no problem. He's helpful if you have questions, and he likes to see kids have a good hunt. He doesn't have an "attitude", at least, in my encounters with him.

All in all, a credit to his department.
 
I've deer hunted with one one time that gw seemed to be a nice guy. Come to think I forgot to even fill out a field tag for the deer I shot. He didn't even say a word about it. I think its really who you no most of the time I was hunting with 4 cops that day to. Which my relative was one of them. But like in my recent post some are just aholes. I'm pretty sure if I had a 8 point buck with 19 inch spread sitting in the back of my truck with no field tag filled out I woulda been fined and had the deer taken away if it was a gamewarden that had no idea who I was. 99 percent of the time I fill one out heck I've even used the tip of my bullet to fill them out before when I had nothing else to write with. But that day I was just so wound up I forgot to.
 
we had a King Scat warden here 30 years ago. crabby all the time.
since he retired, i've never had a bad encouter.
our local CO is a heck of a nice guy and even the few guys i know that have been ticketed have said so.
 
I have been checked many times over the years and have yet to run into a warden that was less than courteous and professional. Have had some long and friendly conversations with a few and gotten a few tips. Just last season had a new guy give me permission to use my 4 wheeler to retrieve deer when killed (guess he noticed I wasn't a spring chicken). One warden/ biologist that checked me years ago and is now retired is a good friend. I have never had to deal with an A hole warden and hope I never do. I do my best to stay legal but mistakes can always happen.
 
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