The fear of hunting

Their story pisses me off, thats what I think.
I'd like to know how the smae 'officers' would react if they got treated as such. I belive this happens to a degree in every state & other countries. Why then if those people were not gulity didn't they sue for wrongfull prosecution or .. what the frick I think I'd try to get every angle back I could out of them. They want my name tarnished for their jobs? How about their jobs go through a meat grinder, bastids. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
i think he's right. how many people know every law that there is that concern hunting and fishing. it's impossible to know because only a handful of them are in the booklets that they give you. there are hundreds and perhaps thousands more you don't even know about. no fishing with a red hook on the third tuesday after a full moon in july. no hunting at night without official approval from a notary authorized by the city council voted on by the public in the town square at a half past midnight in september. this stuff is so ridiculous.
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you just can't "go out" and hunt or fish anymore without fearing that you are breaking some ages old outdated law. that's my 3 1/2 cents. approved by the squire with permission from the king after being run by the queen and prince for proper verification.
 
I agree on a lot of the points, I too think he's a little over the top though. I've had a few meetings with the game warden a a few with the local LEO's. By far I'd say they were all very proffessional and found that by me not copping an attitude, it was a pleasant experience, even when sometimes I might have deserved less than a pleasant experience. My biggest beef is with society in general as far as access to any kind of outdoor recreation is concerned. Man, when I was a kid, my buddies and I could fish in any one of ten lakes and ponds within bicycle distance of the neighborhood. Now in order to take my daughter fishing, I have to drive 1/2 hour and make damn sure I know all the regs. Not that those lakes aren't still there, (well one was filled in to make room for a condo!) but no-one wants anyone on their property anymore due to civil liability. Man if I had a private lake I'd put up a sign that read.."Yes Trespassing" Then I'd probably get sued by some JA who got drunk and tripped on a stick or something!
 
Maybe it's just my policy of being non-confrontational to a man with a badge, but I've never had a problem with a CO.

In fact I've found that by asking their advise (everyone likes to be an expert) they will normally not only lighten up but I've gotten good tips on where to hunt.

I've heard some horror stories and don't dispute them, it's just not been my experience (and I hope it stays that way).
 
Whew! If this is accurate, for places like Nevada,
and Alberta, I am damn glad I live, and hunt, in
Wisconsin. We have a Conservation Congress, that
has significant input, much to the chagrin of the
DNR, into the rules and regs, we hunt by. I have
never experienced anything like the confrontations
described in this written account. Deer hunting still
is a family event, and kids still get out of school,
and the Wardens still meet you on the road, with a
smile, and some pleasant conversation, unless they
suspect a violation. I once was confused for a
slob duck hunter, shooting after hours, and even
then the warden was civil. When his partner showed
up, and cleared me, as "not the guy", I did not feel
put upon, and answered his questions, giving him clues
to where the offender slipped through their net.
I guess I have to thank Wisconsin for having the
concept of the Conservation Congress, to keep the
outdoors friendly to hunters, and fishers. We even
have a laws protecting the priveledge to hunt, just
so we can throw interfering Anti's in jail...Sweet!

I was checked by the NoDak Fish and Game wardens once,
and even in a motel with several groups in violation
of bag limits, they treated us with respect. They were
pretty scrutinizing until our bird count came in under
the limits, but they smiled and told us to have a good
hunt, when we proved to be legal.

This article is either over the top, or everyone where
this kind of crap happens, needs to take back "YOUR"
resources.

Squeeze
 
Although I agree alot with the points he is trying to get across I have to say he seems to be somewhat of a looney. Not to mention a few of those stories just dont seem to hold water unless there is a good bit being left out. For one I jsut cant see any officer going into a mans yard and start taking down a piece of evidence without atleast first knocking on the door to see if anyone was home and presenting a warrant. Had it been me and my son ran into the house telling me someone was steeling my elk I woulda come out shooting.

I work for a local police dept and know that some officers are complete A$$ when it comes to talking with people however they are not the norm. If a person is disrespectful then you can expect the same ammount of disrespect back (although in todays society you have to be careful of your department getting slapped with a lawsuit). The major difference with your local police and the game wardens is that an officer goes into a situation not knowing if the suspect is armed or not but the warden knows that most everyone that he comes accross is armed and knows how to use the weapon. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to realize that this will usually put the warden on edge and understandibly so.

Just my thoughts...
 
so very sad yet so very true and here we are preaching to the choir. i here these same gripes all the time. this is no longer a free country. yet some call me paranoid. i dont have the freedoms i had when i was a kid. every new law that is passed takes away your freedom to choose for yourself. time to get off the soapbox before i get p.o.
 
I knew you all would appreciate this story. They should have also posted all the letters to the editor from the following issue, there were 4 pages of them. As for that story I have one of my own to share with you.

It was the day before the last day of elk bow season here in New Mexico. My buddy and I were hunting private land with written permission(which you must have on your person) when we called in a 5 x 5 bull which I shot at 17 yards. He then ran off jumping a fence onto other private property. My buddy and I tracked the bull to the fence. We were not sure who’s property it was as it was not posted. We could see where the bull went down so we crossed the fence to check him. When we got to him he spooked and ran. No knowing for sure who’s land we were on we decided to go back to town for further investigation. We when found out who’s property it was, we called the rancher and explained all of what had happened and he said “no problem” I will meet you at the gate in 15 min and we will go in together and get it.

The rancher met me at the gate. I showed him where I shot the elk, where he jumped the fence.
We found the elk, not far from where we had last seen it. He helped us gut him quarter him and load him. No problem it was a done deal. So we thought.

There’s where the story gets interesting. About eight days later I was in my barn cleaning the skull when the local police officer pulled up and told me the Chief wanted to see me. I arrived at the station not only was the Chief there as was the Game and Fish officer. The G&F officer then accused me of shooting the elk on the ranchers property. Saying the he had went to the spot and saw tracks of am elk coming up the fence line, and could see where the elk had spooked and then found blood shortly after. He also said that he would not go after my buddy if I gave him a statement. I told him everything complete and true. He did all of this investigating 7 days after I shot the elk. He confiscated the entire elk from my freezer while my wife and kids were watching.

Then I was out of town that next week when the G&F officer calls my wife and told her he had wonderful news. He was returning my elk(less on package that was already consumed by?) She asked him why and gave no explanation as to why. My wife being concerned called G&F in Santa Fe and spoke with a high ranking official. She asked him to quote her the laws concernig confiscation procedures. The law says any animal or meet that is taken is to be sold immediately to avoid waste. If the party is found not guilty the only thing the party is entitled to is the money the animal was sold for($30 to $40). The official then told her that she should commend the officer for “going above and beyond the call of duty”.

So when the officer returned the elk the following day, he said that there would be no charges. We were never given any explanation as to why my animal was returned. He did say that the land owner was going to press trespassing charges on me and my buddy.

Which in February the G&F officer filed trespassing charges not only on me but my buddy as well.

Court has come and gone and I am happy to say the both me and my buddy still have a clean record and our hunting privileges intact. But at a great cost not only to our pocketbook but as well as our hunting rep and our pride.
 
This guy has victomitus. There is a little truth to this article, but it has been my opinion that those who rant and rave about those a$$ hole fish cops are usually the lest ethical hunter or strait poachers. I have had a few less than fun encounters with a Conservation Officers, but when they see I am not doing anything wrong they usually are nice guys. I know just how dishonest a lot of hunters are. I hear stories all the time when people brag about poaching and getting away with it. I hate to admit it but many as much 50 % of hunters are not law abiding. This article is a ranting of someone who is angry about some people doing their jobs. The reason we have so many game laws is because so many hunter try to cheat the system. If you can be honest with yourself, ask yourself if you always do things ethically. Heck, I have a really hard time finding anyone to hunt with because most of the time I go hunting with someone I don’t know to well they knowingly break game laws. I choose to hunt alone of with a handful of my closest friends who are ethical. Hunter are our own worst enemy. I am glade there are so many laws because there are so many dirtballs out there. Sounds like the author better look at his own behavior and not blame others.
 
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Man that was a long one. As been mentioned previously, there are many good (LEO's) & Government officials & some with attitudes. IMO, things aren't that bad in my state.
 
I think this guy has a BIG problem with authority. Every department of law enforcement has it's d!@#heads, but to say that all of them are isn't true in the least bit. It's people like this guy that make it hard for all of us hunters. These guys are just doing what they are paid to do. I'm not saying we should be pushovers and let them walk all over us, if you KNOW you are being mistreated then you should definitely stand up for what's right. But don't be an [beeep] about it, two negatives don't make a positive!!
 
elkaholic,

About 10 years ago, bear poaching got so bad in Calif. that a law was passed prohibiting trafficing in bear parts. (We already had laws against poaching.) Poachers were killing bears for the gall baldders and claws which are used in Chinese medicine.

AAbout six years ago a dentist friend of mine, who is a shooter and gun collector but is not a hunter, was visiting a garage sale when he came across a bear rug that the homeowner had for sale. He has always wanted to have one and was makeing a deal for the rug when a young woman wearing shorts and a halter top and carrying a backpack rode up on a bicycle. After watching the transaction take place, in which my friend handed over $300 cash and took possession of the rug, the woman pulled a badge from her backpack, identified herself as a game warden and arrested my friend for trafficing in bear parts. The rug and the $300 were confiscated.

The irony of this story is that the bear that gave up his life to become a rug, died 20 years before the law making it illegal to traffic in bear parts was enacted!

Charge aginst my friend was eventually dropped but the state kept the rug and the $300.

This was clear case of a law that was intended to cure one problem causing another.

There are tons of stories like yours, mine, and the guy's who article regarding unscrupulous (sp) enforcment officers who fail to exercise common sense, but you've got to remember that the officers don't make the law, legislators do. We should keep that in mind every time we vote.

Truckeedan
 
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