Hmm,that makes me think,I have never had a game warden stop me and check me,a fish warden once and he was cool,but no game wardens.I do know 3 game wardens 1 is a ok guy he is by the book and tough but he is just doing his job and doing a good job of it,the other 2 are bigger criminals than the people they arrest,I went to school with one and his family shoots more deer with a light than anyone else I know.

I have always had very positive experiences with the guys in our areas. In fact, I have been hunting with most of them at different times, one even on an out of state deer hunt.

There's one around here who has his head up his arse and his badge inflated his.ego so much he can no longer remove his head from there. One year he about ran me into the ditch on a narrow road just to bust my balls about my tag and license. He didn't bother getting out. I pulled off to give him room to get by and he kept moving closer till I was almost in the ditch. He then asked fir my info through the window and had me show him my rifle to make sure it was unloaded. Another time we were fishing under an overpass and I had brought my rifle in case we saw a coyote and had it on my back unloaded. He pulled up to the truck which was left unlocked and came asking for my buddy by name. Said he looked through the truck and found his registration and that's how he knew his name. He then asked why I had a rifle and why I hadn't left it in the truck. My answer was there's too many Aholes like yourself who don't or can't stay out of people's trucks and the last thing I need is my 800 bucks disappearing. He puffed up and after checking licenses he left poutting because he found no violations and we didn't put up with his crap.

I get checked at least twice a year, no issues. Can be a pain if you need to leave and have to hang around to get checked.

Game wardens are a bunch or wannabes that were picked on in school. They want more than anything to write you a ticket and think they have all the power in the world because they have a badge. Haven't met one yet that doesn't automatically think you broke the law and starts trying to get you. Thank goodness they have never been able to scrounge up anything against me but they dang sure have tried.

One of the purposes of the game warden forum was to provide a friendly environment for members to interact with game wardens to promote a better understanding and spirit of cooperation. Where you are from in AZ, all of the game wardens are wildlife biologist that have at least a bachelor of science degree. I doubt they spent thousands out of their pocket to get a college degree just to write misdemeanor tickets. Law enforcement is a fraction of what they do since they also work as biologists to manage the wildlife populations in their assigned areas. They are a wealth of knowledge if you ask them about something. I'm guessing you just look suspicious to them for some reason.

I have seen both in AZ.. out away from phoenix, they have been, for the most part great.. Friendly, supportive, and helpful. The only time i didn't like it was when they were running a surprise road block where they would pull out and box you in to check your info during an elk hunt in unit 1. I didn't like that because they have no right to ask for hunting lic, or search your vehicle or inspect my vehicle, other than drivers lic, ins., and vehicle reg, if there is no evidence of hunting. If I don't have an animal or they see me hunting, They are being pushy. Most have never done anything like that and are great.

The ones around PHX on the lakes are another matter. I will repectfully agree with BC777 on that one with that group

In my experience here in WI most are pretty decent. I have run into a few power hungry knuckle heads though. Unfortunately the best one I have ever know recently left the position in our area. He was all ways willing to listen to hunters/fishermen about concerns and on more then one occasion I saw him give people the benefit of the doubt it's too bad he left.

The ones I've met here in northeast SD are great. Only had one problem . . . called the office one time to verify the restrictions on hunting in a state-owned campground over the winter for small game, and the conservation officer told me over the phone that I could hunt with my .22 LR there as long as it was not pheasant or camping season. A couple of weeks later I was hunting in a WIA and one of the wardens stopped me (turns out they were looking for some deer poachers) and he was exceptionally nice. Showed my license and we talked about rabbit hunting for a bit and he gave me some areas to check, and we discussed the campground I had called about; the guy I had talked to over the phone had given me the wrong info and it was shotgun only. I offered to bring in the rabbits I had shot there to hand over to Sportsmen Against Hunger and he told me to keep them. Didn't get a ticket or warning so it all ended well.

I did end up seeing the poachers later that day, and it turned out they had taken several deer across the county out of season. Called them in and they were busted. A few weeks after that I called in some dumped Canadas shot during light goose, and now the wardens stop to chat every time they see my vehicle out in the WIA's and I've got their cell numbers. The guys out here are ultra-professional and super supportive of hunters who follow the rules, do their job, and do it very well.

They have a hard job. Let’s face it 100 percent of the hunters they encounter are armed, and frequently in pretty secluded places. I have met plenty fishing not as many while hunting. They all acted professionally, sadly some a lot more professional than others. That is as polite as I can say it.

That seems to mean nothing in reality. Very few game wardens are involved in an on the job shooting encounter.

GC,
maybe it means nothing to you "in reality", but it means a lot to the ones who are involved.
My agency lost 3 officers to shooting incidents while I was working.
One died, and the other 2 were permanently disabled.

Thank you for your opinion.

Definitely no disrespect intended, however the number of game wardens involved in on the job shootings and/or killed in the line of duty is extremely low compared to municipal police, county deputy sheriff's, state troopers or certain federal law enforcement officers like DEA, US Marshal's, Border Patrol, ect. Game wardens always throw out the old "everybody we meet is armed and we are seven times more likely to be killed..." The facts just don't bear that out, it just doesn't happen with the same frequency that it does to other law enforcement officers. The vast majority of those game warden contacts are honest law abiding sportsmen and women engaging in legal activities. In the time frame you worked for your agency three wardens were involved in a shooting, so how many muni cops, deputies and troopers in your state were involved with on the job shootings in that same time period? The numbers just don't add up the same. Please don't misunderstand or misconstrue my post, just stating facts for the discussion. I am sorry for your departments loss.

Here in Pennsylvania, 99% are ego tripping @holes who don't know the game laws. That sums up my encounter with them.

Never seen one except driving down the highway. Never been checked or encountered a warden in the field. There used to be check stations you were supposed to stop at if you were hunting, successful or not, but they closed them when FWP ran out of money when out of state elk hunters quit coming here.