Dept of Parks and Wildlife ...

brittboy said:
Personally, I've had all good experiences with DOW folks. Even when I left my combo license in my fly vest. He let me fax my license to him after I got home. Another guy gave me a ride, helped me find my dog and delivered us both back to my truck..........AND DON'T POACH RABBITS :D
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It takes all of a couple minutes to punch your name into the Corris computer to see if you have a license or not!
 
CO_Weimar said:
I have never seen nor interacted with a DoW or Dept of Parks and Wildlife officer while hunting in the last 5 years. Today, I was at a hunting preserve and a DoW truck drives onto the property an officer gets out and asks to see my hunting license.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I thought that this was very unusual.
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I have only been checked once while hunting pheasants in Colorado in my entire life . I think it's strange you were checked on a preserve since I don't think you need a license to hunt on one.
 
Since she did not check your game bag and you do not need a license on a preserve, one can only come to the conclusion that she is lonely and looking for a suitor!!!!:D
 
BleuBijou said:
Since she did not check your game bag and you do not need a license on a preserve, one can only come to the conclusion that she is lonely and looking for a suitor!!!!:D
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It is a good thing that my wife was there to fend her off. :p

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My interaction with DoW has been very good. We put on a ratings test for Weimaraners up at Cobb Lake and know the site manager up there.
 
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adrnln8 said:
If you're on private property or one of those pay-n-play bird clubs where no licenses are required, what right does the DoW have to do that? None at all and I don't think it's a legitimate visit.
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It's my understanding that game wardens have a right to enter any private property holding game to check for game violations, so I wouldn't get confrontational with a game warden just because he or she is on private land. I have no clue why this game warden would check licenses on a game preserve. My experience with game wardens is that they're often lazy and will only check people who are easy to check. Maybe this game warden went to a game preserve so she could tell her boss she checked a bunch of hunters even though there aren't many laws you could violate on a game preserve.
 
After thinking more about this topic, I got curious and did some research. A good friend of mine works in Law Enforcement for the US Forest Service, actually deals with a lot of hunters and DoW Officers during hunting season. He happened to call today so I asked him about this. A DoW Officer in Colorado has more authority than any other sheriff, police officer or law agent you can think of. They need absolutely no reasonable cause, warrant or permission to enter private land, stop a vehicle or search a vehicle or property. They are somewhat above the constitution and are granted more latitude due to the nature of their work, needing to inspect sites and approach people who are usually armed. In some states and situations, they have more power than U.S. Marshals.

Knowing that, it doesn't make sense to me why you were stopped and questioned as you couldn't possibly have been doing anything wrong on preserve. Unless your gun was chambered maybe? Maybe this officer was just making a point to keep hunters on their feet and safe, maybe she was brushing up on her skills. Whatever the reason, she didn't need a reason.

Nor did the guy who questioned us for the cow elk, that one really confuses me now. Hmm, better be nice and cooperate with them, most of the time they're a valuable asset anyways and are there to keep things safe, legal and fun.
 
I have been checked by DOW half a dozen or my times in the last several years. Be that fishing or hunting. I can say that all my encounters with them have been pleasant. Most times they have complimented me on my vehicle or my gun. I have no issues being stopped by them, I do not break the laws so I have nothing to hide. Most times I end up chatting with them for a bit and offer them a drink or a snack. They are a wealth of knowledge and getting on their good side is never a bad thing. If you hunt the same areas you will encounter the same warden most of the time. I have had a few remember me and when they stop me to do a check they take some extra time to chat and give me some intel on where to find the animals.

And as was posted they have more power than a police officer as far as what they can enforce and ticket you for and can pretty go wherever they want to go for what ever reason.
 
In my experience it is about 50%. 50% of them are really good and have good people skills. The other 50% could use some help. Probably the same proportion as the regular citizen. Starting to get anti hunters within the DOW does not help. Policing themselves they are not any good at for sure. Some of you may have read the story of the Park Ranger who illegally shot a deer at night on a State Wildlife property. Got to keep his job. He was demoted and transfered to another State Park, but still has his job. This can't happen and the public hunting community is supposed to trust them? I could name several other instances of mis conduct and illegal activity that never made the news paper. You and I would not get the same treatment, but I try really hard not to bash them and stick up for them when I can. For some of them it is more than a job and it shows when you meet them. Like any other Govt. agency when it starts to get too big look out. That is another reason I disliked Parks being joined with the DOW. Most DOW officers do not like it as well. When the Commissioner for the DOW received a 700,000 grant for his own personal property(680 acres) for habitat improvement for the Gunnison sage grouse the respect and trust is going South. That is a conflict of interest and wrong in so many ways.
 
I've been checked 8-10 times and have good experiences in all but one case; opening morning a few years back I had forgotten to get my HIP #. The officer checking me got pretty snotty about it, and watched me walk all the way back to my vehicle (3/4 mile) to make sure I didn't hunt on the way, I guess. I got my cell phone and obtained the number, but didn't think he needed to act the way he did. I suppose I should be thankful he didn't ticket me?

All other encounters I've found them friendly, polite, etc.

On a somewhat separate topic, I agree on not liking the joining of Parks and DOW. While I get the logic that there is overlap between the two and therefore potential budget savings by combining them, the missions of each are quite different. I see Parks as a leading proponent of the "commercialization" of public lands that I can't stand - I have no use for them. DOW on the other hand was the "serious" conservation/management organization, which historically has done a good job treading the fine line between many competing public interests. FYI - did you know the consolidation was attempted before, somewhere back in the 60s/70s, I believe. It lasted a few years before they were split again - hope that happens this time!
 
OK, I'll take the chance and be the one "they" that is a we:) I check hundreds of hunters and fishermen in a year and I'm a biologist most of the time. We have duds just like any group. Sometimes our best can have a bad moment! We may be just as good as how long it's been since we last encountered a POS. I tell folks I can be as nice or mean as the situation calls for. I ALWAYS start nice. I can go straight to the gates of hell if my life is in danger, but 99+% of hunters aren't that way. As for your situation, there could be a hundred answers. We handle wildlife as well as every other law violation out there. We back up sheriff, highway patrol, KBI, and even federal agencies if called upon. There is a chance that there was a BOLO out on a vehicle that was a close match to yours in the area and she was interacting with you to make sure you weren't them. Same thing about other violations going on near where you were hunting. She may have been checking if you could have been associated with problems nearby. I can't second guess her, just be friendly and fulfill any requests and you'll see us dusting down the road to more fruitful endeavors shortly:) I try to be informative, but I'm no one's scout. It's called hunting for a reason. I'll help you generally, but I'm not going to put you on the 30 point buck just because. You may get a school lesson from me if you're not showing knowledge of the game you're after. Often I see folks going into habitat in search of game that don't live there. I try to bring them forward so that they can have some success. Some folks don't have a chance to get there:) One thing I can tell everyone that we have a problem with is muzzle control! I have pulled my gun on several hunters that pointed a loaded weapon at me accidently because I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE DOING THAT! If I wait, I'm dead! Protocol is: when you see us pull up or walk out, turn away and unload the guns! I like for folks to put them down if conditions allow. It keeps us on even terms and takes away the potential for misunderstood moves. The worst places are crossing fences, crossing ditches, and around vehicles! Take the minute it takes to make sure everyone is safe! Don't dive into your truck as we walk up. Training videos showing that on traffic stops often ends poorly for the officer! Hope this helps! We're here to protect a resource that we treasure greatly. Not everyone respects it. We're your best friend/resource of you're well intentioned and respectful. Generally we don't LIKE to write tickets or make arrests! However, when we find someone intent on stealing wildlife or opportunity from you, we can and will make it a bad day for them. Game laws are quite generous. The ones that are left at the end of the day are the ones you dream of tonight! Good hunting!!!
 
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First, Merry Christmas. Thank you for providing your perspective. My experience with wildlife officers has always been positive. I never ask for advice. If the officer is kind enough to point me in the right direction , I am always appreciative. My gun is always unloaded around my truck.
 
:thumbsup:

Thanks Prairie Drifter!

:cheers:

Prairie Drifter said:
OK, I'll take the chance and be the one "they" that is a we:) I check hundreds of hunters and fishermen in a year and I'm a biologist most of the time. We have duds just like any group. Sometimes our best can have a bad moment! We may be just as good as how long it's been since we last encountered a POS. I tell folks I can be as nice or mean as the situation calls for. I ALWAYS start nice. I can go straight to the gates of hell if my life is in danger, but 99+% of hunters aren't that way. As for your situation, there could be a hundred answers. We handle wildlife as well as every other law violation out there. We back up sheriff, highway patrol, KBI, and even federal agencies if called upon. There is a chance that there was a BOLO out on a vehicle that was a close match to yours in the area and she was interacting with you to make sure you weren't them. Same thing about other violations going on near where you were hunting. She may have been checking if you could have been associated with problems nearby. I can't second guess her, just be friendly and fulfill any requests and you'll see us dusting down the road to more fruitful endeavors shortly:) I try to be informative, but I'm no one's scout. It's called hunting for a reason. I'll help you generally, but I'm not going to put you on the 30 point buck just because. You may get a school lesson from me if you're not showing knowledge of the game you're after. Often I see folks going into habitat in search of game that don't live there. I try to bring them forward so that they can have some success. Some folks don't have a chance to get there:) One thing I can tell everyone that we have a problem with is muzzle control! I have pulled my gun on several hunters that pointed a loaded weapon at me accidently because I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE DOING THAT! If I wait, I'm dead! Protocol is: when you see us pull up or walk out, turn away and unload the guns! I like for folks to put them down if conditions allow. It keeps us on even terms and takes away the potential for misunderstood moves. The worst places are crossing fences, crossing ditches, and around vehicles! Take the minute it takes to make sure everyone is safe! Don't dive into your truck as we walk up. Training videos showing that on traffic stops often ends poorly for the officer! Hope this helps! We're here to protect a resource that we treasure greatly. Not everyone respects it. We're your best friend/resource of you're well intentioned and respectful. Generally we don't LIKE to write tickets or make arrests! However, when we find someone intent on stealing wildlife or opportunity from you, we can and will make it a bad day for them. Game laws are quite generous. The ones that are left at the end of the day are the ones you dream of tonight! Good hunting!!!
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