How often do you encounter the law?

One surprising thing that will get the SD wardens hopping is reports of hunter harassment and they are likely on your side as the hunter. I ran into some road closed signs one year on county managed gravel roads in a couple directions. It effectively closed off a square of land about 1 mile by 2 miles. A hunting lodge had leased rights to all the sections in that area and decided not to let anyone drive through. Found out later the guides had set up the signs and were chasing down anyone that drove around them, often toting shotguns in hand. That had already had warnings for stopping hunters on public roads and right of ways previously. This stunt got him years of jail time and the landowner in trouble who allowed it to go on so no more hunting leases there. I drove through all the roads they built that are now county managed public right of ways. Actually saw very few birds as they still had milo, corn and wide shelter belts still setup but up far off the road.
 
Of all the Game warden encounters I've had the best encounters have been with Warden's that are fellow outdoorsman. They have always been polite and friendly. The worse have always been with non-hunters. Or maybe just need to prove something. A couple years ago. Two walked across a field to check me. I saw them coming, leashed the dog and started their way. Both were young guys. The oldest was very nice, but at the same time had an aura of (don't screw with me). One was just a baby, fresh out of the academy. We had a great conversation about wildlife and habitat. The youngest never said much. I hope he was taking note on how to check someone the correct way!
Here's my take on our current situation in this country with law enforcement. We've created a culture that discourages taking the law in our own hands, opting to pay someone else to protect us. No bullshit Alfa males are drawn to these positions as I think they should. That's the kind of man I want to come rescue me if need be. Then we want to send them to jail when they're overzealous. When being you're robbed do you want an Alfa male or a social worker to show up? My thanks to all law enforcement and military, especially in these crazy times.
 
Goosemaster said:
I'm montana fwp would spend more time trying to catch poachers, as they do with those stupid boat check stations,that would help!!
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Completely different positions. Invasive species/boat check workers are not licensed LEOs. They cannot enforce law. They only ask a few questions and remind people to drain water and clean their boats before leaving. Quite often, they are interns. I did it one year way back in the mid 2000's as an intern for the MN DNR.

I always had the local CO on speed dial though if I ran into a disgruntled individual that I thought might be trying to hide something or was uncooperative.
 
gimruis said:
Completely different positions. Invasive species/boat check workers are not licensed LEOs. They cannot enforce law. They only ask a few questions and remind people to drain water and clean their boats before leaving. Quite often, they are interns. I did it one year way back in the mid 2000's as an intern for the MN DNR.

I always had the local CO on speed dial though if I ran into a disgruntled individual that I thought might be trying to hide something or was uncooperative.
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I know they aren't game wardens, but Jesus! Let's stop this bs.
 
birddude said:
They are waiting for the time when your limited out and your dog brings you a cripple:)!
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Haha probably true! To be completely honest, I do know a warden and talk with him frequently. He flat out told me that he has watched me in the past from afar and never checked me because he recognized me from social media and didnt see me doing anything wrong. Maybe that counts, maybe my experience is skewed.. who knows.
 
gimruis said:
Completely different positions. Invasive species/boat check workers are not licensed LEOs. They cannot enforce law. They only ask a few questions and remind people to drain water and clean their boats before leaving. Quite often, they are interns. I did it one year way back in the mid 2000's as an intern for the MN DNR.

I always had the local CO on speed dial though if I ran into a disgruntled individual that I thought might be trying to hide something or was uncooperative.
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Ive been surveyed in MN 3 times, and i only fish there 2 weeks a year. They were all super nice guys and a pleasant experience. I fish the horseshoe chain, so it was always about the catfish. The last one i was trolling for walleye by myself and he pulled up in a little red 14' boat and asked if i would be willing to be surveyed. I said tie up if you want but Im not stopping. He did just that, and it slowed my boat down from 2.2 to 1.7mph. I caught 3 nice eyes during that survey and hated to see him leave. He even got to measure them and record them in his log book which he was super greatful for, since he said he had not gotten to record any walleye all weekend.

I have not ran into an AIS check, but I dont use public ramps either.
 
Goosemaster said:
I know they aren't game wardens, but Jesus! Let's stop this bs.
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The AIS campaign, boat checkers in MN are about the biggest waste of time and money. Might as well just flush taxpayer money straight down the drain. All it is is optics so the lawmakers can feel good about themselves and say they're doing something about the "problem". I got news for you, milfoil will be in every lake in MN. Trying to stop its spread is about like saying a cheap cloth mask will stop an aerial viral infection. Biology never got the memo.
 
Bob Peters said:
The AIS campaign, boat checkers in MN are about the biggest waste of time and money. Might as well just flush taxpayer money straight down the drain. All it is is optics so the lawmakers can feel good about themselves and say they're doing something about the "problem". I got news for you, milfoil will be in every lake in MN. Trying to stop its spread is about like saying a cheap cloth mask will stop an aerial viral infection. Biology never got the memo.
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Exactly. It's bs.
 
I used to get stopped more than once a yr hunting phez in W ohio. The warden got to the point where he did not even check me, but would check everyone else in my party. I was easy to spot as I drove a teal F350 4X4 with lots of chrome, & pulled a teal 8 dog trailer. I have probably been checked close to 100 times hunting & fishing, mostly in Ohio. Most have been more than nice, except for the Feds.
 
The best story that I have knowledge about happened in MO. A buddy of mine (Cam) was going to chiro school in KC. He lived in MO & had leased a duck blind on the river. He & a another guy had their limit & were almost back to the truck when the GW pulls up & checks them. Cam pulls out his licenses & has OH, KY, MI, KS, WI, IO, all nonresident, & KS lifetime. most have small game, waterfowl, deer , & turkey. He could not find his resident Missouri license. The GW was laughing by now and ended up letting him go.
 
I have gotten checked more elk hunting in Colorado than any other state. One time by 2 officers who blocked the road with their rigs as I was leaving camp. Got checked sitting in my truck twice when I wasn't hunting and didn't have a gun in the vehicle. Got a bull a few years ago and got checked the morning we were carrying the meat out. Warden wanted me to call him when I got all the meat out and drive the meat over to his office. I said no. I am going to the processor when I get the meat out and if you want to check the carcass tag you can check it there. He didn't show. He is well known locally for targeting out of state hunters. I've never had a violation and I always cooperate but it isn't for lack of trying.
 
I think there should be more law enforcement out there.There are poachers in Montana that deserve to be arrested and jailed for years, if not executed by the electric chair.These people are idiots and red necks.
 
remy3424 said:
75-80 days hunting each season, I am jealous, but I am not sure I could do that. Even just 2 birds per day, that is 150 roosters, Even if you give half of them away, you must really really like eating them (or your hunts/area aren't overly productive), I don't shoot half that number (150) and I have to eat so many during the season, I quit for a few months after the season ends. I still have a couple to eat before the new ones get stacking-up! Don't get me wrong, I like eating them, but eating a couple everyday or 2 can really change my appetite for them as the season goes on.
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A lot of guys hunt a lot, but rarely shoot anything.
 
Bob Peters said:
I know a lot of guys that fish a lot, some even have fancy boats, but they couldn't catch a fish in an aquarium.
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I know a few like that too. They inherited a lot of money and they never really worked very hard to earn anything. Fortunately, being wealthy doesn't make fish bite or fold pheasants. One of them became so frustrated by the lack of success hunting wild pheasants that he just bought a membership at a game farm instead and now he's proud of the fact that he can shoot birds regularly. :rolleyes:
 
Bob Peters said:
I know a lot of guys that fish a lot, some even have fancy boats, but they couldn't catch a fish in an aquarium.
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I fish once in a while,but I'm not a big fan of fisherman or big game hunters. Back in the day, only the aristocracy was allowed to bird hunt.Servants and uneducated rubes fished and hunted big game.
 
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