Game Wardens

[Swede]

What has been your experience with game wardens while you were in your hunting area?
I very rarely see one. In fact, years go by and I don\'t see any. In over 50 years of hunting experience I have had less than five encounters. Once I called to report some dead deer and elk that were poached and left. In the 1960s, a game warden stopped by our camp, looked around and then left and went on about his business. In the 1980s, I was driving along a dirt road when I stopped for the approaching game warden. We were just passing on a narrow single lane dirt road. I knew him a little personally as he occasionally stopped in at the Forest Service office. He visited a couple of minutes then drove off. Off hand, I don\'t remember any other encounters.

 

[ABQ_Chica]

Interesting question. I\'ve only been hunting in NM for 4 years and have run across border patrol agents and had to pass through border checkpoints while hunting. Haven\'t seen any game wardens, though, and no hunting checkpoints so far.

On Valles Caldera hunts, we had to check in and out each day and report any harvests, but that was conducted by staffmembers of the trust managing the land, not by game wardens.

That said, in the CO Flat Tops Wilderness about 20 years ago, I ran into wardens a couple of times on summer backpacking and fishing trips.

 

[razorback]

I haven\'t met many while hunting in Missouri. I wished we had more as we have a lot of Mark Twain National Forest where I live and it\'s hard for a few to cover so much ground. The turkey and deer suffer the consequences. Those I have met are generally cordial do the normal license/tag check and visit for a few minutes.

This fall I called and talked to the warden for the unit I planned on hunting. He was helpful and I ran into him while I was buying my tag. I introduced myself, he remembered the phone call and told me to give him a call if my area didn\'t work out. I thought that above and beyond, so hat\'s off to that warden in CO.

 

[Deertick]

I\'ve never seen one while elk hunting. Nor have I ever seen USFS workers enforcing the 21-day camping rules.

 

[Ol' Arky]

Nearly ever year I hunted Colorado I was visited by a game warden... Maybe I just look shady to um... :silent: :silent:

 

[AndyJ]

I don\'t see them often but mostly they have been very nice and helpful. I would say some are lazy when it comes to following up on leads but they are probably just over-stretched.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

My cousin is a State Game Warden and well.......no comment!

 

[OldMan]

I became good friends with the warden in my unit. I\'d not only see him every year while hunting, but a lot during hiking/scouting too. We\'d also talk a lot on the phone, and email.

Kind of funny. When I retired from hunting, he also had retired as a warden too. I actually hunted his whole career in his unit.

 

[cohunter14]

I have come across them a few times during different hunts, but every time has been on roads for the most part. One time they stopped by our camp on a scouting trip that was during archery season, but that\'s about it. It seems to me that they stick to the main roads for the most part.

 

[cnelk]

Been checked a few times.
Once an undercover guy came into our camp after dark claiming he was a little \'lost\'
We fed him some stew, chit chatted and took him up to his truck.
As we neared his truck he said it was far enough and he could walk the rest of the way.
I kept going and as we rounded a corner where his truck was, we saw it was the DOW.
He looked a little sheepish and confessed.
But he did commend us on how we hunted, how our camp was clean and said more hunters should be like us.

Another time we got checked as we were having lunch at the truck. He pulls up, and asks for our licenses. Checked them out, not a prob.
Asked to see our rifles. I said they are in the truck, want to see them? Go check them, Im eating lunch. So he did, not a prob.

 

[iccyman001]

Up in the North Maine woods we were often had our camps checked and they were some of the nicest people that I have ever met.
They were always respectful and full of good stories or knowledge. We always made sure to invite them for lunch or dinner.

Massachusetts on the other hand.... I don\'t even think I could keep my opinions PG is I tried on my experiences there... :crazy:

 

[F M]

I have never had a problem with any I have met. We got to know the DOW officer from the Meeker area that was killed in a horse riding accident. He was a really good guy to us, he would come out to our camp every year and have lunch and visit. He was helping us try to find a another area that my aunt would be physically be able to hunt easier. He would call me a couple of times a year just to check in and see if we where coming out to hunt that year. For him to do that when we where non residents I thought was extremely nice of him.

 

[cohunter14]

Been checked a few times.
Once an undercover guy came into our camp after dark claiming he was a little \'lost\'
We fed him some stew, chit chatted and took him up to his truck.
As we neared his truck he said it was far enough and he could walk the rest of the way.
I kept going and as we rounded a corner where his truck was, we saw it was the DOW.
He looked a little sheepish and confessed.
But he did commend us on how we hunted, how our camp was clean and said more hunters should be like us.

:shock: Wow, I\'ve never heard of them doing something like that...that\'s a little overboard if you ask me.

 

[elky McElkerson]

i\'m a fan.

one time i got checked in the middle of nowwhere in NM. it got me thinking just how sketchy their job is. everyone is \"armed\"..and there are no witnesses. this guy walked right up into our camp.

turkey hunting, i get checked all the time. i put everything down and will walk to him..i dont need anyone with a gun nervous. last time, despite my respect and politeness, this guy checked everything. my bow, broadheads, my backup shotgun..shells, max shell capacity..all my paperwork. it was insane, but i\'m happy he is checking everyone.

 

[bowhunter]

elky, Maybe you was a shady looking caracter to the warden. Sorry couldn\'t resist :lol:

 

[elky McElkerson]

elky, Maybe you was a shady looking caracter to the warden. Sorry couldn\'t resist :lol:

This goes without sayin!

 

[wvarcher]

We got checked several yrs ago near Durango by a warden on horseback..our guide said he had no idea where he came in from.

 

[Anonymous]

I run into them all the time out on Colorado Eastern plains. I am friends with one of them. Last time I saw them in 2013 I had just gotten a good sized mule deer out to the truck and was trying to transfer it from my game cart to the bed of the pickup. That\'s when they showed up and helped me. I\'ve never seen one in the mountains.

Ran into them all the time when I lived in MN. They would show up at the wildlife area we hunted during rifle season. I also ran into them in Wisconsin during bow and rifle seasons.

 

[bnsafe]

havnt had alot of good encounters with law enforcement of any kind. and no, ive got one speeding ticket in my life, thats the extent of my lawlessness. i got checked last year in co an the guy was nice and cordial He ask to check my bow and looked for lights. told him the last thing i needed was issues with law enforcement and if i did something wrong it was an accident.