ORIGINAL: Windwalker7

I've talked about this before but I'll tell what happened for those who are new.

This happened to me in late October 1988.

I had just bought a new VHS video camera ealier in the year. You remember those big cameras they first came out with. Not alot of people had them.

I had filled my deer tag earlier in the archery season. Since it was late October I wanted to try to get some deer on film. The rut was kicking in and deer were on the move. I wanted some cool footage to show family and friends.

I parked my Bronco at the edge of a field. The field sloped downhill to a wooded gully. I was almost to the woods when a voice yelled out to me.I looked back toward my vehicle to see a PGCJeep Cherokee and two officers.

They told me to "get back up here" I trudged back up the hill to them. Immediately they had that attitude. They wanted to know what I was up to. I told them I wanted to try to get some pictures of some deer.

I was unarmed and totally polite to them. They grilled me about where I was from and why I was out with the camera. They also checked my license. (I was wearing the camo I hunt in)

They wanted to see my camera. They pushed buttons and even ejected the tape. They held the tape up and looked at it. One of the officers chuckled to the other as he held the tape up in the air looking it over.


I feel they had no right to just start pushing buttons and eject the tape. Why?

Why check my license? I was on private ground and was not hunting. It shouldn't of mattered who's license was on my back. Whether I had my fathers jacket or my Grandmother's jacket should have been no concern.

The part that bothers me the most was how they handled my camera and pushing all the buttons. They had no right to demand to see it in the first place.

That camera was expensive and not many people had them back then.

The arrogant, cocky attitude bothered me too. Grilling me about what I was doing and where I was from, when all I had was a camera. I guess I might have been trying to poach deer with a camera or something.

From that day, I carry a grudge.

There have been other encounters too.

We had a family friend when I was kid. His brother was a deputy. He'd stock pheasants for his other three brothers to hunt and harass other hunters who stopped to hunt.Checking every license (slowly) Checking every gun for a 3 shell limit looking through their car. (slowly)

He'd basically make it uncomfortable for them so they would leave and his brothers and my dad and I wouild have the field to our selves. I was just a kid and didn't mind haveing the feild full of pheasants to ourselves. But looking back I see that it was not right.

I just don't have trust or respect for the PGC.I guess first impressions last the longest!