Muley makes a certain point. It could be something that simple. It's brusque and would seem to be efficient but it's a short-term strategy that usually lessens the long term results--you're still PO'd about it and he didn't accomplish a dang thing.
Whether you had your license or not, if it was expired or not, you weren't hunting and it was a meaningless waste of time. You showed him a valid hunting license but what if you did go hunting later and forgot to bring your license? He'd never know. What if you didn't have a required tag? He'd never know. What if, what if, what if??? He'll never know because he's "already checked" you out and now he knows "everything."
I'm a cop but I've never been a game warden. When I first started as a cop, some of the old guys taught me that you catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar. It was some of the best LE teaching I ever received and I've used it with a huge amount of success throughout my career.
A smart warden in that situation (IMHO) would have talked to you about the weather (being country and polite), how your stock is doing, do you have any trespassing problems and how far does your fence run so he can keep an eye on it for you and call you if he sees any damage that needs more fixing than he can do with the Leatherman or similar tool that he should be carrying (they are much handier than people might think). He would also find out how many antelope, etc. you've been seeing and return the favor.
He should have given you a business card and asked you to call him if YOU are having any problems with hunters trespassing or you see any other potential game violations. That way he has 2 pairs of eyes watching for problems instead of just his own.
That might be the only time he ever talks to you and he's already blown a tremendous resource--somebody who lives in the area he patrols. Next month he might be trying to catch some bad guy (maybe a poacher or not) and wants to ask you if you've seen an associated vehicle. you'll probably answer him but how much time are you going to put into that answer? More importantly, how likely are you to call him when something is going down or actively work with him in the future? Probably not although that's obviously your decision to make.
If I sound a little critical of that Warden's actions, it's because I am. It's wardens/cops/LE like him that tend to give the rest of us a bad name and have never figured out that you can accomplish so much more as a cop or warden than simply asking for licenses (papers). Cops that focus on the small stuff tend to miss the big stuff when it's around them and often driving right by them.
