RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

In my experience the younger the game warden, the more likely he or she is to be a jerk. But not always of course. I've met some I really liked, and some I thought were real you-know-whats. Have not been checked in several years, but last year just missed getting checked. He checked everyone in camp, but not me up in my tree stand 100 yards away. (I was fine anyway). From what everybody said he was decent.

In my younger day, I was once stopped at my car by 2 game wardens who gave me a hard time about getting back to my car late. Now it's about a 1/2 hour walk to my spot during daylight in a scent-minded path. They proceeded to tell me that I had to be out of the woods when legal shooting time was over. NY legal shooting timeends atsunset. Are you kidding me? Mostly I just gave them a lot of yes sirs, ok sirs, I could tell they were trying to provoke me. They did not fine me at all, just gave me a hard time. Turns out one of the neighbors had reported somebody in the area poaching deer. Wasn't me of course, but left a sour taste in my mouth over game wardens for a while.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

I got droped of in ak. 100 or more miles from the nearest road.after 4 days of packing moose meat I was heating water for a shower ,half undressed a small plane flys over and lands.he is a game warden /state trooper ,he checked everything out then spent a half hour just bs ing.nice guy but who would think in the middle of no where.two days later I was lay /resting /recovering in a raft when he flow over again he tiped his wing at me ,I waved and though what a great job.I have run in to a few that realy jacked me .

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

I told my encounter on the northeast forum in here a while back. I'll tell it again.

I'm from PA. Around here the PGC has a bad reputation. MOST of it is deserved.


One time around 1988, I was taking my newly purchased VHS video camera out to try to film some deer. I had filled my tag earlier in the archery season but still wanted to be out in the woods.

I got checked by two CO's as I was walking in a field after parking my car. They pulled in beside my car and called me to come back to them.

I showed them my camera and informed them I was not hunting just trying to film deer. They check my license. ( To me it should not have mattered whose license was on my back. I wasn't hunting with a firearm. I could just as easily grabbed my father's jacket and wore it. It shouldn't matter.)

I did have my license by the way. Anyway, they proceeded to check out my camera. They were pushing all the buttons and wanted to eject the tape. I had to do it for them. Why they had to see the tape, I have no idea. I also had to show them ID. They were asking all kinds of questions. I had no firearm and feel they should have just left me alone. I only had a camera and they could plainly see that.

They were cocky and arrogant the whole time. Ever since then its left a bad taste in my mouth about them.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

Here's another incident that happened to a buddy of mine a long time ago. He and some friends were hunting doves in a field. They parked their trucks under a big, lone oak tree in the field.( SHADE)

They were beside their trucks shooting at doves when a Game Warden came ripping through the field up to them. He jumped out and started giving an attitude right away. First he checked all the licenses and them started checking each gun for shell capacity. Then he started his ranting.


He chewed them up one side and down the other telling them they were all getting fined.He started writinga ticket.My buddy asked " For what?"

He proceeded to tell them that they were not allowed to park in the field without permission. The Game Warden ask if they had permission. They said yes. The Warden ask my buddy where he was from. My buddy pointed across the field to the farm house and said, " Right there!"


It was his property! The warden looked surprised, asking if he owned the field. He informed him that he most certainly did. Them my buddy procedded to chew him out.

The Warden appolegized, got in his truck and left.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

Just a newbie, and thought I would say I've really been enjoying all the stories in this thread. I myself have never been approached by a GW, but I've only been hunting for a couple years.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

I haven't seen one in 20 years of hunting. Seen them fishing a bunch of times but never during hunting season.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

I have been check in Pa. montana 3 times ,Ill. ,maryland,Idaho, newyork,alaska and canada.I do not mind ,they are a pleasure to talk to most of the time.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

These are some good stories. I've been checked a few times by game wardens. Only got a ticket the first time I was checked. Me and my brother went dove hunting and hadn't been gone 10 minutes. Neither of us knew we were supposed to have plugs in the shotguns. $100 fine each. That was OK, we were wrong, but the warden was still @$$. A warning would have been sufficient. Was checked several other times by him too, couple times he could have wrote a ticket but didn't, just a warning. I think that if they get to know you abit it helps them decide what kind of person they are dealing with. They can tell alot of times who's out breaking the laws on purpose and who isn't. I think its good to get to know them some. They can be of great help to you some times.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

I was goose hunting one time in a field pit and we were useing stuffer's as decoys. Stuffersare field mounts frombirdswe took in seasons pastand are legal if you can afford them. Anyway the GW lived down the road and we could see his house from the pit along with the road. He drove by and sawour spread in the field through an opening and stopped and proceeded to walk across the field towards us.This wasabout an hourbefore shooting time was over. As he started to walk towards us we had a group of birds set thier wings and commited to our spread. We opened up and dropped a few, I think 3 out of 5. Well the GW started running towards us shouting to lay our weapons on top of the pit and get out. Dropping those geese while he was walking towards us(better part of200 yrds away)irratated him to no end. He checked us over for plugs, licenses etc and walked all around looking for bait. He ended our hunt by doing this untill shooting time ran out. He found nothing wrong and we thanked him for ruining our prime time we waited hours for. He said he would be checking us every time he saw us there, (it was a leased property on Md's Eastern Shore) and we told him weexpected that because we know where you live not meaning it as a threat or anything. We didn't see him the rest of the season.
Another time we were checked by the Federal Wardens and could see them coming from a long way. They just made thier way across all the fieldsstopping andchecking everyone they came in contact with. These guys were professionaland very curtiouseven through we had no birds pitch while they were in the fields, again at prime time.

RE: Checked by a Warden last night
 

never been checked while hunting,but get checked alot when fishing(live on lake).never have had a problem with them,just afew funny mishaps with them,