Game Wardens above the law?
12-07-2011, 04:04 AM
#41
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,662
I think a point that's being missed or trying to be made is every year you hear of someone being shot by a hunter who thought he was shooting a deer because he shot at a " sound or movement " ...... And it was another hunter or someone walking in the woods.... You guys can say and do what you want but I wouldn't walk around the woods during hunting season without orange on...and NEVER on public land.....I want to be around for many more hunting seasons .....Good Hunting and Stay Safe.....
12-07-2011, 05:12 AM
#42
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 479
Here in Wisconsin (my experience) is they don't wear blaze orange but have super powerful binnoculars on window mounts of their trucks and watch for violations at a distance then nail you when you come out. We've had some long standing laws changed this year that were just stupid. We can now have a loaded gun, uncased in the vehicle (even with the motor running) as long as it's not moving. If it's moving the gun can be uncased but has to be unloaded. Up until this year it had to be unloaded in a case on any vehicle at any time. What really gets me is these guys are nit picking to give you a citation when you are the one that pays their wages. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! 
12-07-2011, 07:46 AM
#43
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,834
I read all the posts up to this point and feel, the intentions of this thread, were to vent anger at and degrade LEO's. No Conservation Warden working in the field , in his right mind, would make it easy for someone to kill him! I have never seen a warden in the woods with out the legal atire on. (Over 40 plus years) Call it what you want, I don't believe the Story, cause that is what it is.
Now, could a warden go haywire? I suppose one could, but, the Law Enforcement officers know every one in their jurisdiction and word would get out rather quickly. And YOU, if you are a LEO, are a chicken s**t for not reporting him, that is if this story really happenened.
Now, could a warden go haywire? I suppose one could, but, the Law Enforcement officers know every one in their jurisdiction and word would get out rather quickly. And YOU, if you are a LEO, are a chicken s**t for not reporting him, that is if this story really happenened.
As far as knowing every LEO in my jurisdication, I deal mostly with street related issues and not USFWS, so again, not with having that in my everyday dealings, and they have multiple countys within their patrol district, it is hard to get to know them all, especially when a new comes to town and I have no reason to interact with him. As far as reporting him, if you read all the posts, you would understand what was said and why. And then my update. So we have it taken care of for future references and issues. Not to mention, possible interaction for joint task related options for we do work together in many instances, just never had the opportunity to have met this gentleman up till now. And he even told me he was new to the district area.
So why report him for doing what I did not know he could, even though from a safety aspect, did not make sense?
So chickens**t, not, just more educated.
Last edited by SecondChance; 12-10-2011 at 02:53 PM.
12-08-2011, 05:09 AM
#44
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Eastern Virginia
Posts: 661
Well its his choice to wear orange or not. Guess if he ever gets shot he will know better.
I never have seen a CO in the woods. I follow the law and enjoy my hunt, however around where I live he would be stupid to not wear orange. Local yahoos must shoot 5 shots at everything that is brown.
I never have seen a CO in the woods. I follow the law and enjoy my hunt, however around where I live he would be stupid to not wear orange. Local yahoos must shoot 5 shots at everything that is brown.
12-08-2011, 01:47 PM
#45
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
No, it is not a story, it is true. I have the video. I am not bashing LEO's for I am one as posted earlier, 20yrs in Jan, 2012. 5yrs Chicago, 15 yrs with my current agency.
As far as knowing every LEO in my jurisdication, I deal mostly with street related issues and not USFWS, so again, not with having that in my everyday dealings, and they have multiple countys within their patrol district, it is hard to get to know them all, especially when a new comes to town and I have no reason to interact with him. As far as reporting him, if you read all the posts, you would understand what was said and why. And then my update. So we have it taken care of for future references and issues. Not to mention, possible interaction for joint task related options for we do work together in many instances, just never had the oportunity to have met this gentleman up till now. And he even told me he was new to the district area.
So why report him for doing what I did not know he could, even though from a safety aspect, did not make sense?
So chickens**t, not, just more educated.
As far as knowing every LEO in my jurisdication, I deal mostly with street related issues and not USFWS, so again, not with having that in my everyday dealings, and they have multiple countys within their patrol district, it is hard to get to know them all, especially when a new comes to town and I have no reason to interact with him. As far as reporting him, if you read all the posts, you would understand what was said and why. And then my update. So we have it taken care of for future references and issues. Not to mention, possible interaction for joint task related options for we do work together in many instances, just never had the oportunity to have met this gentleman up till now. And he even told me he was new to the district area.
So why report him for doing what I did not know he could, even though from a safety aspect, did not make sense?
So chickens**t, not, just more educated.
12-08-2011, 02:01 PM
#46
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
nodog---You just made a ridiculous post and obviously did not read the other posts because the CO was weel within the law in that you don;t need blaze orange on unless you are hunting! He was not hunting, but was on the job checking for game law violations.
12-17-2011, 07:03 AM
#47
Spike
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Midwest USA
Posts: 37
When I read the title of this thread, I thought it would be about something along the lines of a game warden hunting without a license or ignoring bag limits. But not wearing blaze orange while working, trying to catch people doing something illegal?
It makes it kinda hard to approach someone and detect wrongdoing if you broadcast where you are and give them advanced warning that you're coming. Were you more upset that he was coming to check you and possibly interrupt your hunt, or that he wasn't letting you know from 300 yards away that he was coming?
First, having a hunt interrupted by a warden performing a license check is part of hunting. When you buy and carry a hunting license, you should know that it can be checked at any time by someone with the authotity to do so. It's not an all-day interruption, but it's a necessary thing. If you're totally legal, instead of getting bent out of shape about it or being angry with the warden, you should understand that the warden doesn't know you're legal and has to check everyone the same way. If you want to blame someone for you having to be checked, blame the idiots who have no licenses, don't tag deer, shoot overlimits of X or Y, and generally make it necessary that we ALL get checked. It's like my Marine Corps drill instructor used to say: "we all have to pay (for us, payment meant pushups) for the 10% of us who can't get their sh*& straight and do things the right way..." That's how society works, to include fish and game enforcement.
Second, I consider a game warden not wearing orange to be about as "above the law" as a police officer working undercover, buying drugs from a dope dealer or speeding to catch a speeder. Is he technically breaking the law by buying the drugs? Yes. But it's a necessary breaking of a law in order to do his job. More importantly, he's not breaking the law for personal gain, benefit, or convenience, but in the furtherance of his agency's mission.
Not wearing orange during deer season - even for a game warden - is certainly dangerous. It's about the same as driving at night with no lights on in order to look for people shining deer: a danger and probably illegal, to boot. But it's a calculated risk that most wardens will accept in order to effectively do their jobs. The other option is to wear it, be completey overt, and let wrongdoers keep on doing what they do.
It makes it kinda hard to approach someone and detect wrongdoing if you broadcast where you are and give them advanced warning that you're coming. Were you more upset that he was coming to check you and possibly interrupt your hunt, or that he wasn't letting you know from 300 yards away that he was coming?
First, having a hunt interrupted by a warden performing a license check is part of hunting. When you buy and carry a hunting license, you should know that it can be checked at any time by someone with the authotity to do so. It's not an all-day interruption, but it's a necessary thing. If you're totally legal, instead of getting bent out of shape about it or being angry with the warden, you should understand that the warden doesn't know you're legal and has to check everyone the same way. If you want to blame someone for you having to be checked, blame the idiots who have no licenses, don't tag deer, shoot overlimits of X or Y, and generally make it necessary that we ALL get checked. It's like my Marine Corps drill instructor used to say: "we all have to pay (for us, payment meant pushups) for the 10% of us who can't get their sh*& straight and do things the right way..." That's how society works, to include fish and game enforcement.
Second, I consider a game warden not wearing orange to be about as "above the law" as a police officer working undercover, buying drugs from a dope dealer or speeding to catch a speeder. Is he technically breaking the law by buying the drugs? Yes. But it's a necessary breaking of a law in order to do his job. More importantly, he's not breaking the law for personal gain, benefit, or convenience, but in the furtherance of his agency's mission.
Not wearing orange during deer season - even for a game warden - is certainly dangerous. It's about the same as driving at night with no lights on in order to look for people shining deer: a danger and probably illegal, to boot. But it's a calculated risk that most wardens will accept in order to effectively do their jobs. The other option is to wear it, be completey overt, and let wrongdoers keep on doing what they do.
12-17-2011, 07:29 AM
#48
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,606
I never mind being checked since I feel it helps to keep the poachers back in the shadows a little bit. Without having a Warden presence...the poachers are right out in the open. They are doing their jobs...which is to make sure that fish and wildlife continues to be a viable resource for our sportsmen.
12-18-2011, 02:55 AM
#49
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 526
I am absolutely not a fan of Game Wardens. I grew up in Pennsylvania when they had more power than a state cop and used it. There was a big shakeup a few years back. Apparently picking on a group of people that had money and connections really brought them into the news media's sights. Things have changed somewhat from what I have seen as far as harassment goes. It used to be if you were a hunter, you were guilty of something. When it comes to wearing orange, I think they put a vest on here when they go into the field. I think they are required to wear the uniform. I believe they would catch more poachers if they were allowed to dress like hunters (under cover).
12-18-2011, 05:20 AM
#50
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
The good guys see the bad guys doing something wrong and stop them. The goods guys don't stop just anybody to see if they are doing something wrong. The goods guys should know how important that basic constitutional requirement is.