# First ever encounter with a game warden !



## ramfan (May 6, 2008)

Myself and 2 friends had our first encounter with a warden, it happened on private land on Wed. about mid-day. He was pretty cool about everything, asked about the hunting where we were,gave me info on the feral dogs and other info I asked about. He checked our guns for plugs,1 of us didn't have a plugged gun, so there's a ticket.This officer gave us info in how much $$ the ticket would cost and the other info we asked. So please if your out in the field make sure you have things in order....But overall he was jus doing his job !


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## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

Most times if your cooperative and don't give them grief they are pretty cool about things. You make a good point about having your things in order though. Even though I don't use it I always take my slug gun with me just in case my ML scope gets bumped or I plan on putting on a drive or two. I always have to check and make sure I have the plug in, because i rarely use it. I actually took to just leaving it in all the time. I figure if i miss after 2 or maybe 3 shots it was never meant to be lol!


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## sam kegg (Jun 23, 2007)

Yea there pretty cool for the most part just be honest with them, I wish they were around more on are properties we hunt, some of the locals hunt there with out permission


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

Pretty cool?!?!? They are the nazis of the woods! I have never met one yet that wasn't trying to swindle a ticket any way they could! If you get checked, you will get a ticket! Interpretation of the regs falls on wether or not they have filled there quota! Same with the watercraft officers! They will dig deep to press a ticket on you any way they can. From not having a pencil to fill out your deer tag, to saying your hunting too close to a cut cornfield for geese and calling it "baiting"! I had one ask me to identify a duck that I shot! It was early teal season and he said I had an immature wood duck in my possession! I showed him pictures in duck identifier. He argued and said he would issue me a ticket at a later date! Guess he couldn't admit he was wrong! What a d-bag! I never received a ticket. They argued with a friend of mine for shooting too early. Said he fired his gun 4 min. before legal shooting time, according to their watch. They also left in a hurry when I compared their watch to my cell phone clock. They were 4 min off of MY SATELITE TIME! Cover your butts and avoid them if you can. My 2 cents!


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Why wouldn't you ask for the officers badge number and register a complaint with his superior's if he was that unqualified and less than civil with you? After all, it is your dollars that keep the fish and wildlife officers in the field?
As many times as I have been checked in the woods, on the water and at the launch, I have never met a Wildlife Enforcement Officer that was rude, uncooperative or anything less than professional. I have however watched them use their authority when the sportsman being checked was less than courteous or cooperative.


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

I have very little precious time to persue my passion for the outdoors. I spend my hard earned money on my hobby. I spend countless hours trying to put myself and friends/family into successful situations where we can get the most out of our time and experience in the outdoors. You stated you never met an officer that wasn't anything less than professional. Either you have not met alot in the woods/water or you are lucky. MY experience has been LESS than professional. I have witnessed and experienced bad encounters. I have never received a ticket nor any of my companions. To waste my precious time trying to alert his superior (who obviously trained him this way) to their unprofessional ways would cut into MY time in the woods/water. So back to my original post...Cover your butts and avoid them if you can!


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## BigV (Nov 11, 2004)

I agree with Shortdrift.
I have had numerous encounters over the years both in the woods and on the water. The more recent ones involved me making notification that I was a CCW licensee and was armed. Never, not once were the ODNR Officer(s) anything but courteous and respectful.

I dont always agree with them, and I am sure they dont always agree with me. I have never been given a citation.

But then again I don't look for confrontation either.


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

Never had a problem with them. They were even polite enough to smile when they took my license for a year...


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## flathunter (Apr 5, 2004)

I used to own property that I deer hunted on..You could see my treestand from my driveway if you were waring orange..Several years ago on the opening day of gun season I heard a car pull in my driveway while I was in my stand, I had orange on of course..I then heard someone yelling to get out of the woods NOW, and he was speaking loudly about seeing my license and permission slip..So I had to climb down, walk out of the woods and talk to this man, I told him I had no permission slip as I owned the land, and I had to go in the house and get a utlity bill, and to show I lived at that address, he wanted to see my property deed also..Needless to say he ruined my hunt, and did not even say he was sorry, just walked away.


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## BigDub007 (Apr 1, 2010)

Bonecrusher said:


> Never had a problem with them. They were even polite enough to smile when they took my license for a year...


Would you mind to enlighten us ...... ? I am just curios so i never meake that same mistake


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## pj4wd (Dec 9, 2009)

I've had a few encounters with GW's and never had any trouble with them. I was respectful to them and they to me. Just doing their job.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

I have been hunting for 40 years now and I have never had a single problem with any watercraft, or wildlife officer yet. And "YES" I have had more than my fair share of being checked. Sure it's a pain being checked, but there doing what they get paid to do. If they didn't do their job what would you guys say then? Can't have it both ways? If you want respect you have to give it.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

To protect a resource, you're going to have inconvenience at some point. Bad apple in every batch. Etc, Etc. Get over it and have all your ducks in a line...But make sure they're not all hens 

With no Wildlife Officers and no fear of being caught for violating laws, we wouldn't have any resource to persue.


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## quackpot (May 17, 2009)

The game warden in my county loves to right tickets. My friend and I were checked a few years back. We were goose hunting and the birds weren't flying so we changed shells and tried to kick up some rabbits. After about a 3 mile hike he checked our guns and paperwork. He was sure he had us on shells and wanted to see them. Handed him my #2 steels and showed him #6 heavyshots. When he wanted to know why we had those shells I told him we weren't aloud to carry lead while waterfowling he said we were right and left us alone. Really professional


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

I have had problems with the watercraft boys. I've never been ticketed, or even warned but the watercraft officer that I've delt with on more than one time was nothing but rude. GW's on the other hand, I've never had any problem with. Nothing but nice to my buddies and I. There were a few times that I could have been ticketed. I wasn't knowingly breaking the law, but it is your duty as an outdoorsman to know the regs., and make sure your equipment is in order. I've been there, it happens to all of us. But I'm luckier that you I guess, as I have never recieved any sort of ticket.


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## huntingmaster1988 (Dec 5, 2010)

GW's can be assholes i know first hand my little cuzin and i were at stonelick lake and the gw ran up on us and started to ask alot of stupid questions when i started to tell him i knew all my right and reg's they got pissed and stormed away we just laughted our ass's off!!


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## dmgonfishin55 (Jan 8, 2009)

I have to give credit to the Watercraft and GW's in my area. Each encounter has been nothing but proffessional and thorough. Have yet to recieve a ticket, we all make mistakes, and forget something in a rush so I won't be surprised when I have forgotten my wallet or permission slip and get stopped. It happens, also happens that the same officers that stop you are the ones that shut down poachers and tresspassers. I will pay my ticket for my mistake in return for having these guys protecting the resources and land that I use. It's a necessary evil we have to deal with because of all the [email protected]$$ people out there.


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## kprice (May 23, 2009)

They are doing their job! Follow the rules and you wont have a problem....


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

BigDub007 said:


> Would you mind to enlighten us ...... ? I am just curios so i never meake that same mistake


All I really want to say is some one in our hunting group screwed up. They immediately blamed me none of my hunting buddies were employed at the time and I figured the violation was just going to be a fine so I sucked it up and took the blame. WRONG MOVE!


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I really can't remember how many times I've been checked by Wildlife and watercraft officers in Ohio but it is well in excess of 30 times over the last 40 years and I have never had the first reason to complain about anything.

Just solely based upon my personal experience and interaction, when ever I read posts complaining about GW's I tend to think the root of the problem lies with the person complaining, not the GW.


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## bad luck (Apr 9, 2009)

I've dealt with the "ticket happy" watercraft and GW's as well as some pretty nice ones....I've gotten a few minor tickets for MY OVERSIGHTS, it was MY FAULT for not reading the rule book through and through....so for those who get tickets, I have no sympathy...nobody did for me.

Think about this, for all the trespassers, littering people, idiots, think of how much worse it would be without the law around.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

All the officers I have met were courteous. The one I met last year was a little bit too anal. He was checking my boat prior to launching and said that I needed a fire extenquisher because my boat had a compartment. Now, my boat is just a 14' aluminum with an outboard motor and bench seats. I built a small hatch into the middle bench seat that opens up. It holds all my emergency supplies that are req'd. Now it holds a fire extenquisher just in case there is a fire in that compartment! The fire extenquisher barely fits into the compartment. The guy would not let me launch without it, so I had to waste the best part of the morning shopping at Walmart! 

I worry more about running into bad policemen then bad wildlife officers. 

I am glad though that they spend more time checking people at the ramp now before launching than waiting until we get out on the water and issuing tickets for minor infractions.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Yesterday there were 5 of us pushing a small woods next to a public area. But we had a doe in the back of the truck covered with a cap and blood on the bumper. Walking back to the road, there is the GW, new one for Hancock Cty Mr. Russel I believe. But he comes in as we come out of the field and checks licenses and guns for plugs, we are all ok there and then he would like to look at our deer, ok tagged properly, he says good luck guys and go get em. I was waiting for trouble that never came, he is a young guy but saw it for what it was a legal hunt. I have had trouble in the past with our local officers and when he saw my name he perked up a bit and spoke to me about my earlier bow kill which was legal and fine. But all in all good guy, clean stop and I look forward to seeing him in the field again in the coming years. As it was said "nothing to fear but fear itself"


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I have had encounters of both kinds I guesse just like you or me we are all different i always try to give respect until i ma disrespected then it is a different story. My view on it is that they make the rule books for a reason they are readily available and it is your responsibility to check the rules, now there are some offenses that are obviosly worthy of a ticket or worse but there are some where a warning will do, just depends on the infraction i guesse. As said earlier I would rather have a few minutes wasted than to not have them at all.


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## C J Hughes (Jan 24, 2006)

Just remeber guys Brown Cty GW is back out writing tickets for the same $hit he admitted to all of his supervisor's that he did . Checking in deer for a out of state buddy with his address and lics that he purchased with his address for the guy . 
All of his supervisors are back to work also . Paid vacation to the tune of $256,000 .
We need to flood the Tip Hotline with calls for the firing of this dirt bag . Turn him in on the Tip Hotline .


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

C J Hughes said:


> Just remeber guys Brown Cty GW is back out writing tickets for the same $hit he admitted to all of his supervisor's that he did . Checking in deer for a out of state buddy with his address and lics that he purchased with his address for the guy .
> All of his supervisors are back to work also . Paid vacation to the tune of $256,000 .
> We need to flood the Tip Hotline with calls for the firing of this dirt bag . Turn him in on the Tip Hotline .


They just gave the Big Dog a slap on the paw. I didn't think much would happen. How would you like to be an honest employee of ODNR and have to go to work every day knowing that the Big Dogs did what they did? I'd be a prick-head too! All we can do is try to be the best Sportsmen (and Sports-Ladies) that we can be. Make a List if it makes you more organized with your equipment prep. Do whatever it takes to help you follow those Rules.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Just like when you buy strawberry's in a box at the super market. You get a lot of good berry's and a few rotten ones. I have been checked buy some courteous ones and have been ticket and checked buy some real a++holes. 

The biggest prick was buy a watercraft guy. One of the Officers were nice the other was not. He was such a prick. After my ticket My kids 4 and 9 said that they didn't like cop's.... I of course told them that they are not all like that not to feel that way. I decided to take it to court just to have it on record on his actions. 

A drunk-in pill head jealous neighbor called and said I shot a big buck (140 class) with a gun. Officer come checked me out Was nice polite. shot with a bow but I didn't have written permission on the property that I have hunted for 25 years. We called the owner (best friend father in law) and all was good. I actually was hunting on my property after looking at the plot map.

Grandfather was checked on a deer he shot they didn't believe an 82 or 83 year old could shoot a 130 class. He shot in his back yard and had been watching it for a while. after seeing his mounts and checking his basement and examining his crossbow he left... Needless to say he was an a-hole and pissed my grandfather of thinking he was incompetent and old. he dug in 65 tomato plants half in virgin soil. he is 86 and is a deer kill-in machine.

These or just some of the run-ins I have more and they all vary.. good and bad. I do have a friend that is one and He is a good honest guy...

All in all you will always going to deal with good ones and bad ones. If the bad ones get called on and complained about then they won't be around long.

Just like cops I have been pulled over by Good ones and hard ass's


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## Snag06 (Mar 24, 2006)

I no longer hunt in Guernsey County because of the D-bag GW there. He wrote me a BS ticket a few years back. I took it to court and he didn't even turn in the paperwork into the prosecutors office! Needless to say they and the judge were none to impressed and threw it out. Cost me more in lost wages and gas but it was simply about right and wrong! It's all a numbers game and most will just pay it. It's easier to write BS tickets to good sportsman than it is to track down and take care of the real problems. I'm sure there are very good GW's out there for the right reasons but it's a shame that the few a$$holes out there are making a bad name for the rest of them!


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## TomC (Aug 14, 2007)

I've only been checked twice, both times by the miami co game warden. she checked me for a fishing license and shotgun plug and license w tags which I didn't mind because shes cute and smelled good too.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

And had a perdy mouth!! Ha Ha Ha


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