Game Warden Encounter

[tpack]

I had my first encounter with a Texas Game Warden Friday evening. It was my first time ever and I started hunting dove with my uncle in the 60`s when I was 10 or 11 years old. They stopped while I was at my truck locking the ranch gate on a caliche road in Erath county. They were very pleasant and professional. They shined their flashlight at my tailgate, but that was about the extent of their investigation. We shot the $hi+ for about 5 minutes, asked about who owned the land and if I leased it and then I asked if they wanted to see my license. After telling me to sign the back of my license they said have a good night and drove off. While I was walking back to the truck I remembered how law enforcement have been tread by some in this country lately, so I stopped, turned around and told them I appreciate what you do and they said thank you. Very pleasant encounter.

[Arrowflinger84]

Most are just looking for the bad guys. If you are not doing something illegal or nervous around them while talking to them they are pleasant. You have to remember almost every encounter a game warden has includes a firearm or weapon of some sort ( even fishing encounters ). Very dangerous job and that's why they sometimes come up on high alert. Its not to be a jerk it for their protection. Glad your experience was pleasant.

[SabineHunter]

I had my first encounter with a Texas Game Warden Friday evening. It was my first time ever and I started hunting dove with my uncle in the 60`s when I was 10 or 11 years old. They stopped while I was at my truck locking the ranch gate on a caliche road in Erath county. They were very pleasant and professional. They shined their flashlight at my tailgate, but that was about the extent of their investigation. We shot the $hi+ for about 5 minutes, asked about who owned the land and if I leased it and then I asked if they wanted to see my license. After telling me to sign the back of my license they said have a good night and drove off. While I was walking back to the truck I remembered how law enforcement have been tread by some in this country lately, so I stopped, turned around and told them I appreciate what you do and they said thank you. Very pleasant encounter.

Dang, you're lucky. A violation right there. Me, they woulda thrown the book at.

[JMart76]

Haven’t had an encounter since I was a teenager. Back then it was at the lake but they were always good experiences.

[SETX_Insanity]

I have more encounters duck hunting than I do deer hunting, guess the boat launch is a good way to check everyone quickly. Never had a bad experience in my 10 or so years of hunting on my own

[alec73065]

I have had good and bad experiences with them in TX.
Met the Liberty county game warden coming out of the lease gate on a 100 degree day last summer, after working on my setup for a few hours I was hotter than heck and just ready to drive home. She was very nice, new to the county and just asked who the lease manager was, I told her and ended up shooting the bull with her for an hour and a half. She never checked my license or whether I had permission on the land. I guess the fact that I unlocked the gate was a reasonable assumption I was supposed to be there.

We used to go to Davy Crockett and camp out there for a week, the GW coming through the campground was a regular occurrence. I had killed a nice 9 point opening morning and checked it in as the forest service regs require. I had the antlers hanging on the back of my trailer and was just hanging out in camp. 2 young GW's came through and stopped and started asking questions about where , when and how I killed it. Answered all their questions , showed them my license and hunter safety card. I had taken hunter safety in Minnesota , so they started grilling me on it not being valid needed to be from TX etc. I told them the requirement was a completed hunter safety course and keeping the card on me while I was hunting. Told them I had been checked many times with no issues. They ended up writing me a ticket for this , which was later dismissed. They went through every tent , bags , trucks that were on our campsite. I also have a lease in Lampasas and there were a few kernels of corn in the bed of my truck from filling the feeders the weekend before opener and they were sure I had been baiting in the National Forest . They went on about this for 20 minutes or more. They ended up coming through and checking the back of our trucks daily the entire time we were there. Both were huge jerks and had real authority issues. They also checked me coming out of the woods twice and insisted on going through my backpack. I gave them the Lampasas lease owners name and phone number and offered to call to prove I had been up the week before. I still had the receipt in my truck from 1500# lbs of corn purchased in Lampasas. These two guys were probably the worst I have encountered in my life.

[WItoTX]

You sure they didn't pull out a gun and shoot you? I heard that's all LEO's do these days...

[.270]

I have been checked a few times while fishing but I was only given a ticket once when I was about 17yo and I am 99.99% sure my dad (who was hanging out with the GWs while I looked for a pdf in my truck) told the GW to give me a ticket.

[tpack]

I had my wife`s fishing license with mine and thought that might be a problem, but he never asked to see it. I watch all of the Game Warden shows and have seen peoples hands shaking when they hand them their license and his flashlight was on my hands when I handed it to him. I am sure that while I was making conversation with them, they were making observations about me and my truck that I didn`t even realize. They could have looked at my tailgate closer and seen blood from a coyote that I shot 3 weeks ago that could have been a red flag. I have been on deer leases for probably 30 years and never had a permit on any of them, but wondered how strict it was enforced. I guess it isn`t important because it wasn`t brought up when I said it was my lease.

[Ishi&Elvis]

I have been checked a few times, mostly duck hunting. Local guys were always good guys, feds were a different story. They came in once a year, and were pretty much jerks to everyone, even the local GW's did not like them. I always had all my stuff taken care of and never gave them any reason to question what I was doing or killing. I always invite them for a cup of coffee or ice tea and to stop by anytime.

[jerp]

One thing I have learned in these encounters is to not try and engage in small talk until they do. Some of them see that as you trying to change the subject to distract them. Let them finish asking the questions they feel are necessary first and they will be more comfortable with you.

[tpack]

One thing I have learned in these encounters is to not try and engage in small talk until they do. Some of them see that as you trying to change the subject to distract them. Let them finish asking the questions they feel are necessary first and they will be more comfortable with you.

I agree. I thought the same thing after they left. Probably the best thing to do is not offer any information that isn`t asked for. They probably wanted me to shut up so they could leave and go eat.

[dustinztx]

Ran into the Llano GW last week. He checked me as I was driving out of the lease putting corn in feeders. Asked if I hunted in the morning and said no and asked if anyone else had, which they hadn't. Only 4 of us on the lease. Then he asked me to identify a deer that had been shot and died at the RV park behind us. Of course, it was one of our young DNS 12 points. I had the same deer on camera the evening before alive. He asked to send him the pic from the night before alive and was going to treat it as a poaching case.

[arrowsmack324]

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[sbushee]

Most are just looking for the bad guys. If you are not doing something illegal or nervous around them while talking to them they are pleasant. You have to remember almost every encounter a game warden has includes a firearm or weapon of some sort ( even fishing encounters ). Very dangerous job and that's why they sometimes come up on high alert. Its not to be a jerk it for their protection. Glad your experience was pleasant.

EVERY encounter has a weapon. The warden has one one with them