How prevalant are Game wardens?

[Colorado Redneck]

Taylorce1
I've lived in Colorado 70 years and have never seen a "check station." Where does the CPW locate check stations? How do they identify hunters, or is every vehicle required to stop?

[Double Naught Spy]

I've lived in Colorado 70 years and have never seen a "check station." Where does the CPW locate check stations? How do they identify hunters, or is every vehicle required to stop?

Here are a few examples....

https://kdvr.com/2015/10/20/wildlife...point-on-i-70/

Many are listed on several pages here...
http://cpw.state.co.us/search/Pages/...heck%20station

[taylorce1]

The only one I've been at is the one they set up opening weekend of rifle pronghorn season at the intersection of CO highways 71 and 94. They stop every vehicle much like a DUI checkpoint. However, they didn't do one there this last year for some reason, but we also didn't have the hunters in the GMU that I hunt that they have had in the past.

[tahunua001]

they are similar to the check stations set up for boats to check for mussels. in ID they normally use slow vehicle pullouts, temporary weigh stations, or chainup areas and set up signs directing all hunters to stop (with or without game). the video double naught found is an example of a larger one, but that's essentially what they look like everywhere that does them. usually they post them at choke points (one road in, one road out) like highway 95 just north of Riggins, Highway 12 east of Lewiston. I normally hunt fairly close to home so I don't have to worry much, but last year I went on a trip farther from home than usual and I had to submit to a stop on my way home.

[FrankenMauser]

What tahunua describes is about all I've encountered in Idaho and Wyoming, except that those check stations in Wyoming were set up at low speed choke points or major intersections, with wardens actively watching traffic and actively flagging down hunters (aside from generous signage telling all hunters to stop).

In Utah, however, I've encountered the 'DUI' style check points where major dirt roads tie back into highways, and they stop every vehicle - at least long enough to just peak through windows or into the truck bed, to see if the person may have been hunting.

In any of the above states, they will come after you (if they have the manpower available) if they see evidence of a game animal, or enough evidence that you were likely hunting, but you don't stop at the check point. I've seen them do so in Utah and Wyoming. And...


In a previous post, I said I hadn't ever stopped at a check point in Idaho. That's true, but I did encounter a warden from one once. Coming home from a family member's hunt in Utah, a couple years ago, there was a check station (I think more for CWD inspection) set up just inside the Idaho border. I blew past it, since I wasn't hunting (and hadn't been) ... even though I had hunter orange visible and a pack frame strapped to a 4-wheeler in the back of a muddy truck. (For anyone that has traveled northbound on I-15 into Idaho, over the last 7-8 years, this was at the rest area that doubles as the watercraft inspection location, and has a dozen signs on the highway indicating such.)

I stopped at the gas station in Malad, ID (about 6 miles further up the highway). As my son and I were getting out to pump gas, a Fish and Game truck pulled in behind me. Summarized exchange from memory:
F&G: "What are you doing, dude?"
Me: --"Gittin' some gas. What's up?"
F&G: "You blew the check point. You know that's a [some monetary amount]-dollar ticket, right?"
--"I wasn't hunting."
F&G: "It sure looks like you were."
--"Yes. Yes, it does. That's fair. But I wasn't. I was in Utah providing use of my 4-wheeler and on standby as a pack mule in case an elk was dropped by family."
F&G: "You mind if I poke around a bit and take a look? Do you have any firearms, besides the one on your belt?"
--"Yea, there's a loaded revolver there and a rifle with a full magazine behind the seat [motioning to where they were]. You can look all you want, as long as you start here..."
I grabbed a fuel receipt out of the driver's door pocket, showing that I had been in Heber City, UT (150 miles away) about 2.5 hours prior.

We exchanged a few words, and then pleasantries. And then he took his leave without digging further, after saying, "next time, tell the story at the check station, please; so we don't have to chase you down for it."

[buck460XVR]

Originally Posted by reynolds357

You might want to learn search and seizure law. You are a bit off on your "facts." As retired L.E. with most my time in vice, I know my facts. Study "open fields doctrine." Me and the rabbit sheriff are close personal friends. I am not running him down, I am stating a fact about him.

Yep, I know about "open field doctrine". It's explained by the local warden at most every Hunter Safety class I help with. Still for the most part, a warden(at least around here) does not enter private property unless there is just cause. Such as someone reporting something or they witness something themselves. You don't see them entering private property regularly just to check licenses. Most(again around here) are way too busy for such trivial things.

I'm too am a close personal friend of a local retired warden. Was friends with him for most of his active career. Like regular LEO, folks either love 'em or hate 'em. Most of the time it relates to how they've been treated by them in the past, or how much respect they have for game laws/regs. Just like regular LEOs, you have a small percentage with a power trip going on, that get some form of enjoyment out of trying to make a major case against everyone. I've found tho, for the most part, most wardens(again, at least around here) work hard on not just enforcing the laws, but educating folks too(as is the case with our Hunter Safety classes). They also use discretion as to how to handle cases on an individual basis and they try to walk away from folks with a positive experience unless they have done something wrong.(and in that case it's hard). I don;t see them looking to make "big bucks" by nailing folks where it's easy. As in the case of opening day or when folks are standing shoulder to shoulder in a river, it goes back to what I said before.......they've picked a good stand. History and experience has taught them tis is where a high incidence of violating goes on, thus, a needed focus. Kinda lie when the Hell's Angles come to town and stop at a local watering hole. They generally get a little more focus from the local PD, than the weekend biker that stops at the same place.

Gotta be tough to work daily with folks that are generally carrying guns, and are generally not in a good mood when they see you walk up. Most of the time, those folks are on the defensive and have their hackles up. Nature of the beast. Those same folks tho are happy to see the same guy if they are lost, injured or have witnessed someone else violating where they hunt/fish. Kinda like the tax assessor. Folks are snibble it's too high, when they see their assessment and the amount of taxes they must pay, but, when they go to sell, for some reason they explain to a potential buyer, that the same assessment, is way too low.

[Rangerrich99]

Originally Posted by Husqvarna

So my guilty pleasure now is North woods law, so yah "reality" TV :~\

130 game wardens in Maine according to Google


The concept of game wardens is totally alien to me. Atleast ones out patrolling

We have sorta equivalent but they are bureacrats mostly and each state only got a few.

How often do you encounter them in a regular hunting year?

When it comes to tags and such we selfreport. Bears they do come out to physically inspect it) and if a Wolf has been shot

Overall game management here is done by the state (the bureacrats I alluded to) But us hunters do the practical stuff ourself in our national and local orgs and landowners/hunting leasers.

Is there really as much poaching and hunting violations?

Sure we have a few big hunting crimes/cases a year in all of Sweden.. But 2017 there was about 2200 hunting crimes nationwide (but over half of that is hit and run game traffic collisions which falls into the category), all these small violations here are just not happening and/or glossed over, self policing if you will

How can it be so different?

Haven't read every response, so someone may have already pointed this out: there are approximately 16 million hunters in the U.S. (as of 2014), or almost twice the entire population of Sweden. Or to be more precise, 15.8 million people bought a hunting tag in 2014.

I don't know how many hunters there are in Sweden, but I'm guessing it's a small percentage of the whole population. Bottom line, probability math assures us that the U.S. is just going to have more total infractions than Sweden.

For myself, I've run into at least two game wardens a year every year for the last dozen or so years, mostly while fishing. I'm glad to see them, as I often see people violating the fishing regs in the various states where I fish.

I also think we are seeing more hunting/fishing violations/poaching in recent years because many new hunters don't seem to have grown up hunting/fishing. In other words, they didn't have a mentor (a father/uncle/whoever) to teach them how to hunt/fish legally and responsibly. Of course, I could be wrong, but in mhy personal experiences, this seems to be the case.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Rangerrich99

I also think we are seeing more hunting/fishing violations/poaching in recent years because many new hunters don't seem to have grown up hunting/fishing. In other words, they didn't have a mentor (a father/uncle/whoever) to teach them how to hunt/fish legally and responsibly. Of course, I could be wrong, but in mhy personal experiences, this seems to be the case.

Your mileage may vary but...

From what I've seen, the "Good Ole Boys" club has consistently been among the worst and most blatant offenders I've ever seen. Those are the guys that don't even BUY a tag, say nothing of putting it on an animal. Same guys who "push" deer using drivers with bird shot in 12ga shotguns, to "keep the deer moving". The "young" of those groups usually take right after the old.

The guys new to the sport tend to be yuppy-ish and relatively sophisticated, with expensive clothes and even more expensive gear. Maybe a tad snobbish for my tastes, but I usually fit in better with them, not least of which because they tend to not be nearly the violators the previous generation is.

[Doyle]

Brian, your post reminds me of the thing I hated most hunting in Utah - the "drivers" who roll boulders down the mountain to make deer move.

[HiBC]

Colorado Redneck,I don't know if they still do,but for years they had a check station at Ted's Place,Livermore, at the junction of HWY 14 coming down out of Poudre Canyon and HWY US 287.

Generally,if you are driving a pickup or SUV,are wearing orange.have 4 days stubble,etc,you better stop. A camper profiles you pretty well,as does a trailer horses or 4 wheelers.

I think maybe a Prius or Mini-Cooper could pass through if it was not muddy and you weren'r wearing camo or orange.

There are roadway choke points in and out of National Forests,etc.

[std7mag]

I just met with one of our "Conservation Officers" yesterday about someone leaving tree stands up.
In PA, on game lands, your allowed to set up a tree stand 2 weeks prior, and must be removed 1 week after season.
If you leave a tree stand over night it must be tagged with your information.

Guy came in on me last year and set up 3 stands around me and left them. His tough luck as the Game Commission owns them now.

[Husqvarna]

So watching a similar show

Lone star law

Wardens in Texas

Two wardens are called out to a farm where a woman claims they have shot a Mountain lion

Long story short there was no lion, they were drunk and high/medicaded

Wardens just give them a Stern talking to

How can shooting under the influence not be atleast a ticketable offense if not a crime?

Their own property Yeah but super unsafe

[Double Naught Spy]

How can shooting under the influence not be atleast a ticketabke offense if not a crime?

Their own property Yeah but super unsafe

Being drunk is super unsafe. Should that be illegal on their own property? You can't make everything unsafe an illegal activity.

[HiBC]

A long time ago people figured out "reality show",documentary,etc have a degree of inaccuracy because people change in front of a camera or microphone.

I find series like "Yukon Men" (About Tanana,AK),Alaska State Troopers,and some other Nat Geo embedded law enforcement shows some of the best to watch in the late night hours,IMO.....for entertainment that is somewhat educational.

Its still edited to National Geographic standards.

I would not plan my hunt around a game warden reality show.

You can bet nearly all states have laws against shooting while impaired or intoxicated.I'm not in Texas,I don't know Texas law.It would surprise me if it was lawful in Texas to hunt/shoot while intoxicated,

Its a good question to ask. I would not jump to conclusions on legal matters based on a reality show.

[std7mag]

Double Night Spy,

You are aware of our Federal Government, right???

[Maynard Shooter]

Every year I hunt in the same spot a 12 acre plot of state land adjacent to a 6000 acre Jay Mountain preserve by staying within the posted signs I don't get lost. Well every year when I come out of the woods there's a game warden parked next to my vehicle we have a civil conversation as I unload my rifle and pistol. He's just doing his job and I appreciate it.

[Double Naught Spy]

Double Night Spy,

You are aware of our Federal Government, right???

std7mag, no, never heard of them.

[thallub]

i sincerely wish the state of Oklahoma took game law violations more seriously. For the past 20 years our game cameras show good bucks that are killed beginning in late July-early August. Calling the game wardens and sheriff are an exercise in futility. One new game warden went after the perp but was soon transferred.

The neighbor to one of my properties is a long time scofflaw. That guy shocked the neighbors fish ponds, poached and trespassed at will. An irate neighbor, whose crippled grand daughter wanted only to kill a big buck, got tired of the scumbags antics. He put the scofflaw out of the cattle business.

i would not kill a mans cows. But that action did stop the trespassing and poaching.

[reinert]

Big game hunting season is soon to arrive here in Wyoming (some antelope and elk areas have already been open for a couple of weeks). Got my tags, and I still absolutely love this magical time of year.

Most every year at some point, whilst in the field (or on the mountain) during the season, I see and visit with our local game warden; a good, dedicated man who also likes to hunt on his time off. Personally, I'm glad our warden also has a few Wyo game biologists that help him out during the season (deputy wardens so to speak); good guys, all. And you'll find them on the mountain (the Big Horns in my case), and out in the plains, too. They know how to get around and are effective and friendly in their work.

As long as a hunter abides by the rules there's no problems, as it should be. Wyoming hunters have the opportunity every year to meet with game and fish officials, generally in the spring, for input on seasons and regulations. These are advertised, local public meetings. I've found if one has a concern, the game and fish people listen and act if necessary.

Good hunting to all this season.

[Husqvarna]

Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy

Being drunk is super unsafe. Should that be illegal on their own property? You can't make everything unsafe an illegal activity.

Being drunk is super unsafe. Should that be illegal on their own property? You can't make everything unsafe an illegal activity.
__________________

When it is unsafe for others Yeah
The perp wasn't alone on the property
Stray bullets can kill a few kilometers

For yourself to

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

There are two kinds of wardens in this State. The old timer wardens are understanding and easy to talk too.
Those rookie's just hired on the other hand? typically are gung~ho individuals wanting to write a ticket or two and confiscate without hesitation.
I'm willing to bet those rookie wardens have their ticket book filled-out prior only requiring on each ticket the perpetrators name and address so's to save time listening to some others tale of woo.

Haven't run into a warden for quite some time. Due their likely thinking I'm just a harmless old feller walking down a ditch edge with a boat cushion and a old Winchester 94 in hand..