got a good one in my county. rides with me some times

Have to say also,Ive met numerous Game Wardens in numerous states I've trapped.
The ones I met in New Mexico,North Carolinia,North Dakota,and especially Arkansas,were really cool people.

The wardens and I caught 4 coon and a skunk today It was a great day on the line. We released one coon out of a DP.

Great bunch of guys.

We had one a few years back that really enthusiastic about his job! I am the type nothing to hide? And would really give him a fit. He stopped me walking down a rock road, had fun in hand he stopped and asked "what I was doin?", I said "rabbit hunting" he asked "how many I had?" I asked "what's the limit?" Boy he thoug he had me too! Well it was a fun conversation back and forth, he'd demand to know how many I had and where they were! I would fire back I'll tell ya how many I got when you tell me what the limit was! I finally admitted I hadn't shot any yet! He was so mad he jumped in his truck and just took off! Me laughing!

He relaxed the closer he got to retirement.

Had a local warden stop my brother last Saturday. He was on his 4 wheeler and headed to his stand for an evening hunt. The warden stopped him on a dirt road and attempted to write him up for not having the required amount of fluorescent orange on. My brother asked "How much orange do I need to have on when riding a 4 wheeler"? The warden realized he didn't have a leg to stand on and left him go with a "warning" lol

I met ours about a month ago when I was fishing. We chatted awhile and asked him what he knew about trapping.He replied he knew the law but not much how it's done. He said his LT. trapped alot.
I have some books and info I'm giving him. He gave me his card and cell number. Very nice young man,very respectful, big as a tree! Seemed to have common sense and a level head.I really think he's going to be a very good C.O.

Our warden here is the best warden we've had since I was a young kid. I actually went to school with him for natural resources, and he charged more poachers and road hunters in his first 3 months than the previous 4 in all their years combined. I may be a little biased as he is my trapping partner and we put up fur together in his garage. He's great with my kids and a great sportsman. I know lots of guys probably dont like him but thats only because he actually enforces the laws, and they actually have to hunt legally.

All the ones I've met in MO have been nice, friendly people. Got my first lessons in trapping from one.

We have each other on speed dial. Whenever i see something that ned attention, I call him and when he needs a boat fast, he calls me. Simple as that

Rick, what does the rule book say regarding the validation of your coupons ?

The CO's around me are mostly great guys if you give them a chance to be. Take time to introduce yourself to them. Once in a while there is that ONE who is new at the job & his badge & gun go to his head. Most of the time that wears off when they get some time under their belt.

All of the ones that I ave meet her in Oklahoma have been really great! I am on the path to become a game warden after college also.

I've met very good ones here, and out of state.

Good for WI for running them through a trapping course. I do get nervous when I hear of a newbie coming on that has no trapping experience. I know other wardens who trap have had discussions about trapping to other wardens who don't trap as well.

As some of us know, Some wardens are also heavily linked to some of the trappers assoc's. I know of a couple that have helped in making law changes that greatly effect all us trappers in a positive way.

I've only ever met one GW I thought was a complete jerk. Was in CO during one of their deer/elk seasons. Was driving a back country county rd and he pulled me over. Had my wife with me. Said I was road hunting elk. Wanted me to let him "examine" the rifle I had. I opened the bolt so he could see it was unloaded and told him it was fine where it was. Things went downhill after that. Threatened to arrest me. Which I said was fine we will let the judge sort it out. Finally said I could go. Probably should have sued him. Only bad experience I ever had with one.

We've got a new guy around here and he's a straight up good guy. Been here maybe a year and he's not out to make your life hard and flex his muscle. Just does his job and does it with a handshake, a conversation and a smile.

I've dealt with the exact opposite many times in the past though. Always looking for something to write a citation about. I hope they moved him to the deepest darkest corner of MN. Zero people skills and he worked under the pretense that everyone has done something wrong or is hiding something. Every time we met, I'd get my truck searched and a verbal warning that he's always watching. I've never gotten a citation for anything, so why the warning? lol

I agree 100%,never had a issue or citation until this new co showed up,like i said the other two are very easy to work with.If your doing something wrong,you should get a ticket that's their job,but the one thats says your guilty all the time of some thing needs to find a new area to call home.I do think some of these CO are leaning hard one way about being ANTI trapping/hunting etc. it's sad if this is true in their field of work.

I know you've had a few run-ins and been treated unfairly by at least one of the WCO's or DWCO's in your area, at least according to what I've heard from different sources.

But my experience, at least with Ragasta, has been nothing but positive. I had a hunter steal my traps, Ragasta located and returned them. One of my camp members trades, buys and sells guns with him regularly. I've met and interacted with Bill at least a dozen times over the years and he really seems like a decent guy. I was sorry to see him assigned to a different area, haven't met the new guy yet.

Here in my area of southeast Pa, the WCO's and DWCO's are great. One of them is a trapper and has gone to bat for me on several occasions involving trespassing dog-walkers and trap thieves. He even successfully prosecuted a couple of them.

Last time I met them (the WCO and DWCO) was on my front porch one evening after dark last trapping season. I answered a knock on my door and there they stood with one of my traps.

"Now what," I asked.

They explained how a trespassing dog-walker had got her dog into one of my sets. She couldn't free him so went and got her hubby who also couldn't free him and got bit in the attempt. Hubby pulls the stake and takes dog, trap and all, to a local vet. The vet depresses the levers, frees the uninjured dog and charges Mr. and Mrs. Trespasser $150.00 for an after-hours "emergency" visit.

The dog-walkers contact the PGC who contact the landowner, a good friend of mine who I still seek annual permission from and send annual "Thank-you" letters to despite his insistence that it is not necessary.

He tells them that I have permission to trap there but Mr. and Mrs. Trespassing Dog-Walker, "have no business on my property."

The Game Wardens go back to the dog-walkers, tell them to stay off the property under threat of prosecution if it happens again then hand deliver my trap to me and apologize for the trespassers messing up my set. I love these guys!

Over the last forty years I've met a few jerk WCO's. Usually young guys with a fresh, shiny badge looking to assert their new-found power (think mall-cop). Thankfully, they seem to be few and far between.

The one we used to have in my area was a total jerk. Always looking to flex his muscles and write tickets out for anything. Now, that being said, he's the only jerk I ever had to deal with. The state finally found him a different position after he decided to write up every state trooper he could for not wearing helmets at a poker run for another state trooper that got hurt in the line of duty.

Now, with that being said, I've never had any run ins with the new local guys, but I've heard they're pretty good. The different ones I've ran into fishing various parts of the state all seem like top notch guys just making sure you're not keeping more than your limit. The thing about a game warden around here is that you'd literally need a dozen per county to cover the miles upon miles of backroom that get poached hard.

A couple of years ago I got permission to trap some land that the local part time warden also trapped. When he found out about it he was a complete jerk. You can't argue with a gun and a badge. The rest of them I've had no big problems.

Having spent many years hunting and trapping, I have came across good and bad. It seems that the new just out of school wardens are arrest happy. Had one warden here that hated steel traps. Had another deputy here that was a trapper so he thought he could pick up anyone's trap and inspect it and then put it back with the jaw up or not even close to where it was placed. Had another warden help me remove a live beaver from a mink trap and never even checked my license. Also had a woman warden here who ask me to take her on my beaver live and explain the sets. She admitted she knew nothing about trapping. Things went well till I told her I had to pee. She laughed and told me to find a tree and hide. She told me that was nothing new because of being in the field or on patrol with her deputies. Like I said some good , some not so good.