I believe Joe's first mistake on this post was referring to NYS DEC ECO's as Game Wardens - they are not. They are Environmental Conservation Officers and most of the decals on their vehicles say Environmental Police.

To one of Swamp's questions, yes they are DEC Staff. While Swamp has written some interesting comments on this post, I doubt he'd last ten minutes up here...That is not meant as a derogatory statement towards him (Swamp)......

Why any LEO would handle money or other property without a paper trail and a video on their body cam, is beyond me.

Don't know if this has been updated yet, but this is what we have in NY:


OGC 7: Staff Access to Property or Premises


If faced with what they believe is an emergency, staff should first contact the appropriate Environmental Conservation Officer or the police, and immediately consult with their Central Office or Regional program attorney.

You might last the first minute, it's the subsequent nine that are in question! But don't take it personally, no Game Warden could do it...

Does your DNR (or analogous) have a Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners, Executive staff? Do they (Executive Staff) suggest to you when and which laws you should act on or ignore??

How are you at cleaning subway cars??

Here's a story about the officer,

The officer started this inquiry the same as he did with Joe. He then spent 5 hours following the trapper and checking his traps and sets.

In the end when he couldn't find a violation with the trappers traps or sets, he wrote him a ticket for having an invalid registration on his truck,

The reason, the trapper had done some work on the rusted parts of the truck and primed the bottom third of the truck, the registration should have said two tone Blue/Grey not Blue.

Again the officer had a valid reason to ticket the offender, but this shows his character.

This happened 25 years ago. No LEOs in SD had body cams then. The sheriff might have given a receipt, I can't remember. All I know is that $100 was transferred in the field from the guilty to the LAW.

Here's another example of trying to find a "gotcha" reason for citing someone. I had a friend of mine that grew up in Yankton County, SD. There's one of the main steam Missouri River dams and resovoirs in that county. My friend was a bit wild growing up and had run in with the CO several times where my friend was in the wrong so the CO had his eye on my friend and constantly was checking him out. One new year, my friend and his buds were ice fishing out on the reservoir and the CO came out and checked them for licenses. Fair enough, the reason we buy fishing and game licenses is to help maintain and even possibly improve the resources. I believe in licenses, everybody should have skin in the game. The CO checked "Jeff" the first time on Jan 1, but then again checked him twice more within that first week of January. Now, the CO knew Jeff was licensed to fish on Jan 1 but SD "law" says that angler (or hunter) needs to have said license on them while doing that activity--probably the original intent was that most first wildlife law contacts is to establish a person is licensed. But the "law" doesn't say that, it says it needs to be on a person while doing that activity. So, if Jeff would have forgotten his wallet one day and didn't have his license while ice fishing and Mr. CO stopped him, the CO would have cited him, even though that citation served no real purpose besides a "gotcha" fine.

Jeff drove an old mid-to-early '60s car at that point. The same CO stopped them on a gravel township road one time when the pheasant season was happening and I think either made them take out the back seat or they tried taking out the back seat to see if they had any game birds stuffed in there. I know the CO took of the top of the air cleaner on top of the engine to see if something was stashed in there. I would have busted a gut laughing at that one. First of all, even if a pheasant could have been crammed into the air cleaner, that old car would have died fairly shortly driving down the road because it would be dam hard to get any air for the engine!! I doubt even a partridge stuffed in there wouldn't have made the old engine sputter. Anyway, that was the mentality of that CO. I think the meetings between the CO and Jeff finally ended when one or the other moved out of that county...

Swamp, Are you allowed to enforce the traffic code?

Ohio brought more coyotes in from Texas. They was tired of all the complaints they was getting from the insurance companies about the premiums they was paying out. I saw a bull hauler at a truck stop in mid Ohio. I spoke to the truck driver myself. He said he delivers them regularly around the state. Why not have longer hunting season or allow a larger bag limit. I saw seven coyotes the other day in my buddies pasture stalking his calf’s. I got one before the rest got out of range. It’s going to be a problem now for farmers that there isn’t any deer to eat.

Please cite your source. I highly doubt any coyotes are being brought in by Ohio fish and game to thin out deer. Ohio makes a lot, and I mean a lot of money bringing out-of-state trophy hunters in to hunt their deer. They arent going to jeopardize their deer herd. I get the feeling youll believe anything you hear.

Swamp, you did not answer the part about ignoring Environmental Conservation Laws and regulations...

Swamp, you did not answer the part about ignoring Environmental Conservation Laws and regulations...

You must have missed this Swamp...

Redknot is correct, sometime back in New York they went from game wardens to "Environmental conservation officers". Now, besides enforcing fish and game laws they also chase speeders on the Northway and look for phosphates in super markets. Even the forest rangers carry guns these days.
I can not justify breaking the law, even when there are some bad ones.New York has some bad trapping seasons brought about by a couple of arrogant, know it all biologists, but we must obey them until we can get them changed. If there were no game protectors the violators would run amuck.Most regs are there for good reason.