I posted the following question on the ATA Facebook page:

Has anyone been called or visited by an officer after posting catch pics on Facebook?

Several replies with only one person answering yes. So how about here? Anyone have an experience with enforcement after posting on Tman? Or on FB?

I wanted the guy who answered yes to tell his story but the moderator wouldn't allow it. FB messenger discussion with the mod got me booted from the group!!!

I have been told, directly from a wildlife trooper, that they do indeed follow forums, (including this one), for "information".

I have had troopers swing by the house on 2 occasions. Not because of what I post though, but because of call in's from stupid people.

The first one I had come out from moose camp, sitting at the boat launch waiting for the wife to come get me. I didn't get a moose but I did score about a half dozen sheds which I had laying in a pile along with my gear ready to load up. Some lady drove by, stopped and she got on her phone and you could tell she was upset. The wife came we loaded everything up and drove home. About half an hour later a trooper stopped in and said that it was reported that I had killed a moose and only salvaged the horns. That is what the lady at the launch had called in. After talking to him he looked at my canoe, in my shed, in my freezer, and finally looked at the sheds and decided that the lady was full of it. That was about 6 or 7 years ago.

This past fall after coming in from beaver trapping I think one of my trap hating neighbors called the troopers and said that I had killed a moose outta season, they had seen me cutting meat at my shed. Well the trooper rolled in and asked if I had a moose, showed him the beaver and he just laughed and said have a nice day.

I love and support our troopers and have never had a negative experience with any of them.

I have the troopers visit my skinning shed twice now. Never about a post (I don’t post catch pictures)

The first time they stopped by was because I had left my trapping signs up well after marten season ended and they wanted to check my shed to “make sure I had pulled my traps” I explained that I leave my signs up year round for everyone to see.

The other time was because I had a pile of wolf carcasses spread out on my line and without the feet/skulls attached they assumed it was deer carcasses out of season. I gave them a simple explanation but they still ran tissues tests -_-

I get pulled over in my skiff 2-3 times a winter by the coast guard (checking for floatation devices, radio, flares, boat registration) and usually stopped at the boat launch a half dozen times by the troopers. I don’t mind. I like that they are active. I just show my license and the rest of the visit is always good conversation.

They scroll social media and forums because the good ones have similar interests in the outdoors. If they see an infraction they should follow up on it IMO.

Yes.
I had a Trooper land his cub in front of the house and walk up and checked my license the day after season closed, then asked if I had any traps out. I replied no seasons closed I puled my traps yesterday. Then he informed me he was going to fly my line and see for himself if I did.

Turns out he was a trapping partner with another member on here in a nearby village, and he sent them to my house.

That trooper landed on me three more times on my line to check me. He was a trapper too and wanted to see my sets. I even helped him get his cub unstuck one time.

Mr.Quinn

That person was me. You were told the story Via messenger and was informed why I didn’t respond right away- I was out trapping. You were also told that it happened on here not Facebook. I support the ATA mods decision to not want that on the page. I believe the troopers are doing a fine job and support their efforts even after the incident that happened, which has never happened again since.
I’m interested in hearing what happened to you that has caused this interest?

Initials R.B.?

The Director of Wildlife of Manitoba once told me that the Minn Department had just as many employees in IT Department that he had in his whole department in the field.
And you don't think anyone is tracking you...and your cookies.

I am sure they watch here, as well as on FB, craigs list, Ebay, and any place you might sell things or tell a story. I have heard that they bust several folks every year trying to sell trophy's on-line, or killing animals out of season. And many a poacher over the years has been caught due to the wrong picture posted in the wrong place. I support it, because they are making sure the bad apples out there get caught so the rest of us don't get painted with the same brush.

-TJ

Fish, yes you are correct.
Full Freezer, nothing per se has happened to me. I had an incident where my hunting party was buzzed and landed on by an officer in a helicopter who was uninformed on the current regs of the area we were hunting. Nothing of import happened then. However, I am aware of instances where enforcement has been less than respectful.
I am interested in stories of interactions with troopers, good or bad, and very interested in what a person might have learned from that interaction. Did you learn anything from your time with that trooper? Learning about enforcement is a part, at least in my mind, to learning about trapping/hunting/fishing. If you did learn anything, FF, I suspect that many of us would like to hear that.
Neither this current thread, nor the one on the ATA FB page asks for BAD, or good, interactions. The question is simple............have you been contacted. Thankfully, the mods on trapperman appear to have enough faith in the members here to allow us to discuss LEO interactions. I'll point out that both this forum, and the ATA group, have moderators that can remove posts deemed a problem.

I have never been contacted due to a post on the internet, but I recall back when I was on AOD a lot that the Troopers monitored that site and had contacted some people due to post that were made.

Most likely made by the moderator !!

LOL

MT he is the reason I no longer post on the ATA FB page, and I will leave it at that...

I dont know if our Fish / Wildlife monitor forums or FB but I know they have used pictures from FB to solve a couple of cases. Maybe we are just lucky but we have some of the best conservation officers in the country. I know most of them on a first name basis and they are all good guys who treat people fairly. I've been involved in a couple of grizzly DLP situations in the last few years and when I reported the incidents they were nothing but professional about it and respected the decisions I made.

I did have them question a magazine add I ran one time, so they do read trapping magazines! The question they had was about how the add was worded. A two minute conversation cleared it up.

In our area the LEOs get switched out every few years. Some years we get some good ones, others not so. I had one guy land on the ice one fall when I was ice fishing for sheefish with a homemade set up. My dad always said don't ever walk to them, let them walk to you so I did. He asked me for a fishing license. I said we didn't need one in our GMU for fishing the way I was. I told him before he enforced any laws he needs to familiarize himself with them before he approaches people. He didn't like that very much but departed nonetheless.

I had a couple other run-in's with Troopers over the years, some have been understanding, some not. One time my son-in-law and I were out checking traps January 1st. A Trooper drove up to us and asked us for our hunting licenses (they expire December 31st as you all know). Of course it was a weekend where not many folks would renew theirs...he knew that and wanted to see how many busts he can get that day. I told him we were trapping and I showed him my trapping license. He said because we had guns on our shoulders that we were "hunting". We debated that for a little while. He let us off with a "warning".

I've learned to avoid LEOs at all costs and never give even the slightest bit of information voluntarily.

Some are good guys, unfortunately others are of the opinion that everyone they check has done something wrong, all they have to do is figure out what it is. And unfortunately all too many of them don't know the laws themselves, and take umbrage at you when you point out they are wrong.
Not exactly what you are talking about, but related. Back when Idaho first got a wolf trapping season a trapper posted a pic on here, and on Facebook (I saw it here, because I don't frequent Facebook, plus I don't know the trapper personally). Nothing illegal done by the trapper, but, the wolf was on a drag and was hung up on the edge of a meadow about a hundred yards off the highway and visible. A passing motorist stopped and shot at the wolf, wounding it. (Yes, that is illegal to shoot an animal in another persons trap, he claimed, and it is very likely true, that he didn't know it was in a trap). When the trapper arrived (called by a local trooper, because a crowd had gathered on the highway) the snow was pink around the wounded wolf. That picture was posted, and then the antis used it extensively to attempt to shut down wolf trapping here. Of course they didn't mention the blood was from a nontrapper illegally shooting the wolf rather than caused by the trap.

Not related to trapping but pertinent to the topic of LE bot knowing the regulations...

I was heading home alone from a hunting trip up in Sask. I had all my birds labelled with wings attached and lists of species, etc. on the outside of the coolers. Got pulled over at the border and went in to declare what was in my possession, which was under the possession limit for the area in which I hunted. When I filled out the form, the LE behind the counter said "You're over your limit." I said "No, I am not!" At that point another officer came out from his office, hand on his gun. i pulled out the Game Regs. and showed them where I was hunting and also showed that I was under my limit. Seemed to calm things down. When leaving, the first officer asked me if I would leave the copy of the Regulations, and I told him "Get your own!" and left.

Moosetrot

True

Simple fix...don’t post your catch or kills. They had to work a lot harder before the www. Now it’s sit back and let folks turn themselves in inadvertently. And you don’t have to necessarily break the law to get investigated.
Knew something boys doing some night hunting for hogs and were successful. Well they were so proud of themselves (and young and stupid) that they posted pics on FB with landmarks in the background. Well, local GW’s saw it and started driving/walking the roads and found a dead deer. They couldn’t determine the cause but figured it was the boys. They tried to get a confession with all present, then attempted to pit them against each other individually. Well one parent found out and put a stop to the whole nonsense. What did that parent do??? Went to the local Sheriffs Dept and asked for any reported traffic accidents in that area. Low and behold, Troopers had been called about a deer collision in the same area the GW found the deer. He didn’t stop there though, went as high as he could about GW interviewing kids without parents presence or parental consent. GW is now gone.
I respect LEO’s and only ever ran into a couple that left a bad impression, all the others were just doing there job and were extremely professional.