Swamps good people.
Long ha stays away from the AI stuff.

There's an old saying that a good game warden knows when to throw the book at a guy and when a guy's got a break coming. Seems like more and more there are game wardens who do not know the difference. No doubt some people get into law enforcement out of ego or a control freak mentality, fortunately not all of them. I've known some good ones and some that needed to be knocked down a notch or two.

When a person commits a game law violation and gets caught, all of a sudden the Game Warden becomes the bad guy and the Game Wardens are no good.

Or the guy who has done nothing wrong has to deal with a bad LEO. I know they aren’t all that way, but my experience has been negative, from their side.

I am not elaborating due to my view of pigs….

If I’ve been pulled over by LEO’s it was legit, I know when I deserve it, lol.
Only had one GW that was a pain, but we got that settled in court and no issues ever again. If you’re legit, I’d suggest recording your interaction and take it court.
Other than that one particular GW every other one I’ve run across has been pretty good folks just doing their job. Even run across a few that came out with the GW that had it in his head I was a poacher/criminal and they would laugh and asked me what I ever did to him? In fact, one was making his rounds on a dove field and called me by name when he walked up, I was about to hand him my license and gun to check he said man I think you’re good. As many times as we showed up to check you, you were always legal. He even said to save me time is that your boys down from you? I told him yeah and he said cool, y’all have fun and walked off the field.
I’ve met GW in almost every State I’ve hunted except the PNW and all were good guys. Even when someone saw my headlamp light going up a mountain in NM and called the GW on me saying I was trespassing, lol. That GW left a note on the vehicle he thought we were driving and asked me to call him. I did and he came out and met us and when my Uncle showed up, he apologized. We were using his land to access the NF land. Turns out they talked and it was someone my Uncle fired a few weeks before we got there. Still was a good interaction with the GW. Turns out the car we rented in ElPaso had Kalifornia plates and that was the main reason he left the note. He said he figured parked where we were we had to have permission.
Ran into Fed guys while duck hunting in Arkansas and even hunting turkeys in Alabama. Those guys have some good stories to tell if you’re not in a rush…just don’t become one of their stories, lol.

I have met and known many wardens over the course of my 75 years in the outdoors . All have been good interactions. The wardens both retired and working that I know are good people and would be the first ones to volunteer if you need help. The ones I know currently are active in the trapping community and are helping fight for our trapping rights.

With few exceptions, the only ones that hate on game wardens are those that have been caught doing stuff they weren't supposed to be doing.

They are out protecting the very reason why we do what we love to do.
I absolutely love it when somebody gets ticketed for baiting deer in Mn. LOVE IT!
Remember, they will go out of thier way to help save your lives if needed.

Just seems strange to me how often they get bashed for doing a job we as sportsman should totally embrace.

Dealt with two that I despise. I am great friends with one who is retired.

The two I despise have the guilty until innocent mindset and try to find something on them at all costs. They badger and ask the same questions over and over and over and over.

My last response was i have answered that question already and will not answer it again. He left in short order.

The one I am friends with I speak to regularly and he's a stand up trapper.

Like has been said. Good ones and bad ones. Too bad they are teaching new ones to harass outdoorsmen with the same question over and over. Makes them look like nazi interrogators.

I'm a retired Utah Game Warden. I worked 30 years and enjoyed my career. I've also trapped since I was 18. I was asked to teach other game wardens around the state common sense trapping enforcement. I like to think I had a positive impact.

Wildlife enforcement is a funny job. Probably 95 percent of the job is just making contact with sportsman out enjoying hunting, fishing and trapping. My goal was to treat everyone kindly with dignity and respect while trying to catch those that were knowingly and intentionally violating. Many violations are minor and unintentional and a little education is enough to gain future compliance. But If you're out there knowingly and intentionally cheating on game laws you are choosing to risk the consequences and get what you deserve.

The trick for a good game warden is to be courteous and friendly while being observant and detecting the evidence of violations and following up accordingly. If you do your job competently you catch the poachers (and they badmouth your tactics). If you don't catch them they badmouth you for being lazy or incompetent. Sportsman that obey the law have nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately there are a few bad game wardens out there that can be real Richards. Just like there are the same type of people wherever any of you work. It gets tiresome when people paint all game wardens or all cops with the same broad negative brush. But then you don't make it through a full career as a game warden with thin skin LOL.

The funny thing was the dreams that started a few weeks after I retired. I started having a LOT of law enforcement dreams. I guess my brain was used to processing those job encounters while I slept. And when they stopped my brain started fabricating it's own. Weird. Those faded after a couple months.

The one dream that I occasionally had during my career and after I retired - is being in a deadly force situation - sights on the threat - and squeezing the trigger - but the trigger not going back far enough to fire. I always hated that dream. And I learned it is a very common dream in law enforcement. I was prepared - but thank GOD I never had to pull the trigger in one of those encounters.

So every day for me was a hunting trip to detect the violations along my path and addressing each in a fair even handed manner. The state gave me a truck and boats and gas cards and freedom to choose where and when I patrolled. Most days were awesome, some were scary and some were downright miserable. And thirty years were enough for me.

I moved on with a clear conscience i did my job professionally and I thoroughly enjoy retirement.

I've only ever dealt with two game wardens.

Both had zero knowledge of trapping regs.

I had to pull out a reg book both times to show them what I was doing was legal.

That didn't leave a great taste in my mouth.

Also a bit confused of how planting fields of pumpkins for deer.... isn't considered baiting. But I know each state has it's own laws.

Baiting is legal here... and consists of feeding corn from feeders, or planting and growing crops or green fields.

I guess in some states some of that may be legal, and some may be illegal?

Same Here Danny,

I only met one who was a jersey

My favorite CO Warden Drowned a few Years ago .
Eugene Wynn. He was rushing out to look for a reported body...flew out the road with a town officer

The officer (deputy made it but Sadly Eugene died