So you want to be a Game Warden

Papers came today for a summer position along the Missouri River parks system 4 months between the major holidays. The pay is to good to pass up, they try to kill you with paperwork but that’s a onetime deal or most of it is I hope.

It’s down in my cat trapping area so that could be beneficial for learning more about the areas and finding possible cat locations and meet some landowners in the areas. It’s a long stretch of river I have a camper to use if needed but I’d rather do the drive home and sleep in my own bed unless the schedule says otherwise.

It should be interesting so one more thing off of the bucket list.

No

Well I hope it works out for you. I watch North Woods Law a lot and it's actually made me glad I don't live in Maine or New Hampshire. To me their attitude is you're guilty unless you can prove you're innocent. I've kinda turned anti-warden more so than before since I've been watching it.

Come to SD you will see a different take on community interactions with the public, you file a complaint it’s looked into not like other places lacking accountability. This is a park job they don’t want a hammer they just want us do is to protect the people when things get out of hand it’s not a “fishing trip” every day thing.

Bager maybe you where already dogin the law and north woods law only brought this to light. I hope lawdog has a great time with this new adventure. I would love to do the same thing but being raised in the bush and noing how nature works it would only bring conflict in my life.

Take Savell as your apprentice

Is this an armed position with law enforcement academy training?

Nope, not breaking the law, licenses and tags are always bought. I just prefer to be left alone. I've seen the over bearing wardens at times when people have been checked. They seem disappointed they didn't find anything. We used to get checked occasionally years ago when I ran hoop nets and set lines with my Dad. Finally had a couple wardens ask us what way does the net go in the water, I think we figured out who had not stretched it back out. At times there seems to be a lack of common sense with some of them.

Yes all Rangers have been replaced with Conservation Officers by GFP to expand coverage.

WI DNR has been under scrutiny since I was a young man I remember the bulletin boards back then that were very unflattering.

Never had a bad experience with an older game warden, but a couple of with new ones.

I 2nd that

I personally love the game wardens in my state, always a dream to work with. I’m not trying to take a pay cut though.

Absolutely Sickening !

True, true and true.
If they take the time to stop ya, seems they don't want to leave empty handed.
Some here even instigate.
I'll bet they watch Cops moreso than Northwoods and Lonestar Law.
The younger ones are a bit more gung ho and trigger happy.

Just what I expected. LOL

You're not kidding there....One thing I learned from Northwoods Law is, This is my name, here is my fish, it's your job to count them and measure, here is my license. Here is my deer, here is the tag. Here are my trapped animals, here is my license. Do you have a search warrant? Am I being detained? No I won't answer any questions or have discussion without my lawyer present. Thank you and goodbye...But I suppose it's made for TV.... We had a Conservation officer here whose favorite saying was "I pass out the tickets, the judge sorts them out"

Most of ours do this jobs and are friendly. Most of my interaction with them the last few years has been when they were around youth program things.

Some are fishing and I had one real barny when giving me a road kill tag. I saw one hit then it raise its head but could not get up so I pulled over and shot it . Waited over an hour for the CO to show. When he got there he asked what I shot it with then for my handgun. Permit. Then says we'll I can see a bad spot on its neck s I I know it was hit but sometimes I will skin them to be sure. I said well the busted turn singles and headlights in the road by the deer are also a dead give away BUT if you want to skin it that would be a great idea. Heck you can take it right down to my house around the corner and hang it there to do it so it will be easier on you. I will help you load it. He caught on got a bit huffy then told me don't shoot them wait for the
CO to show up. I just smiled and told him I won't make a deer lay there for over an hour just so he can shoot it. Then I told him if I were going to illegally kill a deer the last thing I would worry about would be calling and trying to get a tag for it. Shook his hand looking down at the little fellow.( odd for me at 5'8" to look down at someone o think he was under 5'4" and part of why he had a bit of little man syndrome) loaded the deer and drove home.

Bet you will enjoy it. Our COs to a man/woman are the best people you could ever meet. I have enjoyed every interaction I've had with them over the years, and I see them often because of my business.

I've been filmed twice by Northwoods law crew. If I was doing something wrong..I would have made it on the show..lol. but I did get 4 seconds of fame while ice fishing

Ahhhh, good. You are well aware

LEO's are human. Some are happy go lucky, some are wrapped way too tight. I was a commissioned Michigan Volunteer Conservation Officer for many years when I was younger. It was sort of like a reserve officer. Back in the day, when I first was commissioned, it was a no-nonsense type deal. I would be picked up by the local uniformed officer and he would hand me a snub-nosed .38 and a Kel Lite. I simply had that guys back, as well as being another set of eyes to look for foolishness from the public. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and have some great stories, but in all honesty, it was doing game warden work that made me realize that I did NOT want to be a full-time officer.....or at least gave me a big dose of reality as to what these folks really do nowadays. The romantic days of the old fashioned "Fishcop" are long gone. There is so much B.S. involved these days that isn't fishin/huntin/trappin related......stuff like ORV's, snowmobiles, environmental law, etc. not to mention the whole people-are-dipsticks thingy where you end up dealing with some bonehead that feels the laws shouldn't apply to him because, well, just because! I was raised by functional alcoholics that would, at regular intervals, become dysfunctional. The result of that is that as a grown up vintage aged old Redneck, I no longer have any tolerance of drunks or idiots . Good luck, Jerry, I hope you enjoy the change of pace, but please, from a cyber-pal you likely will never actually meet, be careful out there!

The DNR in MN is a joke

Looking forward to some good stories this summer, Law Dog.

I have 2 good friends whom i worked with in fish and game who are retired game wardens. They both knew how to treat people. They werent the typical leo with a little man problem that required them to treat people all as criminals and that they themselves were perfect. One even told me if he had been caught as a young man doing some things he wouldnt have been a game warden. People grow and change.. Few are able to accomplish that. Many are just after the power.

Like and respect most of the ones around here. There's always one or 2 that leave a sour feeling but give them the benefit of the doubt that they had a bad day. One local has my number and one of tje guys at work. When they get a lion in from our area to check that has trap damage or signs of being in a trap at somepoint we get a call to see if we've released one or had a pull out. Even got checked by a federal guy a couple years ago, he was impressed that we were using steel shot because we weren't sure if it was required and wanted to be lawful. He did seem disappointed when he tracked us for a mile later that day and realized who we were and not other hunters with the permit. I think mostly he was wanting harvest info .

When I was wearing the green, the person or persons I was contacting usually controlled how things went. I came in as a friendly sort just doing my job while actually paying careful attention to the situation that I was walking into. An attitude of acknowledgment that I had a job to do usually meant a smooth interaction for everyone. A poor attitude or threatening attitude caused the contact to be more rigid. I always treated people the way I would want to be treated. In over 32 years in the field, I had both youngsters ask for my autograph and adults threaten to kill me. Being a law enforcement officer contacting people that are recreating is different than other types of law enforcement. If a state, county or local officer hits the red lights, you already know you screwed up. If a Game Warden shows up for a quick chat and check, many more times than not, no citations are issued. Yes, Wardens do need to be thorough. Illegal game is stashed in every conceivable place you can think of. Clothing, multiple stringers, some in plain view, some hidden or even hidden in special compartments. Wildlife in plain view is almost always legal, It's the ones that are hidden that a warden really wants to see. A warden will look at your hands, boots, clothes, knife, bow quiver etc... looking for a drop of dried blood after he or she has been told you haven't had any luck. People lie on a continual basis to Game Wardens. Sometimes it's very hard to not become jaded. Almost all of the wardens that I worked with hunted, fished and a high percentage had trapping experience. A warden can also be a great asset to a trapper. As with all groups of people wardens have bad days and a small number may well be in the wrong profession. As with TV shows... I think we all realize that the editing will convey how things are actually portrayed. After firsthand observations on the filming of hunting shows, I can attest to their "creative" slant. So, I wouldn't take every scene on any of the game warden shows as gospel. It's defiantly not all excitement. There's a bunch of time sitting out by yourself, and that can actually be pretty boring. Think sitting in a patrol truck with no lights whatsoever on a ridge from first dark until the early morning hours waiting for a spotlighter or nightscope shooter to come past your location. When illegal activity does happen in those situations, it's actually better than bagging a good buck.
To sum up my post, Wardens are NOT your enemy! Stay honest, friendly and ethical and you will get the benefit of the doubt when contacted in the field. Wardens enter their chosen field because they have a deep appreciation for the things that draw each one of us into the same fields., timber, prairies and marshes.

I hope you have a great time doing it. I've never encountered a game warden here that was anything but nice and respectful. Perhaps these North Carolina game wardens are a different breed than other folks have had experiences with.

All the facts! Thanks for your service!

I have never had a problem with a Kansas game warden. Forgot a snare once pulling traps and got a ticket. 100% on me. Warden was still polite and respectful.

Talking to the local guy a few days ago. Told me he is now working in 6 counties. KS is having a hard time keeping them. Sorry wages I think is the problem. License fees just go into the general fund.

I prospected fur and got permissions when pulling a grain trailer and a belt trailer. Hauling grain and distillers to feed lots and dairys all over the state of Kansas. Your saying that was wrong? I was driving somebody elses truck for wages.

Very cool opportunity.

I couldn't have said it better!!!

In today's World, many State NR Depts. and USFWS would rather recruit from the "concrete jungle" or persons having never been involved with hunting, fishing, or similar pursuit outdoor activities so that there is less chance for those persons to have "involvement conflicts".

That's not the reason. There are actually fewer qualified applicants that desire the job...or any LE job. It has nothing to do with involvement conflicts.

Sounds like a darn good job to help fill in between things.
Cool

Mac

You weren't in SE MO were you ?

Yes, it is just another facet in the hiring process whether anyone wants to realize it or not.

SJA,
Not sure of where you got that info, but a couple years ago I contacted 23 state game & fish agencies about their hiring procedures and any problems they were experiencing. I did this for Georgia DNR LE as I was selected to gather this info in preparation for us to make some changes in our hiring process and retention.

The "involvement conflict" you speak of was never mentioned by any state agency.

Did you really expect to have that subject brought up?? . . . not going to happen. Experience and knowledge are great teachers. Have a good evening :-)

Mercer County on the Missouri/ Iowa line.

Swamp provided his experience and knowledge, now lets hear yours...?

You brought it up.

In my area we have had several good wardens over the years with one exception who thought he was Wyatt Earp. Outstate I never had a bad experience and the best encounters were with Wyoming wardens on different occasions.

No comment.

Congrats

Congratulations on the new gig!

I personally have dealt with multiple Michigan state CO's in the field, Wyoming F&G in the field, Texas Game Wardens in the field and USFW officers in the field over the years while both fishing and hunting. I have never once had a bad experience with ANY of them. All were very polite, professional, courteous and even occasionally apologetic that they were disrupting my outing. As was stated above, go in to the situation politely, with respect and realize they have a difficult but important job to do and things will go smoothly. I actually made friends with a couple of them and received some really good tips on fishing and hunting locations over the years. Common courtesy goes a long way......from BOTH sides obviously.

I have always tried and treated a warden with respect . And for the most part I have always been treated the same way back.It works well for me as in everything I do.

Same here. I consider our GW a friend. I also know he would nail me to the wall if I did something stupid. Out here they need to have good relationships with folks to do their job. He’s a one man show. I think he covers 4-5 county’s all by himself. Just a guess it’s probably 2500-3000 square miles.

I encountered a game warden in CO a few years back I wouldnt pee on if he was on fire. Out of all the times I have been checked, in multiple states, trapping hunting and fishing, he was the only one.

In fact as a truck driver I have had dealings with many L.E. officers tasked with D.O.T. enforcement , highway patrol, sheriff deputies, and city cops. The percentage of jerks is some higher than game wardens I have encountered, but most of them were polite as well.

Have fun Jerry.
Any special training involved?

Awesome

never had a bad experience with a warden, always left with a good feeling about experience and more good info on what i was trying to hunt ,fish, or trap. even as a kid when i deserved more

Its easy dealing with wardens when you NEVER encounter one. In 23 years of driving and hunting, trapping and fishing on my own, ive never been checked or even seen a game warden’s vehicle while hunting or trapping and have only seen a couple drive by while on a lake. Both SD and IA.

Maybe I'm just lucky but in over 45 years of trapping/hunting and fishing in several different states, I've not had a bad encounter with a Game Warden. And I fractured a few game laws when I was young. Because of those interactions, I've trapped next to them, with them, ridden with them and had dinner with them and their families. Some I would call true friends today (all because of those initial interactions).

So I have to wonder about all the guys that had bad interactions with the wardens...was it really the warden?

Kind of like the guy or girl who's been married 4 times but they all ended bad because of the other person. Hmmmmm

So does this mean you will have a GAG ORDER this summer LawDog
we will sure miss your post if that is the case.

X1000!! I have had no issues with any game wardens in any state I've ever hunted, trapped, or fished, except for MN

There is a warden up around Bemidji, MN who gave me lots of trouble

Never had any other issues in fishing and hunting in 17 other states

I always thought it would be a fun career, but then I realized you're working and hardly able to enjoy the outdoors yourself during the peak times (such as deer season etc. ). I've never had an issue with them they are just doing their job. I've remained on pretty good terms with our current one and he's even drove to my house to tag bobcats which he really has no requirement to do. One of my buddies is the county supervisor for roads I felt like I hit the lottery when I started hunting with him at night. He talks to landowners regarding access bridges etc. daily and it's opened up a world of hunting opportunities.

Sad to hear so many stories of bad encounters with DWR people !!

My self have never had a bad one with many of them I have encountered, I have a fur buyers license here, am an avid outdoors person, have fur coming and going all year long, get stopped or met most times when in the outdoors, due to being recognized from one to another. Most times they are just interested in how my business is going, any tips needed or asking if I've seen any thing suspicious any where.

I've had them check my fur shed at 2 in the morning some times after some one reported see me unload a large delivery truck of fur that had come from a Alaska dealer I had bought from earlier in the day. They have the right to search anytime but only did it a couple times. I sort of had a feeling it was going to happen due to a nosey neighbor watching what was being unloaded, all they asked for was proof of CITES and receipts, when shown all those they just ran their hands thru the fur like anyone else does that never see's these animals, even apologized for having to come check. Yes they were looking for a haul or bust, but I proved legit over whelming them, with past history with them.

Yea some have ego's and a couple died with them showing that here in the west, not pretty either, however most only doing their job they like to do and that most others are fearful to attempt to do.

I support them all until they prove they don't need it anymore !

My wife likes to watch it, so I get sucked into it too sometimes. I agree with everything you are saying about them considering you guilty unless you can prove you're innocent.

I will watch Lone Star Law. They are a little more lenient than the North Woods Law wardens. Although, I have to wonder if that's more for TV than actual reality. Often they will catch someone fishing without a license and illegal sized fish. They will give a citation for only one of the illegal sized fish and tell the person if they get a license in the next 24 hours they will just get a warning for fishing without a license. In MN in real life, it doesn't happen that way. They would throw the book at you.

Have a nephew who went to school to be a game warden. He was all gung ho about it until he realized that most of the time he'd be working was when everybody else would be hunting or fishing. He dropped out for that reason.

Had a warden come marching into camp one time demanding to see everyone's license and tags. It was about 7:30 in the evening of opening day, so it was dark and we all had beer's in hand. First guy to respond took all the wind out of the wardens sails when he replied that at this point in time we were camping and didn't need a license or tag to camp and it would be illegal for us to be hunting as we had been drinking alcohol. The warden was told if he wanted to check he could come find us in the woods in the morning. He never did check us and we saw him a couple more times that week.

I didn't know you had cats in SD. Just for my knowledge, and to actually LEARN something off this thread...lol...What part of the state will yo be in? North, east, south, or west? Thanks, and good luck with your adventure!

That's funny as hill!

Ya'll woulda been busted in WV. (of course you had guns n ammo in camp ? )
Guy was walking home 1/4 mile from the river with a fishing pole and small tackle box (no fish). GW stopped and asked for his lic. He had none. GW did not witness the guy actually fishing so he couldn't write that ticket. So ...... the guy was charged with Possessing fishing paraphernalia afield without a valid fishing license. Cost the guy $85 (closer to $200 in todays money)

Missouri River Breaks have good cat habitat in many areas, my work area will be from the center of the State down to almost the NE border. It’s a 4 month summer job so it won’t impact my activity much and it’s done before trapping season even gets close.

Your nephew must have wanted to hunt with everyone else. I was off 10 days per month....every month.

Yes, he loves fishing and hunting. He felt he would miss opening of fishing and several hunting opening seasons.

I’d work 7 days a week if they wanted me to do that for 4 months heck I work 7 months a year trapping for less.. LOL Summer is no big deal to me so it’s a perfect fit. I always thought owning a soft serve stand that’s only open in the summer would also work for trapping freedom.

Bought it at a rummage sale....Many revenue tickets are given out as cost to fight ain't worth it to most.

Busted for what?They was not hunting.Its legal to have guns and ammo in camp.

If I get a ticket I got coming I will just pay it. If I get one I don't you better believe its going to court.

Recon maybe you'd be safe in MI or ME .... dunno.
In WV, I bet you'd show them papers.

Yeah, this is the kind of stuff that makes it more difficult than it needs to be for the rest of us.

I would show them to the warden.Not a problem.

Exactly ! Then you wouldn't be busted. Good job !

Right now I have nuisance bear problems. MN DNR is no help at all. In fact they are just one more problem that I am forced to deal with.

He didn’t realize that before he went to school? I imagine you meant he was going to college majoring in a Conservation field and not actually accepted in a State Game Warden training program.

Only ever had one bad experience with one particular GW. Been checked by many and even hunted with one or two on some dove hunts…them boys could shoot too. And they counted about as well as I did, lol. Been checked by Feds in Arkansas duck hunting and Alabama turkey hunting. Never had a bad experience with any of those out of state either. Even had the law called on me in NM for “trespassing” by an anonymous person that saw my headlamp going up a mountain one morning. Of course I didn’t know anything about it until I came off the mountain. The GW had left a note for me to call. I did and set up a meeting for the next day. He came checked license and made sure we had permission to be where we were and went on his way. He even showed us a couple spots on a map where we could find some birds.

I sure hope you don't mind getting lied to from everyone you encounter. That includes honest people. Something about game warden encounters makes people lose their senses.

So long as they was not a jerk I never had a problem with a game warden.Have met some really nice ones.

Some people, maybe most ....... but not all.
It is however an obvious given to assume so (sadly).

I have never ever lied to a game warden in my life.