Maybe I just don't argue with the warden enough. I've made this call and was told the depredation has to be happening to YOUR land or livestock. Basically if the farmer is protecting his wheat from hogs or his cows from coyotes no license is needed. If I'm going spotlighting to help the farmer out, I'm hunting and need a license. Seemed to make sense so I didn't argue, maybe he's wrong nobody is perfect, but he has the ticket book so I ask him lots of questions.

Me and the warden hunt together when he has time so maybe I just trust his word too much.

Hunting and protecting your property are two different things.
If you have a license you are requires to retrieve the game to avoid waton waste. If your a farmer protecting your property from invasive hogs you cannot retrieve the hog.

So hunting is the key word there.

To capture, trap, take, or kill, and includes any attempt to capture, trap, take, or kill.

I don't know I guess I haven't met these ignorant Wardens. I believe y'all but it hasn't happened to me. What I meant by my statement is if I don't know the law or can't interpret it, I call the guy that writes the tickets and ask him. There's not a lot of times that I call, MOST laws in the book are cut and dry. Case in point the above post saying you must retain hogs because of wanton waste, book doesn't say that anywhere and it isn't true, not sure how that interpretation was reached. Only once did my county warden say he didn't know and would have to call Austin for my answer. If he's not sure, he finds out. Sounds like I should thank him for that after reading about ignorant wardens not knowing their job and writing tickets when no laws are broken.

Lots of the laws that are asked about on here over and over are quick yes and no questions for the wardens I deal with, guess I'm just lucky to have the wardens I have.

There are many ranches where the biologist and gw show up to hand over mld tags and watch the landowner presign the tags. Which is directly in violation of the requirement NOT to presign tags. The mld system was instituted and no one really paid attention to the contradictions in the details.

I don't blame the wardens for not knowing the ever changing details as much as I blame them for not using logic when enforcing game laws. Any idiot out to be able to figure out that landowners HAVE to be able to pre sign if they are going to make me sign a tag.

large budgets

Policy largely depends on the particular warden and the particular leases...I was on one where the permits were pre-signed, stored in a central location and we were given the go ahead to drive upwards of 15 miles of FM roads with a dead untagged deer in the truck to go to that central location to fetch permits.

Sure, were all human and make errors! The problem is when the game wardens make mistakes, you go to jail and have your reputation ruined, or pay crazy outrageous fines, in Louisiana you get no second chance, its the wardens way or no way.
Our game departments enforcement divisions have gone out of control in my opinion, with little or no oversight and large budgets, nothing gets in their way of oppressing the rights of citizens in the name of "the law".
Best way to fight back is simply to always buy a license and make sure you do things the right way, and in many cases that not enough, seems like brain washed cadets come out of the academy with one mission, get the hunter!

Why anyone would pick GW over DPS is a mystery to me. Bless their hearts I'm glad they do.

I'm hoping and assuming it is because they care about what they do and want to make a difference, at least the majority of them.

$53K after the first year, $65K at four years, plus benefits. (that is 2015 rate)
And you can break game laws and still keep your job.

My buddy had a warden tell him it was a requirement that ducks are retrieved. The law clearly says a reasonable attempt must be made. This is how he told me the story.

Warden was clearly having a bad day and this area of public water is popular and there are a lot of dead birds floating throughout the season. Warden cursed at him, called him unethical and violently shoved her wooden spoon handle into his gun trying to break his factory plug. Didn't establish he even shot the duck (there were other hunters in the area). Plus, where he shot it was protected from the wind and he could easily wade out to get it, but it was wounded and by the time he reloaded it swam out into current before he was able to put it out of its misery. By this time, it was too deep to wade to.

He was waiting for it to float across a creek opening into the shore and then hike around the creek and retrieve it. Warden was rude, unprofessional and intentionally misquoted the law, which was dangerous. A young or new hunter (although all hunters should know the laws) might have stripped down and try to swim out after a warden said that, which could cost someone their life.

My buddy is still chapped about it and might find a new county to hunt in this season. He was polite and did everything she asked because he didn't want to get into it with law enforcement. Plus, he knew she was wrong and his license, steel shot and magazine plug were all in order, so he wasn't going to get a ticket.

One can always make a nicely worded official complaint. I believe it does get recorded. A rant typically get's ignored.

$53K after the first year, $65K at four years, plus benefits. (that is 2015 rate)
And you can break game laws and still keep your job.