Well a slow opening dove for me in the panhandle. Had a great time with my buddies, shot 6 birds, and met the Game Warden who has worked Lubbock hale and Floyd county for 23 years. He was a real great guy, gave my buddy a warning (no ticket) for not having his hunters edu And showed us some spots he liked on the various public land spots in floyd county. He also reminded us to fill out the forms and explained that alot of people dont. He said he and the other wardens worked real hard to get all the public in floyd county and that having the little cards you fill out before and after the hunt help them justify leasing it from the landowners. So if you hunt public...FILL OUT THE FORMS! Hopefully more counties will take after floyd and we can all have more options to hunt!

Every Game warden I have met has been a nice person. Met a lady up in Denton County and she was really nice. Checked my stuff and opened the gate for me as I was leaving.

Wish I could say the same. Worked closely with TPW for years, then a new crop of young bucks rotated in and they seemed to feel that they had to get in people's faces to make an impression. Unfortunately, times and attitudes change.

How was the public land. I thought about doing that and even went and looked at them. But instead talked to a land owner and he let's me hunt his place so decided. To save 48 bucks.

I think you can get your hunters education number printed on your license. I had to ask them to though.

Let's don't make this a GW bashing thread.

90% of the GW's you meet are good dudes just doing their jobs. What's happened is the state has employed so many people that have never hunted or fished in their lives for these positions. It really blows my mind their selection process when there are guys that are more qualified who can't get into the academy.

I think for the most part, they turn out some purdy good ones. Some of the folks are sharp. I don't know if yall have noticed, most of the top Wildlife Biologists in Texas, has worked for TP&W at one time or another. That says sumpin' right there.

The one I met near Paris was really nice and even posed for pictures.

I never meet a bad GW in TX. Had one that was a little grumpy with me for a little while but thats becuase i had a bad habitit of not calling in when yote hunting. He game his cell phone finally and said just text him and then I help introduce him to 6 ranchers, and get him unstuck on a ranch one time, he ended up being a really good guy.

Can you explain the "not calling in when yote hunting"? I have never heard that you should call anyone...
Thanks

It is a nice thing to do if you are going to be out hunting at night. Just to give them a heads up. That way when the neighbor calls and says someone is down here shooting at night, they don't have to drive all the way out there and think someone is poaching deer. Just a nice thing to do.

thanks

This is just a nice way of letting him know your shooting at night. So he doesnt have to wake up from a phone call about some one shooting. It's just a friendly phone call, so he can have his goods night rest. thats all.

thanks taco

My husband called me from a dove lease because of an large injured owl was caught in a wild rose patch. He loves to hunt bird but didn't want it to suffer and die. I made some calls got the game warden from that county to meet him at the lease to pick up the owl.
His friends like to harass him and say "Its bad when your wife calls the game warden out on you."
He just tell them go out in the middle of nowhere call the wife and see how long it takes her to get help to you. Mine can have them there in under an hour.
The game warden turned out to be a nice guy and would stop by the lease once in awhile just to chat.

The only GWs I have ever been checked by were down in Nacogdoches County..and older man that I can't remember his name...Hamm maybe? and a young guy that just came on with TPWD named Stovall. Both great guys!

My hat goes off to all the wardens, they have a tough job.

got checked yesterday for the first time in my life. The guy was nice and polite as can be. I thanked him for what he does

Got checked just outside of Seguin on some public land. GW was very nice and told me where the better spots were on another public spot.

We ran into 2 game wardens while out. Great guys and we had fun just visiting with them.....
Checked our stuff and were very professional about it.

Audie Hamm?

if so he used to be in Red River county. GREAT guy. He took me a few times with him on calls at night when I was in high school and college.

I've only met good dudes around here.

It is great to see all the respect from you guys towards Texas Game Wardens. Although I have never had an encounter with one while out hunting, I am sure if I did, due to my personal ethics in hunting that it too would be a good experience. I have sat down with a few located in my area for interviews because hopefully once I get finished up with my degree, then that is where I want to be going, to train to become a Texas Game Warden. In each instance the game warden was willing to take time away from what they were doing to sit down with me for an hour or so just to answer all my questions.

I hope that I can take that same respect that I have been shown and turn that around once I finally make it out there and show that to the people I encounter. I love the outdoors and have a deep respect for it and just want to make sure that respect is carried on. Thanks for starting this thread Kevin!

All the ones here are nice as can be.

I think allot of the bad vibes come from guys that think GW's are just harassing them. Most of those guys were probably guilty anyway. I've yet to meet a GW I thought was trying to be a butt. If they seem a little brash it's because they've either just had a bad run in with someone or they are sick of how they are treated. I like above respect their work just like any other law enforcement. I've found a little respect goes a long way with GW's and other law enforcers alike.

Agreed TBK...I think most with bad vibes started the whole thing with bad vibes toward the officer. If you start things nice I have never seen a GW come off with an attitude. These guys have a risky job that I wouldn't want and I respect the heck out of them.