Unusual game warden request

Our local game warden in Stephens County asked our lease boss for names, addresses and phone numbers of all lease members for "his information". I don't have anything to hide, but I can't see much benefit to provide that info to him. What would you do?

Edit: I was informed the game warden asked the land owner not the lease manager.

Interesting. I'd be curious about it too, and share your caution, but I'm sure someone will provide some food for thought on this topic. Never heard of it before.

I would give it to him and tell him he is always welcome on my property. Tell him to come by for a cup of coffee any time he's in the area. Our warden comes by and visits every now and then. He's a nice young man.

Unless there is an active investigation of some sort I don't believe I would give him that information.

Perhaps this would help him determine if an individual belonged on the property if contacted by the GW.

Nothing wrong with him asking... nothing wrong with the boss saying that's not his info to share imo.... but most will.. so why not ask

hell I have the game warden's cell phone number and text him from time to time when I'm out at the lease depending on what I'm doing. If I'm going to do any night hunting I definitely let him know.

I have been checked many times by GW's, Hunting, Fishing and just Boating, I always welcome them, tell them that I appreciate them (and I do), I have never met a rude one, but there is no reason for GW to need that info. I would tell him no.

Iv always liked knowing the warden around the county... why wouldn't you if you had a lease you lived well away from..

He is fishing, a completely legal form of inquiry, but fishing none-the-less. He isn't wanting to meet all the people. He just wants the information. He will take all the names provided and then search to see that all are licensed and with no wants or warrants. If there is a problem, he now has two places to try to find the person, at the lease and at their homes.

Unless he is involved in an actual investigation regarding activities on the property, he really has no need to know the information about the lease holders. I would not do it.

With that said, he may then hassle the lease holders via license inspections if he doesn't get the information otherwise. That is his prerogative.

Like birddogman, I have no problems with the gamewarden, no problems and no violations etc. I also wouldn't give him the info unless there was a reason.

It did tick me off last season that the game warden drove right up to our camp in his truck, through our locked gate... turns out he has a key to the power company lock. I think that should be against the law.

Kind of weird to me. We like our game warden a lot, he comes by pretty often during deer season. The most he has asked for is the makes, models and LP #'s to our trucks so he knows who is supposed to be here and who isn't. That's never bothered me before.

This, I am 3.5 hours from my lease, in my case i would not mind him checking from time to time to verify that there is no poaching.

Not at all... but he pretty much asked the same thing as this warden but in a better thought out manner

Hell no!

Mixed feelings... Enough issues with privacy as it is.

See, he doesn't need the LP#s of people's vehicles and he doesn't need to know who is supposed to be on the lease or not. That is more fishing. What is he going to do, stop everyone he sees on the lease that don't have the right LP#s as potential trespassers? Nope. He isn't there to stop trespassers without there first being a complaint from the landowner/lease manager that a trespasser is on property at a given time.

Never mind the fact that he can run license plates at will and find out names.

Kinda depends on if you're in an area where you have issues with trespassing, theft, poaching, etc.

I gladly gave the name of those with permission to be on my place to our GW because I was hoping he'd go by more. My place is close to town and we (early on) had issues with stuff disappearing. Hasn't happened in a few years now though.

I wouldn't get that far into it... I would hope hes doing both at least... they do watch out for properties when they know who is suppose to be there and not... no need for a call when he can just call LO or lease holder

I would not provide that information but would invite the GW out for dinner to come out and formally meet everyone on the lease. If he would like that information he could ask for it then in person if he so desires. I also wouldn't be happy if someone else volunteered my private information to anyone else without my consent first.

Yeah he's fishing and without due cause, coming from an LEO, if I was the land owner I would tell him NO. If he wants the names and other info, he can get a subpoena or come out and meet them while they are there. TCIC/NCIC doesn't take kindly to checking names & license plates without good cause.

I personally know Clifton, the game warden in Stephens county. I have deer and duck hunted with him on multiple occasions and he has been coming around on our place for several years now. He's a straight forward guy, with a level head on his shoulders. If he is needing some info, I would think it would be for good reason.

We give all of our hunters a card that we print up and change every year to signify that they are hunting on our place. Game warden comes to check and you pull out your card and you have verification that you belong there. We supposedly have a good relationship with our warden and have always treated him with the utmost respect. We have had a few small violations, but nothing serious, but this year he came into camp via the backside and we were all sitting around eating as it was New Year's eve. He started going through ice chests and looking in the back of people's trucks before announcing himself. I thought this was pretty much BS and I know he can do what he wants, but from our past record you would think we deserved a little respect also.

First, it's not your lease boss's place to be handing out personal info to anybody. Crazy that some think that's ok.

IF the hunting rules were reasonable and all on one page (like they could be) then I'd be more apt to work with GW's. But, since a GW can issue a citation to any sportsman in the field, I prefer to let them do all their own leg work.

And no way would one drive onto my places with a "power company" key. I'd demand that the power co take the key and let the GW know that he is welcome to walk in from the locked gate any time he pleases.

We have nothing to hide, but it really hung in my craw. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to cause trouble or make an enemy of him, but it still eats at me.

I agree. His behavior is way out of the norm.

It would bother me and I think would not give it to him unless he gives me a good reason why he needs needs it. It seems like he is overstepping his bounds a little bit.

Wait, you think he is really getting the information so that he can provide private property security services? Don't be silly. It isn't like he is going to every landowner and making the same query so that he can be sure strangers are not on their lands. He isn't really worried about if people should be there or not. He is fishing.

Simple answer is instead of asking advise from this bunch just pick up the phone, call the game warden that was asking for the information, introduce yourself and ask what you can do for him....easy....

I don't mind him knowing who should and shouldn't be there one bit. Our first year on this place we had some theft issues but luckily those have subsided. I don't know if it's because it was just a one time thing, or because he was keeping an eye on the place. Either way, who cares. Our warden has to pass our place to get pretty much anywhere in the county so it gives me a good sense of security. On the other hand, most of the guys that I hunt with are firemen or cops, so he can do all the "fishing" he wants, he's not going to find anything wrong. He's seen stuff out of place before and asked our landowner about it just to make sure everything was good.

No need to ask the ranch manager on our place. The LO has all that info for each hunter if he really wanted it.

Has there been any criminal activity on or near the lease, say within a 3 mile radius.

Chances are you don't really know whats going on around the area or if there is an active investigation going on even county wide.

GW collaborate & assist with all sorts of local, county, state even fed LEO agencies.

If you don't want to give him your info, don't.
Don't whine & complain that LEO's aren't doing their job when stuff on your lease comes up missing.

I have the cell# for the GW from every county we own or lease property in, they have mine.
I can't count how many times I received a call that proved invaluable to me about something going on or near one of those properties.

So & so's tractor got stolen 1 mile away keep your eye out, your road blade isn't where you normally store it, ended up being stolen, did you come get your gooseneck trailer, no? well somebody got it then, there's a wildfire on your property moving north fast, did you move your cows off your property, are 2 guys in a blue gmc pickup supposed to be on your property, somebody ran their car through your fence...

Not all or even most LEO's are out to get you, most are trying to help people & do their job they just might not be able to tell you whats going on at the time.

He wants to make sure everyone gets a present from time to time. Christmas is the time for giving.............you know?

Wow, I thought this might be a lively topic. Like some have mentioned all lease members have a card that represents written permission. This is my second year, but the lease boss has been on this lease 50 years this year. 10 folks on the lease and everyone is a good egg. Nothing going on that I know of around us that I know about. Just thought it felt like a fishing expedition to me. I no problem with game wardens and welcome their involvement at the lease. Thanks for all the replies.

So if he comes across someone on your lease that states he is a paid hunter you wouldn't want him to have a list he could quickly confirm the hunter with?

Our game warden asked the guy who does my farming for the code to the gate at my place. He gave it to him because he didn't want to upset the game warden. I changed the gate code the next week. I also cut the power companies lock also since he has a key for that also.

I can see both sides. Honestly don't know how I would feel about it.

No way! That would stop people from griping and makes too much sense.

Darned if you do, darned if you don't in my opinion. I carry my local GW's business card with me in the sleeve with my hunting license. If I have an issue, I want to have his info handy. I've also had him stop by to check in and I've offered him a cup of coffee or a coke. Pays to be on good terms. At the same time, not sure if I can see a logical reason for him to ask me for contact info of others.

Now the flipside, if you don't provide, do you run the risk of getting increased scrutiny?

If this were to ever happen to me, I would be most comfortable, and maybe best course, would be for the Lease Manager to give the GW his info (if he is comfortable doing so), but also informing the GW that he is not comfortable giving anyone else's personal information. Maybe take it a step further and let the GW know that he would be happy to send an email to all of the other hunters, providing the GW's contact info, and that they will need to respond with their info if they are inclined.

I have the game wardens cell & sheriffs office # for Jack, Erath, Dickens, Montague, Real counties just in case. I have met and conversed with Jack county GW Mr. Tweedle a couple of times and encourage him to stop by whenever he wants.

Nothing to hide here so I prefer them (GW) being a little nosy, might be the difference between someone getting away with blatant game violations or theft of property

In early January, I was walking out to my tower blind and heard a noise behind me. It was the game warden cruising down my private road. I asked him what the hell he was doing driving my roads late in the day and screwing up my hunt.
He e said that "I didn't know any one was here." He fouled up my hunt..I suspect that he was looking to use my blind for himself. I have seen some evidence of someone using my blinds (cigarette butts and I do not smoke).
I told him if he had any problem with me, my license or anything else on my property to come back after dark and ask away..He was a no show.

One other thought on that request...He might be looking for names of past violators in order to know which properties to keep a closer eye on.

My in-laws have witnessed the phone company truck driving out of a neighbors ranch (could have been on their ranch since the neighbors ranch road is the access road).

The occupants were wearing camo. Doubt they were working phone lines in that outfit.

That "everyone (on the lease) is a good egg" and "I welcome the GW's involvement at the lease" attitude is a GW's bread and butter. The GW is not your friend. He has a job to do. That job is to find and apprehend game law violators.

Listen real close here: everyone who hunts and fishes is a "game law violator". If you dispute that then you have a very incomplete understanding of the myriad of game laws.

There is never a good reason to treat a GW bad. But there's thousands of reasons to keep from helping him find your mistake on any given day.

I've experienced two situations where hunters were cozy with the GW. Both ended up with citations. For things like "failing to recover a game animal" (a javelina that the hunter had emptied his weapon at just before dark). And pre-signing an MLD tag (the GW later apologized because he was wrong on HIS understanding of the law).

If he needs or wants the info he can get it when he checks hunting lic.

None of their business unless laws were broken.

I bet he already has a name in mind and is looking for info, maybe doesn't want to tip his hand.

I read through the response noses and thought about it some more. I can mostly see both sides, but I find myself falling on the side of those that don't understand the reason why you should or would be okay with this or with the LO or ranch manager giving it up without your permission.

My biggest qualm is, why does the warden need your address? Name and cell phone, okay, maybe he wants it on hand in case something does come up, like needing to access the property for some reason and not wanting to ruin a hunt, or because there was a theft there and might need to get in touch with guys on the lease.

But my home address, most likely in another county? That definitely makes it seem like a fishing expedition, and I'm not okay with that.

No problems with game wardens and I respect their job and how hard it can be, but that seems unnecessary and would make me uncomfortable. If he showed up at camp, introduced himself and asked ME for it, I might give him my name and number, depending on the reason, but not my home address just for him to ave on file.

That seems really odd.

I know my local game wardens and have their phone numbers programed into my phone.
That said I would be sending a certified letter to Austin asking for the reason this happened and what they planned to do about it. I don't like people I do business with giving out my personal information.

If there actually was a need for this information then I might change my mind about it.

I would have no problem giving them that information.

The way this thread is going it sure looks like a few folks are guilty or planning to be.

I'd find out why.

If you've ever hunted you've been guilty.

I've known Cliff for as long as he has been in Stephens county and if he did this he needed the info for some reason. I also know a lot of guys that lease in Stephens county and he hasn't asked them.

So you broke the law by cutting the power company's lock to keep the game warden out?
I would bet your landowner will be pizzed about that when the power company calls him.

That is true....I always, always try to go by the rules exactly, but after re-reading the rules I saw where I have broke one before. "After a deer is killed and before the deer is field dressed or moved, the appropriate hunting license tag must be immediately filled out and dates cut out." I drug it out of the feeder pen before tagging, therefore I "moved it" and so I was in violation of the law. If any GW are reading this post, that was a hypothetical statement.

I'm certain most of us do. But when you have laws so complex and numerous that even veteran GW's can't keep up with them, you are certain to fall on the wrong side of one from time to time.

On my neighbors place this year one of his straightest laced "Boy Scout" leasers (who always welcomed the GW in and gave him gate codes) got cited for several turkey's in a sting because other hunters there were killing quail in dove season (dummy's got what they deserve there). Can't remember what the slight infraction was but the Boy Scout had to pay the fee and restitution. The landowner and I had quite a chuckle over the fact that "his buddy" lit him up like a Christmas tree. Our hunters know not to give gate codes out now.

Was cited myself for failure to tag in the field after I carried 3 turkeys I had shot to a different blind awaiting pickup by the landowner. Pleaded my case for a bit that I was still in the field being we were a mile from the ranch house. The only reason the Game Warden was at the place is the landowners thought it best to let him know we would be hog hunting at night. Which is perfectly legal and their is absolutely no need or requirement to notify anyone. After he, "did me a favor" and only cited me for 1 of the birds he proceeded to ask to look at everyone's side arms! Don't know what he was fishing for but he definitely was. Once that was all through he followed us all up to an area where the ranch did their gut disposal. As I cleaned my turkeys he approached and demanded to see my license again! I complied of course and his reason was " I wanted to see if you had the super combo" What the heck would a super combo have to do with anything when we were not fishing? He was now clearly just harassing which by the way is breaking the law. Although I'm sure the majority of Wardens are great people their job is to enforce the laws, generate income for the state and their Department. Not to be your friend!

if he was really fishing and really wanted your address all he needs is a vehicle LP or even just your name in most cases, 2 minutes on his computer and he would have it. IMO he was just trying to figure out who all should be on the property.



a certified letter? really? like someone said above, why not just call HIM and ask him why he wanted the info?

threads like this remind me every time at the amount of time and energy some people will spend just to get themselves riled up.

crimes get solved and criminals get caught every day by LEO's asking simple questions, often DUMB questions, because they have the right to do it.

Just a few ideas for those who always welcome the warden around... do you set traps on your lease, either varmit or hog? Have you ever caught an unintended target? What did you do with it? Was it legal?

Have you ever discarded a front leg because it was blown to hell and back and wondered if the warden felt the same way?

Do you know what a true 1/4 is and what the game warden considers a 1/4?

Ever processed something beyond quarters at camp?

I do my darndest to be a law abiding citizen, for the most part I don't even speed. Plain and simple its private property I have an expectation of privacy.

Game wardens are to hunters about like DOT DPS officers are to truck drivers-----if they want to give you a ticket, they can snoop around long enough to find a violation.

If a cop asks to search your vehicle, do you agree to let him/her? After all, you don't have anything to hide, do you?





Right, the GW isn't making a list of all the names of all the people on all the properties in Stephens County to reference in case he comes across a vehicle or person on any given property. First, it would take him hundreds or thousands of hours to compile such a list in the manner he is going about it. Second, it would be monumental in size. Third, it would likely be out of date before he even completed it.

The OP's lease is being targeted. The question is, why? That the GW didn't come clean with a realistic reason would indicate that he has some suspicions already working.

I like the logic offered that he wants to know who is supposed to be there. I have hunted as a guest on numerous people's leases including Stephens County. I would not be on any list if GWs in all those counties compiled lists. So would that mean that I am "not supposed to be there?" After all, I am not on the list, LOL.

correct, he probably has a reason to be targeting this specific property, he doenst have to "come clean" and tell you, but all it takes is a phone call to ask.

i had a GW waiting for me at my truck after a hunt in december, a neighbor called and said they had never seen the vehicle on the road before. he checked me out, even called the LO who verfied that i was good to go, and i was on my way. i am glad he was out there, in the middle of nowhere, DOING HIS JOB. i hunt places where stands, cameras, and feeders tend to disappear, the more GW presence the better.

if you arent someone he expects to see out there, now he has a list of 10 phone numbers he can call to check you out.

and it may not even be the OPs property that is being targeted, it could be that the neighboring hunters have a reputation for not knowing what a fence is and hes trying to figure out "who is suppposed to be" on the OPs place.

Don't think I broke the law by cutting the power company's lock. They asked if they could put a lock on my gate when they ran power to my cabin and I told them yes. Now I changed my mind.
Being the land owner I won't be too pissed if the power company calls me since I'm the one who took off their lock.

I bet someone nearby is growing pot, cooking meth or poaching. The warden is trying to get info on the people in the area.

Why does exercising one's rights have to be an expression of guilt?

Yes anytime

I think most would be surprised how many people say yes to this question that DO have something to hide, like things that come in kilos and LB's.

Well said.

I'd bet $1 this isn't "just for his info", as mentioned before, it isn't like he doesn't have enough to do other than collect county wide hunters info.

Could be he received a complaint from neighboring leases/LO's, or maybe suspicions from the LO himself. Also possible the LO wants the info for some reason and is using the GW as a rouge.

Calling the GW, may or may not get you anywhere, he wont tip his hand if that is the case anyway.

There's a thought. May not be the game warden at all.

I don't have a problem with this I guess and don't have anything to hide....Also depends on the GW. We had an azzhole in Palo Pinto county for a long time before he finally moved on and I sure wouldn't give him that info......

Right, he doesn't have to come clean as to the real reason for asking for the information and I would add that I don't have a problem with him asking for the information in the first place. However, if he isn't being straight with me, then I would certainly be hesitant to volunteer information.



Yep, perfectly legal to ask and perfectly legal to refuse.

BTW, law enforcement almost universally refuses to give out their private information.

How do they read their meter? I also have an electric power line across my place and have to keep a lock on the gate. It would be against the law for me to lock them out from there right of way.

this

I understand there are several ways for him to get my address, one being that it's printed on my licenses (hunting and drivers). License plate is another.

Bottom line: I can't think of great reason for him to go about it this way (get my home address behind my back) and I'd appreciate if he asked me directly, rather than go through the land owner and, apparently, not provide a reason for the request.

I do agree with you that the OP should call the GW himself. Maybe the GW gives him the reason, or at least one that makes sense to the OP and he will provide it.

If the LO just gave the names of each hunter the GW would have what he needed for whatever he needs them for. Might take a little extra work, but he would have the names. It would go a long way to make the calls himself to each hunter, or show up when they're there and make an introduction and explain the situation.

Nailed it. It's fine to ask and fine to refuse.

jshouse, like I said I have the game wardens phone numbers in my cell phone and have called then to report several instances that they have asked help for. I would be wondering why they would not ask me for my information directly as we talk several times per season.
As for the certified letter it was to clear up an interpretation of a new rule that they said they would read it the way they wanted instead of the way it was written. I called Austin for clarification and talked with 2 different people that could not agree on what it said. They were the ones that asked me to send the letter as that was the only way to be sure and get a written response. The letter was hand delivered by the lead game warden to me, he is retired now and we still are good friends.
Not being an a$$ just doing as I was asked.

Game wardens are "State Police"....thats on all their new trucks. That kinda puzzles me.

Dang, of all the folks to not worry about, to me the Game Wardens that I know are the ones.

I'll give them whatever they want or need. Nothing to hide.

I think they can get the information requested from the person that has the hunting lease license anyway.... either the LO or the Lease manager...

I think yall are over thinking this...

We do have a paranoid bunch here.

And many who are very naive.

Yup

If you want to give up the info, go for it. I don't see anything wrong with it. I also don't see anything wrong with refusing to do so when it's our right. I fail to see how that makes anyone paranoid.

You think the bold print would give it away but where do you need help with that?

....thanks Nav, as an old fart I need all help I can get.
Seriously.....just was wondering why all these years the "bold print" on their trucks simply stated Game Warden and now it's State Police.
More PCness im guessing

Since a License is required by the state to lease property for hunting, it would also seem the right of the state to know who is hunting under that license. Is it required of the land owner to give the ID of those hunting the property under that license? Is there a statute in the law that covers this?

Because many folks have been under the impression that a game warden does not have the legal authority to perform regular law enforcement tasks.

Interesting topic.

It's my understanding (I've been wrong before) that Game Wardens have quite a bit of authority. My BIL, who used to be a State Trooper (many years ago) says they can inspect your vehicle without a warrant (although supposedly only to look for game law violations) and come onto your property past your locked gate.

I haven't met the warden in Lee County yet, but I have called a few times to let him know we were hunting hogs at night. He never came out, and honestly there are gunshots in the area so frequently at night that he couldn't possibly check them all out. I don't bother to call any more.

Others in the area who know the local warden say he's a nice guy. If he wanted my personal info I'd show him my hunting and driver's licenses. If he asked for info on others, I'd probably say I was reluctant to give out personal info on someone else, although I'd freely supply a list of names of who was on the lease (I'm a friend of the LO, and semi-official land manager). I don't think I'd give out more detail without understanding why it was wanted and how it would be used, but if the warden had a good story I'd cooperate. I'd certainly be polite regardless of anything else.
--

bout what I think make folks recognize

The lease license is for the landowner only. No one should be handing out personal info (on others) to LEO's, and no one is required to.

And the state wonders why the sale of hunting and fishing licenses goes down every year. HMMM?

talking with GW would be good, IMO

Met a couple that were were real jerks, acted pizzed everyone and everything was on the up and up, and a couple real gentlemen. Had one come on the lease and never checked anyone's license or ice chest. He just asked if anyone had any luck, only one fellow out of 6 got anything. It was a javelina. All he was interested in was talking arrowhead hunting.

It is my understanding that any lease holder that is sub-leasing must have a hunting lease license. The cost of this license is based on the acreage. The GW will probably check they have a lease license.

Every GW I have met was great. I met the one you are talking about in Stephens this year. Something was up and that is why he asked for that info. Probably just to eliminate them as possible suspects if he saw them to whatever it was or the neighbor claimed they saw something happened. My friend has property there for a long time and they have never stepped foot on it. We got a dove field there elsewhere and he was very professional and by the book. Can he see folks of the road? If so, he might not want to check them multiple times if he knows they are good to go and can tell who is there by their vehicles. Where I hunt, never seen a GW in 13 years. It would be a mile walk if he did show up to camp. He might get a hotdog.

As far as tresspassing, that is up to the landowner to deal with. It is not up to the GW to figure out who should be on the property unless the LO calls it in themselves. Out of the six times I have been checked no one has asked for anything except for hunting license and what have you shot. One time I was on the wrong property dove hunting (found out a few weeks later using a better map than the hand drawn one) and asked them to verify my boundaries and they laughed and moved on and said "keep shooting. We don't keep names and maps either for private property."

I have never had a bad encounter with a state warden....and believe me I've dealt with many after being a charter boat Capt in and off shore for 32yrs. They've always been top shelf...
Now I have had a couple encounters with fed GWs....those dudes wound up pretty tight

Roger that Sir.

Hey Skin....not to get off topic but been many moons since I've seen tide as low as it's been at times in past 2 weeks....driving fish into a few safe deep areas...snowbirds been killin fish in MC and South Bay. Wardens been watching em pretty good though I hear.

Yes Sir. I sure love good hard low tides but I've been working Have buddies that have been doing real good, big trout too. I'm looking forward to getting a line wet when I get off. Gotta watch them damn snowbirds

My thoughts too!

Fished & hunted almost 50 years and had many encounters. Not one single bad experience. Some were very by the book, most were polite & cordial. A few even stopped by for nothing but a cup of coffee....... I was bad one time and after filling out the back of the license & forgot to check the box. Warden just checked it for me and never said a word until I asked.

Game Wardens have as much power as any law enforcement agency in Texas and probably one of the most dangerous jobs around. The ones I've met seem to be "good guys". While you don't understand the request, he probably has a good reason for it. I'd cooperate with him any way I could.

Had the came warden stop several times at my place the first 2 years. He hasn't been back in the last 3. Always welcomed him. Offered him coffee etc. We have nothing to hide. Not comfortable however with the fishing. Seems unnecessary.

Absolutely incorrect information. Peace Officers may randomly run the registration of vehicles as well as check a name and date of birth for warrants for no reason other than just to check the information, there is no Fourth Amendment violation. This has been long established from a myriad of case law and is not even questionable.

Seems someone may be wrong or both may be wrong. Be interesting to hear the conclusion on this.

I'd say my vote goes with BigPig knowing what he does for a living and also knowing he ain't no rookie.

I don't know this for sure, but I'm willing to bet he has an arrest or two and has had to represent the law before a judge.

Ntxtrapper is correct. Criminal history checks are ran through dispatch and monitored but license plates and name/dob are ran all day by officers on patrol in their squads. We have license plate readers mounted above roadways and on patrol cars that check every plate that passes in front of them, without "good cause."

[/quote]

Ntxtrapper is correct. Criminal history checks are ran through dispatch and monitored but license plates and name/dob are ran all day by officers on patrol in their squads. We have license plate readers mounted above roadways and on patrol cars that check every plate that passes in front of them, without "good cause." [/quote]

Yes sir, I remember when they strengthened the rules for CCH pulls sometime around the late 80's iirc. Memo I recall, said the system was being abused by ex's, folks checking on friends, family, neighbors, or something to that effect.

Having a license, vehicle tags, or doing something regulated by the state (driving for one, hunting is another) You inherently agree to have less anonymity for the "privilege".

I would suspect there is more to it like maybe someone in the area has reported a theft.

My current position causes me to sort out extremely complicated arrest, search and seizure issues everyday such as tracking devices on vehicles, going up on a phone ect ect ect. This is really basic stuff here.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1468527.html

This thread just keeps on giving. It's a testament to the excellent training GW's go through that so many people truly believe they're paid by the state to be their buds.

And some believe they are "just out to get ya"

And some believe they are "just out to get ya" [/quote

That is, in fact, their job. No one, not me, not you, not anyone, walks into the field and doesn't break a law. Their job is to find what you're doing wrong, and cite you for it. Buddying up to you makes their job easy.

I choose to make their job less easy. It amuses that people point out instances where GW's "helped" them back into the lines. Their naivite is epic. And funny.

I'm not as jaded as you I suppose and don't think every GE and every LEO is out to get me. I have also never been cited for something when I didn't break the law. I am not "friends" with our GW, but respectful. He has never "tried to catch us", but is professional and comes into camp and does his job. He has let some infractions slide and has cited some for minor infractions.

I am not jaded either, but the game warden wasn't requesting the information to determine who was supposed to be on the property because he has some sort of concern for the lease being utilized only by people on the lease and he isn't wasting his time to look for random trespassers on this one property out of all the properties in the county and he isn't going to every lease and making the same offer. So there is deceit going on. He is involved in some sort of investigation because some wrongdoing has been done and therefore likely trying to find somebody. He isn't there to be the leaseholder's buddy. To believe otherwise would be just plain naive.

GW's handing out citations for violations that don't exist will in fact tend to bias one. However, jaded or not, the GW's duty is always the same, they are there for one primary purpose. To cite you for game violations (to "get you" in your terminology). To believe otherwise is to ignore the facts.

what do you think his job is? trespassers are often poachers, catching poachers is probably his most important task. of course he isn't going to every property, can a street cop watch every stop sign or school zone at once? I can imagine if he is "fishing" that he has picked out an area of his patrol zone and is focusing on that, next week it could be a different area.



their job isn't to cite violators any more than a police officers is, its a small part of their overall job duties. and yes, some officers write more tickets than others and some MIGHT "get a talkin' to" for giving to many warnings.

you had a bad experience with a GW, we get it, I had a bad experience when I was about 16 with a ranch owner my (never hunted) step-dad found in the newspaper selling "mouflon ram" hunts, should I expect you to rip me off too if I ever called?

Be careful of who you invite to your hunting location is my warning even if you call that Game Warden a "friend".

A simple GPS tracker on the GW's vehicle led another agent to our camp. Once he knew where it was it was his weekly routine to show up and show his arse.

Nobody is perfect and they will find something if they're in the mood

JSHouse you are certainly one conflicted dude on this subject. Your words:

"catching poachers is probably his most important task."

You are trying to disagree with me, when that is exactly what I said.

Definition of poacher:
1. a person who hunts or catches game or fish illegally.

One becomes a poacher when one breaks a game law. Sorry to jerk you into such a harsh reality.

ok, I suppose ive been misinterpreting your posts. your tone lead me to believe you think GW's are walking into camps looking to write tickets to people that haven't signed the back of a tag or some other petty infraction, akin to a street cop writing a ticket for failing to signal a lane change.

sure we can get into semantics, but to me, a poacher is someone that is killing deer at night, killing more than they have tags for, killing from a roadway, killing while trespassing, etc. more like the street cop out looking for drug dealers, he could give a rip about citing for that lane change. I don't know all the offense levels for poaching, but when I think of poaching I think of "someones going to jail," not just getting a ticket.

to be short, I don't think most GW's are out looking for petty infractions so they can write a ticket, but I have never had a "bad" incident either.

our game warden showed up last year uninvited. He checked all our hunting licenses and logs, questioned why my mother (who doesn't hunt) didn't have a license and suggested she should have one if she was going to be there, which is bs. We got out without any infractions, but he certainly was looking for something to write a ticket for.

Same chit happened to our group a half dozen times over the past two seasons.

could you add some clarity to this please

so you are saying one warden that you had a good relationship with and that had GPS tracking on his vehicle (that I assuming they all have now for their overall safety) was "located" by another warden and that second warden decided that the location was your camp that the "friendly" warden was visiting

and from there the other warden decided that your camp would be a fun place to show up and start poking around weekly looking for petty nonsense and generally just nosing around and possibly even ruining hunts or otherwise being unpleasant

Indeed sir

Same here.

If the landowner is operating legit, I'm not sure why he wouldn't want a GW to know who has permission to be on the property. Am I missing something?

if a policeman is not writing tickets some cities and counties think he is NOT working, maybe the same for GW

Of all the LEO"s in the world, the game wardens are the least likely for me to worry about at all....

I am glad I don't go through life worried about them

Yeah, the game warden isn't asking about who is supposed to be in the property because he is the gatekeeper for the landowner. The game warden doesn't spend his time making sure nobody is trespassing for all the landowners in the county. It is naive to believe that is the case. The GW has an agenda and he is hiding that agenda from the lease manager\landowner for some reason. Asking for the names and addresses of everybody that is supposed to be on the property is NOT SOP or common. Have you noticed all the other people here who have been in contact with GWs and NOT been asked for such information? So why do you think the GW is hiding his reason for requesting the information?



I am sure few people worry about them. After all, there are so few of them and half the time a considerable number of them are down on the Texas border doing supplemental BP duty.

So if a game warden is contacting you and asking for information, it isn't because he has nothing better to do than to be concerned making sure you don't have trespassers. He is doing an investigation of some sort.

This seems to be an isolated incident at one lease, and not multiple leases. The GW has enough to do without investigating slim leads. He has something (game law violation) or someone in mind already. In this case, I'd ask him to be more specific, rather than wholesale giving him information about all the hunters.

what difference does it make, If you have nothing to hide, then whats the big deal??

The big deal is that everyone has their right to privacy. LEOs don't need to know everything about everything if there's not a specific reason to know. He should, at the very least, share why that information is needed so the one being asked can have some context. LEOs are not "big brother". They work for us, not the other way around.

That said, I have a great relationship with both the GWs in my county. They know where my place is and are welcome there anytime. They have helped me catch some bad guys and keep watch over my place. I have not met a disrespectful or "bully" type GW in years. In the old days, it seems there were more of the "looking to bust someone" types than there are now.

A few years back, my bud was stopped exiting a property he was hunting. He had forgotten his license at camp. The GW followed him to camp, checked the license, then proceeded to check every cooler we had. He hung around for a sandwich and gave us the background on the properties around us. He didn't site my bud.

We offered an open invitation for him to stop by anytime but he never returned.

It was an enjoyable experience.

That would be the biggest value of it. I would certainly want the warden to have that information.

That is not the GWs primary job and he is not there to do that. You must have proof first someone is tresspassing. Otherwise they would just hike around their whole life.... He/she doesn't police properties seeing who should be there or not. That is the LOs responsibility. He only checks for game violations but if the LO calls and reports someone who should not be there, he will check and process that individual to the extent of the law. But the LO must report it who is probably watching that person break the law in the first place. I have been checked around ten times and never been asked for a document stating my tresspass rights. They don't care who is where unless LO tells them specifically someone is tresspassing without rights.