Nit-Picking Game Wardens???.....

[Big Muddy]

This was posted on another hunting site....I dang sure had never thought about this....going to check out ALL my shotguns, now

What do ya'll think???




"""This teal season i was stopped by two game wardens. They came and asked to see our birds asked how many we killed and went through there normal steps with checking us out. So they asked for our guns to make sure they only held 1 + 2 in the tube. When the GW first checked my gun he used my ammo 3" shells... Gave it back said was good to go and thanks. I said no worries. Then his partner asked the GW that checked my gun if he checked it with 2 3/4" shells. he said no and then asked to see my gun again. I handed him it again because in my mind i knew my gun wouldn't hold 3 shells in the tube. the GW put 2 2 3/4 shells in my gun and then slammed the 3 one in and told him we had issues. i answered why is that? he says your gun holds 1 + 3 and it cant. Quick recap my gun was good to go with the ammo i was using and there was no 2 3/4" shells on the boat... bottom line i got my ducks taken and a ticket.. I'm still waiting to see how much the ticket is going to be. With all this being said the GW seemed to be upset with right of the bat when he asked for my ID and i handed him my military ID due to not having my drivers license on me because i didn't drive that day. I volunteer my time with the MS marine patrol and I'm active duty military with the Coast Guard. I never would hunt with an gun that was not ready to hunt with. I just have lost all trust with GW's now because of this. I WAS trying to get hired as a GW when I get out of the CG but I'm not sure i could work with such booty holes that couldn't give a warning. I would understand if my gun didn't have a plug but my gun did. Either way why I am writing this and letting people know is double check all your stuff. Also the GW said to always check your gun with the smallest ammo your gun will hold even if your not using that ammo to hunt with. """

[Thumper]

Sumpin' sounds hokey there. I doubt it would fly if he contests it.

[Big Muddy]

Yep, Thump....this opens up a whole new set of duck and dove shotgun questions....lots of variables, concerning this issue.

Such as, I know for a fact that an Extrema I that comes from the factory, will hold three 2 3/4 inch shells in the magazine tube.

Here's another glitch....I remembered seeing these little 12 gauge shells on Midsouth USA website....what if the game warden carries around a handful of these little shells???....technically, he could give a ticket to every single duck and dove hunter that he checks.



255579.jpg
Aguila Minishell Ammunition 12 Gauge 1-3/4" 5/8 oz #7-1/2 Shot Box of 20

[BarryBobPosthole]

Well, the plug was cut to the wrong length is all I can say. Any time you cut a plug for a gun that shoots 3" shells, you have to cut it so it won't allow four 2 3/4 in shells as well. And that ain't that hard to do. That's why most plugs are 'cut to length' type deals. I think he deserved the ticket. Although I also think most game wardens are chickenshit.
BKB

[Thumper]

I deer hunted with a Rem. 870. We were limited to 3 shells (slugs). The factory plug did the trick, but I had a choice ... I could hunt with three 2 3/4" shells or I could hunt with two 3" shells as only two 3" shells would fit ... one in the chamber and one in the magazine.

What I usually did was to run a 3" in my chamber and two 2 3/4" in the magazine ... but the last two were strictly "insurance" as my first shot was usually the kill shot.

[Big Muddy]

Phole, I really don't think that's the main issue here, or the point the guy is trying to make....he, nor his hunting companions, had ANY 2 3/4 inch shells with them....only 3 inch shells....the warden pulled the 2 3/4 inch shells from his own pocket.

That's like the warden saying, "I'm going to give you a ticket because your gun will HOLD lead shot shells, even though you don't have any lead shells with you."

[Thumper]

"I'm going to give you a ticket because your gun will HOLD lead shot shells, even though you don't have any lead shells with you."

Hmmmm, good point.

Wonder if I can get a speeding ticket while doing the speed limit because my truck is capable of going 120 mph?

If you're fishing legally, can you get a ticket for fishing with illegal bait just because your snap-swivel is capable of holding it?

Sumpin' tells me the list is endless.

[Big Muddy]

Hmmmm, good point.

Wonder if I can get a speeding ticket while doing the speed limit because my truck is capable of going 120 mph?

If you're fishing legally, can you get a ticket for fishing with illegal bait just because your snap-swivel is capable of holding it?

Exactly, Thump....it's appears that the GW's were trying to set up some hunters....otherwise, why would they be carrying around a pocketful of
2 3/4 inch shells???

[BarryBobPosthole]

I looked at the Oklahoma regs and all it say is you can't hunt with a gun capable of holding more than three shells. It says nothing about what size you're hunting with, only that your gun can't be capable of holding more than three.

I'd probably say the game warden was chicken shit if I'd gotten the ticket, but I'd have to admit he probably was technically within the law to write it.

what is it you'd use those real short shells for? watermelon thieves? Cats maybe? I've never seen those. Can't see how they'd work in a pump gun or an automatic though.

BKB

[Thumper]

why would they be carrying around a pocketful of 2 3/4 inch shells???

Ummm, my guess would be to check magazine capacities. (??)

[Thumper]

what is it you'd use those real short shells for? watermelon thieves? Cats maybe? I've never seen those. Can't see how they'd work in a pump gun or an automatic though.

I was wondering the same thing Postie. I've never seen them either. The first thing that came to my mind was "snake shot". But to carry around a single-shot scatter-gun just for snakes seems kind'a goofy.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'd sure like to have a single shot sawed off 410 for a snake gun. Maybe one of those old contenders.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

Sorta reminds me of that old fishing joke....lady gets a ticket for fishing with too many poles.

GW says, too many poles in boat....even though she's using only one pole, the others are in her boat, and are "equipment" that she COULD use.

She gets on cellphone, and calls 911, and reports she's being raped by the GW.

GW screams, "what the hell are you doing???"

She says, "Well, you got the "equipment" to rape me."

[HideHunter]

I've wondered - where do the "new" 3 1/2" shells fit into this? Can you make it "legal" with 2 3/4 and still get two 3 1/2s in it?

And as far as the "nit-picking" stuff. I think wardens who actually get out of their trucks and interact with hunters are more likely to explain a situation and say, " this needs to be remedied". The ones who ride around in their trucks all day and hope a hunter crosses the road in front of them are going to write you for any possibility.

The worst I've ever seen personally is I had an old friend (dead now) who was coon hunting. He had his quad in the back of his truck with his gun (unloaded) strapped to the handlebars. Warden stops him on the road. Ask where his gun was - checked it and found the zipper was broken and it lacked about 2" of zipping completely up. Warden wrote him for having an improperly cased gun. He showed it to me.. Yes - it was broken but you still couldn't have removed the gun from the case without unzipping it. I knew this old gentleman (approx. 70) and he wouldn't have smarted off or created any "circumstances").

In either of the two cases here - "education" should have been the priority.. with a warning and - "needs to be remedied".. period.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Now you're getting into higher math. I'd have to take off my shoes to cypher that one.

BKB

[Thumper]

We were on a combination bear hunt/walleye fishing trip in Northern Ontario one year. There were 4-5 of us in the cabin (sleeps 6) and waaay out in the middle of nowhere. We were 26 miles (by water) from the nearest boat ramp which was also the closest place for supplies (a small "bait shop").

Only two of us were bear hunting, but we all fished. We'd all fish in the early am, then my buddy and I would check baits while the others continued to fish, then we'd bear hunt in the evenings. We built a live tank out of chicken wire and basically lived off the fish we caught. Whenever we'd come back to the cabin, we'd dump our catch in the tank, then when it was time to eat, we'd grab a net, scoop out what we wanted to cook, then clean 'em and cook 'em.

One morning a Canuck Game Warden landed his float plane right in front of the cabin and paid us a little visit. We gave him a cup of coffee and b/s'ed a bit. Then, when he was ready to leave, he checked all our licenses and counted the filets we had next to the stove (we were just getting ready to fry them up when he came in). We were legal. Then, on his way back to the plane, he spotted the tank, counted the fish (legal count) ... but then he added those to the filets we were getting ready to eat ... of course we were over limit. He came back to the cabin and said, "we seem to have a bit of a problem" and continued with a lecture on limits, fines, etc.

BUT ... then he said, "Before I ask whose fish these are, I want to explain one thing ... if they belong to all of you, I have to write a $150 ticket for each one of you ... but if they only belong to one of you, I only have to write one ticket!" On one hand, he could have easily let us slide as once we had breakfast, we'd be under limit ... but numbers are numbers I suppose. Anyway, my buddy immediately spoke up and said all those fish were his.

Here's the Canuckian GW handing my bud the ticket.

copfish.jpg

[BarryBobPosthole]

We do the same thing on our annual trip to Canada and it is illegal. (but we still do it) Its illegal here too. I mean we combine our limit of keepers and count it as a whole rather than individuals. That way everyone takes home a limit.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

The guy just posted a bit more info., and this will prolly answer a lot of questions.

He is from south MS, and was hunting in LA.

LA wardens loathe south MS hunters....and, I'm sure vice-versa holds true, as well.

[Big Skyz]

I pretty much loathe game wardens in general, nuff said.

[DeputyDog]

Here's my take on this.....In my job, if I wanted to, I could write people speeding tickets for going 1 MPH over the speed limit. Would it be chickenshit, in my opinion, yes, would it be legal, yes. If your defense is that your speedometer is off by that much, it's not my problem that your vehicle's equipment isn't functioning properly, I know that my radar unit is and can show the certifications to prove it. If I really wanted to, I could probably get probable cause to stop any car moving down that road that I wanted to and write the driver a ticket for something.

The point of this I guess is, the GW didn't do anything wrong but strictly enforce the law as it's written. Do any of you think that this same hunter would have posted anything if this GW had told him, "Hey, I could write you a ticket since your gun holds more 2 3/4 shells than the law allows even though you don't have any in possession. Keep this in mind for the next time."?

I'm sure all of you have worked with people that see everything in black and white and do their jobs accordingly. The bad thing with law enforcement is that if a person had one bad encounter with a cop, whom may have just been served divorce papers that day and is in a really pissy mood, from that moment on, every cop of any kind is an asshole and they won't be shy about telling everyone they know. If they meet a cop having a good day and he lets them off when he probably shouldn't have, they feel they pulled one over on the cop, and then no one hears about it.

What that GW did didn't do much for PR for him or his department, but he did follow the law.

[Thumper]

In my personal experience ... I've known a lot of decent, understanding cops (and a few bad ones). When it comes to Game Wardens ... most (not all) have been jerk-off pricks.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I have no idea why, but that's my experience too, Jim.

BKB

[Big Skyz]

DeputyDog, I get what you are saying, but that doesn't at all change what I think of most GW's. Quite a few of my closest hunting friends are in law enforcement. Either city cops or on the sherriff's department. I generally get along with law enforment officers, but GW's are a whole different animal. Granted there are a few good one's I've come across, but most I want absolutely nothing to do with. It's almost as if on their job description there is a box they have to check that says, "Public Azzhole #1".

[Chicken Dinner]

I've had good and bad experiences with Game Wardens and LEO's in general. In most instances, if I was trying to follow the law they have exercised their discretion appropriately and I would sing their praises loudly. If they have a hard on for you, they can find something wrong and they will. In the original instance, it seems a warning and a little education would have been warranted. Most of the LEO's I've known personally have been great people who I would not have wanted to cross professionally, but would love to have my back when push came to shove. I used to work in a bar in college that could fit 2,000 drunks for Friday happy hour and we would supplement the bouncer's with uniformed off-duty Deputy Sherriff's. Great guys. But, when that switch got flipped, you better just get out fo the way.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I don't consider game wardens LEOs. they're more like Outdoor Bouncers.

BKB

[Big Skyz]

Outdoor Bouncer's...I like that term. Might have to use that.

[Big Muddy]

Last question....assuming this is a federal and state law, since it has to do with duck/dove hunting, how many of you actually knew about this and actually check your shotguns to make sure you are legal, while hunting???
Call me a dumbazz, but this never even crossed my mind!!!

[BarryBobPosthole]

I don't use three inch shells for duck hunting and I've only been goose hunting twice in my life and used 2 3/4 " shells then, so its never been an issue with me. I prolly need to check it though.

BKB

[Thumper]

I think one of the problems with Game Wardens is the power they have ... it sometimes goes to their heads I think. Think about it ... they actually have more authority than the police or State Troopers. Number one, they can enforce the same laws as police, including traffic laws, but where a cop would need a search warrant ... a Game Officer can do almost ANYTHING he wants WITHOUT a warrant.

[Arty]

I've only had one experience with a GW. Was about a month ago. I rented a jon boat on lake moomaw for me and the kiddos to catch a few bream.
Two GW's come roaring up, bout tipped us over in the wake.
They checked my license, looked for life jackets and throwable.
When he asked for registration I said "I have this" (the rental agreement and a copy of the registration was attached to it)

I thought he'd look at it and just hand it back. Buuuttt he goes into a 20 question quiz on where I rented it, when, for how long, when it had to be back, etc etc.
What I wanted to say was "there's only one place on this lake to rent a john boat and it's right over there (you could see the marina from where we were anchored up), and also everything you are asking is right there on the damn rental agreement that you are holding. .... But I didn't

My 9 year old loves cops and always wants to talk to them. So this whole time my son is trying to make conversation with them, because they're "cool" and carry guns, etc.
They were having none of that. They completely ignored him.

When they were happy they sped off, once again rocking a very small jon boat.


I wasn't impressed with them

And that's all I have to say about that.