BigGameHoundsmen.com

Big Horn Posse wrote:My tactics? So you saying being friends with a warden is a tactic?

Yes i am. I still believe that what you share with having a warden as your best friend most houndsmen will never experience. Plain and simple just laying it out there on the table i guarantee that you get treated differently than most people because of who you know. If you don't think so and your warden buddy says different you are both living in a state of denial. Good for you with have a warden at your best friend I just don't believe that the advice you previously expressed would be best for most. JMI.

Move back to cali and be a warden, it seems like most of what they hire now are anti's who have never even been hunting.

Big Horn Posse wrote: And finally I was born and raised in CA so I know a few things about that state and how things go there.

I believe your statement speaks for itself "A FEW THINGS".

Wardens are like any other group of people, there are good and bad. Some of them are trying to do their job and protect wildlife while treating the people that pay their salary with a little respect. Others are trying to wipe a bugger on your back every time you turn around. There are a couple wardens that have my respect and I would do just what Posse says. But for the most part my mouth will be shut. This is coming from a guy that has been arrested and held against my will by overzealous game wardens. And I did nothing wrong, completely legal cats killed in completely legal units.

I've heard one local game warden say he considers ALL houndsmen outlaws

Doogie wrote:I've heard one local game warden say he considers ALL houndsmen outlaws

who is he?

well in oregon and california it's not that your innocent till provin guilty.... it's the other way around, and i to have friends that are officers and thats what they tell me

Y'all need to attack the root of the problem. Not having a pursuit season when hunting season ends. I try to run year round, and yes it is legal here.

I have 2 local wardens here we deal with,One is a complete azzhole no one around here can stand is ego.Everytime you bump into him is the 3rd degree of questions just a very bad attitude and no one talks to him everything is a hush hush around him.The 2nd warden is totaly oppisite he talks and shots the shit tells where he is seeing game and sign talks about everyday stuff not just hunting.When we shot a bobcat here in Maine it has to be tagged by a warden, and i can drive rite to the 2nd wardens house when he is off duty and he will tag it for me instead of calling the 1st warden cause i just dont want to even talk to the 1st warden for a second.And you wanna know what the difference is between the two of them are its very simple,warden 1 is a newby only been with wardens for 5 years orso big chip on his shoulders trying to make a name for him self.Warden 2 been there for 15 years or more and he has heard every excuse under the sun and knows when one is telling the truth or not,and he knows the honest hunters and the not so honest hunters.There is good and bad for sure.
I wouldnt tell warden 1 the damn time if he asked me,but i would tell warden two what i ate for dinner the nite before.

J.R. wrote:he knows the honest hunters and the not so honest hunters.There is good and bad for sure.

Unfortunately, this is usually just a perception. Not always reality. I run into them all of the time and am even on a first name basis with some of them. Most of them around here are good guys and will even point you in the direction of some critters. That being said, if you're in a situation where you have violated or could be perceived as having violated a law and you're caught red handed. You probably shouldn't talk. I was advised by an attorney to even say "no" after they read you your miranda rights and ask if you understand. Because then it's no different then if you were never read them. I took the OP as him trying to circumvent Montana's laws and trying to be coy with fish and game. All I'll say is that it's not worth the headache. Especially with legal hunting being close.

Why risk being judged by a game warden , just be a responsible houndsman and run your dogs where there arent any bears or be prepared to shock them off when they start it.
everyone knows that accidents happen , but most accidents are preventable.

As for talking to game wardens , i would strongly encourage you to be silent as every law enforcement officer will tell you, EVERY THING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGENST YOU

When you act like an outlaw, expect to get treated like one.

Good point Dean..... Can't say it any more plain and simple than that

It is like saying all plotts are growly, or all bluetics are slow. I have received a few citations in my younger days from a warden that was very good at his job. He knew what questions to ask for me to implicate myself. Although he give me a few fines, he was always respectful, even though i was a 17 yr old kid. To this day I have a lot of respect for the guy. I grew up and learned my lessons, and am careful to follow the laws. If I had got away with these minor infractions, I may have pushed my luck, and done some things that would to this day regret. Unfortunatly not all wardens are like him. As a matter of fact I have yet to meet another. Most seem to think every interaction with a hunter has to be an interigation. So I dont believe all game wardens are dicks, but I also make it a point not to flag one down to tell him every move I make. We have to have someone to enforce the laws. There are too many people that have no ethics, and without law enforcement there wuld be far less game for us to enjoy. Whether its fish and game, or the state police, I have found its always best to be honest, and respectful. Just my 2 cents.

I was a Police Officer for 20 years. I loved folks who talked to me, got all of my confessions and and most of my convictions that way.

FullCryHounds wrote:When you act like an outlaw, expect to get treated like one.

That is the root of the problem, being treated like an outlaw when every aspect of the hunt is completely legal. When I was arrested and held for killing a lion after dark, I had followed every law. I can recite the game laws for cougar in this state right down to the silly ones that I don't understand the reasoning. I was drawn for the hunt and had two non-hound owning buddies along for a good time. We hunted hard and caught a nice tom on two week old frozen snow that no one else was catching lions on. The game wardens were convinced we cheated. Even though I followed every single rule, every single rule! I have never had a hard time with wardens, like I mentioned, I have a lot of respect for them. They do a thankless job that is quite essential. But as soon as a game warden starts to ask questions, or gets an attitude with me my lips are sealed. Some of them are just looking for a reason to give you a bad day, even if they aren't sure you did something wrong.

As far as "accidentally" popping up bears in a closed state, give me a break. You don't "accidentally" pop up bears while roading your dogs. I have unintentionally caught bear while bobcat hunting in the fall, but you walk away from the tree and no one is going to know the difference. And if a game wardens sees me and my dogs under a bear tree he will know it wasn't intentional. The electricity running through the dogs should be the first clue.