BigGameHoundsmen.com

I dont really go on here that often anymore, But after this happened today, I had to post about it and get your guys' feedback from it!

So my dad was pulled over (in a state park) getting a soda out of his ice chest, and returned to his cab, he was sitting IN his truck, and a park ranger pulled up next to him and asked for their ID's. he said he wasnt going to give them a ticket..He proceeded to his vehicle and then came back with his ticket book, and wrote my dad a ticket. T14 CCR4305 (a). Which is harrassing wildlife in a state park. ALL of the hounds were IN the dog box, not ON the dog box, INSIDE the dog box. They werent even barking or anything! the park ranger checked the box for a misdemeanor, rather than the infraction. So my sister just did some research and the fee for nevada county will be $850 MINIMUM for the misdemeanor charge. versus only $170 minimum for the infraction. He is going to fight it and go all the way! im just looking to get everyones opinion and feedback! thanks everyone!

That sounds like a load of crap to me. I would fight that all the way.

Did the officer see dogs out of the box at any time? I cant see how they could even think of coming up with that one. We have more then once had to drive thur a state park while up bear hunting. We were told as long as the bolts were pulled on our guns and the dogs were in the box we were fine to drive thru the park. Sounds to me like they are after that $$$$$$. He needs to fight it. Its his tax $ that pay for the state parks he has the same right as anyone else to drive thur it. It would be the same as any other nonhunting person drive thur the park with a pet dog in their car or truck.

yes, he is going to fight it all the way. even to jury trial if need be, but i dont think it will go that far!

outlaw13 wrote:That sounds like a load of crap to me. I would fight that all the way.

The park ranger DID NOT see the hounds out of the box. and as far as the guns go, they didnt even have any up front, they were all locked in the dog box. He is for sure going to fight it, and we will be there for support! I think they are just after money thinking that he will just pay it and not fight it. but he IS going to fight it.

livetohunt wrote:Did the officer see dogs out of the box at any time? I cant see how they could even think of coming up with that one. We have more then once had to drive thur a state park while up bear hunting. We were told as long as the bolts were pulled on our guns and the dogs were in the box we were fine to drive thru the park. Sounds to me like they are after that $$$$$$. He needs to fight it. Its his tax $ that pay for the state parks he has the same right as anyone else to drive thur it. It would be the same as any other nonhunting person drive thur the park with a pet dog in their car or truck.

trying to figure just what you folks cant figure out about this ' all i've been told by so many hunters ' is every time they run into forestry cops , fish and game .and now park cops there going to write tickets ;no matter if there right or not it's still going to cost us so who do you think is behind all of this , now some get on here and back fish and game . tell everybody how there our friends jim

Since you said Nevada County, I'm pretty sure I know where you are talking about. Those are county roads through the park, any body can use them or stop along the right of ways. As long as you were on the main roads. Not the side roads, You have the right to be there. Here is a little hint go to the Forest Service, and County get the most detailed topo maps you can. Becouse the park has little pieces of BLM, Forest Service, and private property in it. I use to shoot squirlles just outside the property line to mess with the rangers. You can beat this in court. I will be glad to help with maps or road names.

He was on the MAIN road, just before you come into the town of north Bloomfield by the old cemetery, which is north Bloomfield road. It is Malakoff Diggins State park. My dad bought a couple of maps a couple weeks ago, but im not sure is they are the detailed topo maps.

Tom A wrote:Since you said Nevada County, I'm pretty sure I know where you are talking about. Those are county roads through the park, any body can use them or stop along the right of ways. As long as you were on the main roads. Not the side roads, You have the right to be there. Here is a little hint go to the Forest Service, and County get the most detailed topo maps you can. Becouse the park has little pieces of BLM, Forest Service, and private property in it. I use to shoot squirlles just outside the property line to mess with the rangers. You can beat this in court. I will be glad to help with maps or road names.

North Bloomfield is a county road, any body can drive it any time. Sounds like hunter harasment by a bunny hugging pine swine. You got a good case, should be easy to beat in court, as long as no dogs were on the ground in the park. It sucks you guys gota waste your time fighting it.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped on top, by backbone to use the cell phone and a state park cop pulled in behind me. I told him I was not hunting just using the the phone on a COUNTY road. He said he heard dogs, I said their not mine, I dont turn loose that close to the park. He told me if my dogs get on the park, leave your gun in the car catch em and get the dogs outa there. Again I told him I dont hunt near the park. He said "your buddys do so tell em, I wont write you a ticket but some of the officers will"... Guess its who you talk to.

Just for clairity what was the rangers reason for the ticket? Why animal harassment? There were no animals presesnt to harass were there? You would think he would hqve cited for hunting in state park land. Like i said, this is just for clairity. I am no way implying that he was doing anything wrong. Just trying to get a little insight on what was going through the rangers head.

Yea i know where your talking about, backbone road. and he TOLD my dad, I AM NOT GOING TO WRITE YOU A TICKET, I JUST NEED TO SEE YOUR LICENSES. and then wrote him a ticket!

I think they are just really harassing us. The weekend before my dad got this ticket, he had to drive through the park, to do the loop to get a friends dogs rounded up, and the same ranger stopped him, and told him to try and keep the dogs outta the park because they had a bunch of people there for some boy scout thing, and he was cool with my dad about it.

And then last year the dogs ran the bear all the way into the park, or so we thought. We walked in from a head trail that goes right by that pond behind the rangers house, and there was a female ranger that walked us in, and told us where to go and was being totally cool with us, we were just walking in to get our dogs...and after walking in far enough, we saw the sign that said national forest land or whatever that sign is, so therefore they were not treed in the park. But we just grabbed the dogs up and went back to the truck. Where the female park ranger still was, but then this guy (who is in fact the guy who gave my dad a ticket) pulled up, and the girl rangers whole demeanor and attitude and everything changed. she went from friendly to rude and just unbelievable how she changed how she was acting because this young punk ranger showed up!

Tom A wrote:North Bloomfield is a county road, any body can drive it any time. Sounds like hunter harasment by a bunny hugging pine swine. You got a good case, should be easy to beat in court, as long as no dogs were on the ground in the park. It sucks you guys gota waste your time fighting it.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped on top, by backbone to use the cell phone and a state park cop pulled in behind me. I told him I was not hunting just using the the phone on a COUNTY road. He said he heard dogs, I said their not mine, I dont turn loose that close to the park. He told me if my dogs get on the park, leave your gun in the car catch em and get the dogs outa there. Again I told him I dont hunt near the park. He said "your buddys do so tell em, I wont write you a ticket but some of the officers will"... Guess its who you talk to.

there were no animals present or anything. all dogs were in the dog box, and the guns were locked up in the toolbox. The ticket is for harrassing wildlife in a state park.

bigboarstopper wrote:Just for clairity what was the rangers reason for the ticket? Why animal harassment? There were no animals presesnt to harass were there? You would think he would hqve cited for hunting in state park land. Like i said, this is just for clairity. I am no way implying that he was doing anything wrong. Just trying to get a little insight on what was going through the rangers head.

If this is the WHOLE story then the ticket is bullshit, you can camp in the state park with your guns and dogs as long as the guns are secured and not loaded, your dogs are not ready to turn out (collared up) and they are on 6 foot leash or otherwise inside a confined area.
Yes, you can get a ticket for your dogs going into the park, loose, collared up...that's kind of a discretion on the Ranger as to whether you did it on purpose or not. If the dogs are pursuing; its harrasing and hunting in a closed area, if the are just loose; it's a dog off leash. I worked at a State Park in the same system as Malakoff for 7 years, I saw Rangers act reasonable and I saw them act like a bunch of dicks with agendas, but I do know the more often they saw someone the more they started to wonder why they were always around - unless they were actively camping.
Do you think possibly he has seen you so many times now he might THINK you are up to no good? Not saying you are but maybe he might think that?
At any rate I would fight this ticket - glad to hear you are. They usually just expect you to bend over and take it like a...well...something, bottom line they want your money, the State Park system is swirling the toilet bowl.
I'm sorry this happened to you, crap like this causes a lot of disrespect between law enforcement officers and the public.......pretty friggin sad if you ask me.

http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/july2011_jcbail.pdf
Check this out. got it from fish and games law enforcment sight.

The dogs were NOT in pursue of wild game, or anything for that matter. and yes, i think they see us so much in that area that they probably think we are up to no good, but that is because we have to go thru the park to get to our hunting ground, so we drive thru it on the MAIN road atleast twice a day when we are up there. And he was harrassing my dad, asking who is baiting up there! i will tell you right now, we DONT bait, the ranger was saying something about some horses and cows that were found up there dead a couple years ago! its just gettin ridiculous, and your right, it is pretty sad, very sad actually. when never once have we been hostile, or rude or lippy or anything to them!

Liz ODell wrote:If this is the WHOLE story then the ticket is bullshit, you can camp in the state park with your guns and dogs as long as the guns are secured and not loaded, your dogs are not ready to turn out (collared up) and they are on 6 foot leash or otherwise inside a confined area.
Yes, you can get a ticket for your dogs going into the park, loose, collared up...that's kind of a discretion on the Ranger as to whether you did it on purpose or not. If the dogs are pursuing; its harrasing and hunting in a closed area, if the are just loose; it's a dog off leash. I worked at a State Park in the same system as Malakoff for 7 years, I saw Rangers act reasonable and I saw them act like a bunch of dicks with agendas, but I do know the more often they saw someone the more they started to wonder why they were always around - unless they were actively camping.
Do you think possibly he has seen you so many times now he might THINK you are up to no good? Not saying you are but maybe he might think that?
At any rate I would fight this ticket - glad to hear you are. They usually just expect you to bend over and take it like a...well...something, bottom line they want your money, the State Park system is swirling the toilet bowl.
I'm sorry this happened to you, crap like this causes a lot of disrespect between law enforcement officers and the public.......pretty friggin sad if you ask me.