Bad judgement + bad luck = bad day

pete · Post by **pete** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:00 pm

Top Dog;
Thank you yery much. You mentioned traditional gear and it seems like most of the guys I've met while antelope hunting with a bp gun gave the impression that they think it's more of a stunt than anything, this incident not withstanding.

fatbelly; That's quite a story. Your hunting partners kind of overreacted, not even getting your side of the story. You'd think they would have just gave you a little ribbing. That's too bad.

Top Dog · Post by **Top Dog** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:19 am

OK,now is the time I must confess and cleanse my soul.
Go back to Nov '66,I had just come back on leave from my third tour in 'Nam.
I went out and was hunting grouse and was confronted by a NY Game Warden who politely asked to see my hunting license.

I did not have a license but showed him my military ID card and was expecting to loose everything.

The warden handed back the ID card and told me to go obtain a license and then come back hunting.

This suprised me greatly being that Vietnam Vets were pretty much looked down upon then.

And yes,I did get my license and returned to area to hunt but never saw that warden again.

Top Dog

pete · Post by **pete** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:31 pm

Cool story. Game Wardens like anybody else come in good and jerk forms.

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:08 pm

Pete

Thank you for your kind words. I suppose it seems a little harsh but shooting at game you ain't supposed to over here is only just short of murder in some eyes. I think it harks back to mediaeval times (or beyond) where the king granted lands to the gentry and woe betide anyone who trespassed or attempted to take game therein without permission

Just an old English tradition. Keep the bastards in their place!!!!!

Heck you can't even shoot rabbit or pigeon these days without a permit, certification and Lord knows what else, let alone permission from the landowner. It's why I don't hunt much these days, too much red tape.

I hunt paper and clays and that's fraught with legislation.

Kelley O. Roos · Post by **Kelley O. Roos** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:43 pm

fatbelly,

An what you said is a shame, as you guys have very plump Rabbits & Doves over there.

When I was over in England Harold mentioned he hadn't seen any Rabbits. I asked him if he was blind, which he replyed NO. So I took him by the hand an walked him over to the dinning room window an pointed out several very fat Rabbits, right out in the open. Oh, Harold says, I didn't see them, and I asked him again if he was blind and a very loud NO was heard through out the room

Kelley O.

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 4:59 am

Kelley

zrifleman · Post by **zrifleman** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:39 pm

mdeland---Your logic, if it is logic could be applied to hunting, deer, elk, buffalo, etc, and most big game. Also, leave the muzzleloaders home and my favorite pet peave---bows and arrows.

pete · Post by **pete** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:47 pm

On a positive note my wife batter fried some steaks and they were excellent so at least that's good.

Wagonmaker · Post by **Wagonmaker** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:04 pm

Lazer wrote:Pete:

When a person accidentally backs into somebodies parked car in a parking lot, he has a few choices:
1. Wait for the owner and make it right.
2. Leave a note with contact information on the vehicle's windshield and make it right on a later date.
3. Leave a fake not on the windshield, like "tooo bad!" and leave..

Lazer

Kind of like this honourable fellow did.

I really hate to say it, but if my honour was put to the test, knowing the local game wardens here as I do, I'd at least go home and dig up the crappiest Savage Model 1899 I could find.

And that's IF I decided that discretion wasn't the better part of valour. We have a few conservation guys around whom I know aren't very understanding. The big boss man for the area is cool though.

Bad Bill · Post by **Bad Bill** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:44 pm

Some of the European laws about game are totally unjust. I read of low class serf type guy being hung for taking a rabbit (or maybe it was a hog) when his family was starving. Years ago, of course.

As far as mistakes, the dilemma is whether you will be caught or not and whether the punishment will be too severe or ridiculous. From what Mdeland says, I'd be hesitant to turn myself in in Alaska and probably wouldn't unless I figured the whole situation had been witnessed or I'd be caught with the meat anyway; just walking away from a down animal wouldn't be an option for me although maybe that would be a possible course of action for some. I just hate wasting meat. However, I could also understand someone just walking away from the scene for fear of extreme fines or jail time which would affect his family. Something is amiss up in AK, it sounds like. Sort of like in Europe.

As far as the wounded antelope, maybe the guys that shot them didn't even know what had happened as they scattered over the hill. Then again, they might be just irresponsible.

Lazer · Post by **Lazer** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:49 am

I think you might be surprised if you just talked with your local wardens (one on one) and asked them how they have handled similar situations in the past.

I know of several situations here of rumors of officers being heavy handed but when the facts were on the table the shooters were attempting to minimize what they actually did by lying about the incident.

Lazer

Wagonmaker · Post by **Wagonmaker** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 12:18 pm

Well, there's always three sides to every story. My side, your side, and what really went down.

pete · Post by **pete** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:27 pm

Well the Alaska DOW attitude definately seems counterproductive, at least from looking from the outside in .

Things might have been different if I had a doe license and met the Warden with a trophy buck. That would look pretty suspicious.
I wasn't sure what the ramifications were going to be because I've heard of some reasonable outcomes and some heavy punishment dealt out in the past. It probably comes down to something similar to what lazer said in that some of these guys were really trying to get away with something and some weren't.