Fun Times with a Conservation Officer

[mikechell 0]

Guys ... any law enforcement person, in any department, has a badge ... with a badge number. That number isn't for them ... it's for you. If you EVER feel you've been treated unfairly, you write a full report with the officer's badge number and/or name. If you've been paying attention to news reports this past year or so ... you know that you ALWAYS follow the officer's instructions. Be nice and cooperative and you usually get the same respect back. If you don't, then you file the report after the fact.

 

As relayed by ihang ... reports usually get positive responses.

[ihang10 0]

I am actually quite interested in the law enforcement field, specifically becoming a fish and wildlife officer. It pains me to hear of so many bad expiriences with them, and they certainly have a bad name, but what they do is a dangerous, but necessary job. They enforce the laws that protect our resources and our pursuits. As much as they might piss you off, they are only human, and nobody's perfect, but you've got to respect and admire what they do for us as sportsman for they help protect out ways of life.

 

 

Any career field is going to be a cross section of society, and you'll get every personality under the rainbow. What defines the character and culture of any organization is set (communicated) and enforced (held responsible) by standards from the top down. Image is everything, especially when it comes to public confidence.

 

That being said, when I was looking state COs made peanuts for a salary, but I don't know what kind of overtime they get, if any. I could see where attracting and retaining talented officers is probably a challenge.

[Gene L 0]

I was a LEO for 32 years, the first five or so was a Conservation Officer. I can see no reason for not observing a lawful order from a CO or any other LEO. I've fished for longer than I have been a LEO and have never been checked for any reason at all. For fishermen or hunters, COs are very few in far places.

 

COs and LEOs in general aren't at the top of the pay pyramid.

[artimus001 0]

I can see no reason for not observing a lawful order from a CO or any other LEO.

 

i agree. follow all lawful orders.....but consent to nothing.

[artimus001 0]

Game wardens in Maine have a lot of power, you essentially have no fourth amendment rights when dealing with them, if you're in the woods that's probable cause to search you and your vehicle without a warrant. They want to see your cooler you have to show it to them, even if a fishing pole isn't visible they can still check it out. A little bit more difficult for them if they come onto private property, but in your car you are fair game. I tried the whole am I free to go stuff all that got me was a "your being combative, you need to calm down" and then, I believe, just to be a dink for me saying that he unpacked everything out of my car, found nothing and left me in the middle of the woods to repack my car. They get real pissed when you do that.

in all seriousness,,,, are you serious about the forfeit of rights??? i'd really like to see those regs.

i'll go out on a limb here and say that you forfeited your right to privacy and consented to a search when you got your car tossed.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Although I wholeheartedly disagree with the weird regulation in Pennsylvania to visibly display your fishing license while fishing, it does cut down on personal interaction in the stupidly crowded early part of trout season. However it IS a shining example of being considered guilty until proven innocent. It is the equivalent of being required to display your driver's license in the window of your vehicle every time you are driving.

[miketheknife 0]

The only time I have ever been checked by a game warden was 20 years ago. My wife and I were in 17' canoe on the upper end of Lake Murray in SC. We had just finished 3 day float trip on the Edisto river and decided to fish Santee Cooper. We were about 2 miles from the landing and were fishing the grass edges. We saw the warden change course and head straight for us. Our license were in a waterproof bag in the canoe and I started digging. As he got near us, he yelled " I don' need to see your license, I just wanted to see who was crazy enough to be this far out in a canoe." He was worried about us because the lake was famous for severe summer storms. We talked for about 30 min. and he was satisfied with our safety setup- air bladders,PFD's, etc. He had never seen anyone fishing with a fly rod on the lake either. He asked a lot of questions.

We saw him again about 2 years later, and he was hooked on the fly.

Mike

PS: Our grandson has that canoe now and uses it a lot.

[flytire 0]

I would welcome a visit by a game warden in my area. since I have all of the necessary paperwork, I'm not afraid nor would I need a lawyer to answer his questions

[phg 0]

 

Game wardens in Maine have a lot of power, you essentially have no fourth amendment rights when dealing with them, if you're in the woods that's probable cause to search you and your vehicle without a warrant. They want to see your cooler you have to show it to them, even if a fishing pole isn't visible they can still check it out. A little bit more difficult for them if they come onto private property, but in your car you are fair game. I tried the whole am I free to go stuff all that got me was a "your being combative, you need to calm down" and then, I believe, just to be a dink for me saying that he unpacked everything out of my car, found nothing and left me in the middle of the woods to repack my car. They get real pissed when you do that.

in all seriousness,,,, are you serious about the forfeit of rights??? i'd really like to see those regs.

i'll go out on a limb here and say that you forfeited your right to privacy and consented to a search when you got your car tossed.

 

Read the fine print on the back of your license. You waved your rights when you bought it. Same with your driver's license.

 

It's a fight you can't win, so try not to have it. Be polite, even friendly (if you can manage it) and cooperative. It's the quickest way to shorten the encounter. Most CO's are reasonable people, but we all have bad days, and there are a few jerks....

[Adam Saarinen 0]

The first time i was ever asked was a few years ago, everything was in my car, we had to walk back, i threw 4 different licenses at him for my whole local area & 2 fisheries, he just said keep them on you next time! Been asked 3 times buy 2 different guys since then, no problem, got everything! What i don't like is last year 2 different guys, normal guys asked if i have everything? 1 guy will probably never ask again? I only mentioned to local fisherman he was impersonating a officer & they started hunting him down, i stawed of it!

[shoebop 0]

In all my life I can only remember being checked for a hunting/fishing license two or three times. I guess that attests to the rarity of officers in the field at any given time. One of those times I was bowhunting late in the season during the black powder deer season. There was a local "bowhunting only" area that was popular to area residents. Regs state that bowhunters needn't wear orange unless during firearms season in areas where firearms were legal. Well, I interpreted that wearing orange wasn't necessary in a "bowhunting only" zone even though this was during the black powder season and apparently so did about 6 or 8 other hunters that evening. A DNR officer was waiting for us in the parking area when we came out of the woods and wanted to cite all of us for not wearing orange while bowhunting during the firearms season. Several of us got out our regulation books and read the poorly written law to him and he was forced to back down. The argument was pretty heated. I am sure that had I been alone that night that I would have received a violation but since there were a half dozen or more of us all saying the same thing, he had to back off. The following year the regs read differently to include bowhunting only areas in the wearing of orange during firearms season. I'm pretty sure this incident had something to do with the rewording of those regs.

 

In Minnesota, where I spent most of my hunting/fishing time, wildlife officers have the widest range of authority of any law enforcement agency. They can do anything a regular law enforcement officer can do in addition to their duties as a DNR officer and more. I think this is true of all states as well. It is true that they don't need a court order to search your car, boat, ice shanty, or home for contraband or evidence of any kind of illegal activity. They can ticket you for speeding, bust you for drugs and cite you for an overlimit of fish. This is why many law enforcement agencies will take a wildlife officer (when available) on busts so that they can search and seize without having to get court orders. If you have been accused or suspected of poaching (for example), they can come to your home and search your freezer for evidence without your consent. Regular cops can't do that.

[Hatchet Jack 0]

 

It's a fight you can't win, so try not to have it. Be polite, even friendly (if you can manage it) and cooperative. It's the quickest way to shorten the encounter. Most CO's are reasonable people, but we all have bad days, and there are a few jerks....

 

 

Well stated and very good advice.

If one goes into an 'encounter' with an attitude, they're coming out on the short end and possibly a ticket.

[artimus001 0]

 

 

Game wardens in Maine have a lot of power, you essentially have no fourth amendment rights when dealing with them, if you're in the woods that's probable cause to search you and your vehicle without a warrant. They want to see your cooler you have to show it to them, even if a fishing pole isn't visible they can still check it out. A little bit more difficult for them if they come onto private property, but in your car you are fair game. I tried the whole am I free to go stuff all that got me was a "your being combative, you need to calm down" and then, I believe, just to be a dink for me saying that he unpacked everything out of my car, found nothing and left me in the middle of the woods to repack my car. They get real pissed when you do that.

in all seriousness,,,, are you serious about the forfeit of rights??? i'd really like to see those regs.

i'll go out on a limb here and say that you forfeited your right to privacy and consented to a search when you got your car tossed.

 

Read the fine print on the back of your license. You waved your rights when you bought it. Same with your driver's license.

 

It's a fight you can't win, so try not to have it. Be polite, even friendly (if you can manage it) and cooperative. It's the quickest way to shorten the encounter. Most CO's are reasonable people, but we all have bad days, and there are a few jerks....

 

if that was on the back of any type of game license, or drivers licence (seriously??) anywhere in the free world there would be a revolt. there is a reason when i comes to the legal stuff; links, pics or vids.

 

i'd bet a years salary that you are wrong about the suspension of rights, and i'd bet another years salary that it is a 'fight' that you can win. for me it is,,,, be polite, assertive, cooperate with all lawful orders, refuse to answer any questions, refuse to consent to a search of any kind, AND NEVER LIE. as for the CO in question,,, lying and deceiving is part of the job description. that is how they get people to surrender their rights.

 

this is from the regs for this season for Ontario Canada.... https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/3981/2015-english-fishing-regulations-summary.pdf ....page 11.

 

Conservation Officers

– Conservation officers enforce fisheries regulations in the Province of Ontario. They have powers of inspection, arrest, search and seizure under the various statutes they enforce, including the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Fisheries Act.

When carrying out their duties, conservation officers may:

• Stop and inspect a vehicle, boat or aircraft

• Ask questions relevant to the inspection

• Inspect buildings or other places

• Require assistance to complete inspections

• Enter onto private property to perform their duties

• Search with a warrant

• Search without a warrant in circumstances requiring immediate action

• Seize items related to an offence

• Arrest anyone they believe has committed, is committing, or is about to commit an offence.

 

NOWHERE does it say that i've surrendered my rights as a citizen of this country/province. i keep my ducks in order, keep all my paperwork up to date, and keep my six covered. i have nothing to hid, but everything to protect.

[artimus001 0]

In Minnesota, where I spent most of my hunting/fishing time, wildlife officers have the widest range of authority of any law enforcement agency. They can do anything a regular law enforcement officer can do in addition to their duties as a DNR officer and more. I think this is true of all states as well. It is true that they don't need a court order to search your car, boat, ice shanty, or home for contraband or evidence of any kind of illegal activity. They can ticket you for speeding, bust you for drugs and cite you for an overlimit of fish. This is why many law enforcement agencies will take a wildlife officer (when available) on busts so that they can search and seize without having to get court orders. If you have been accused or suspected of poaching (for example), they can come to your home and search your freezer for evidence without your consent. Regular cops can't do that.

Cos in ONT cover all of the same laws, and have overriding powers of search and seizure as well.

 

• Search without a warrant in circumstances requiring immediate action

[artimus001 0]

know your rights, know your laws and carry a camera/audio device. you'll be back on the water as soon as your license clears.