When you hunt different states and countries, it is rather comical that what you do legally in one state , can be absolutely" horrific poaching crime in another" and can cost you life time ban in one or all states and so forth.
All the regulations seem to grow by leaps and bounds and no end to it.
I truly believe in simplifying lots of regulations and game laws.
It is like a maze with no way out, game wardens have more and more power over us hunters, because of all these laws that crucify us for as simple of and infraction as not signed tag or you must have left some meat in the woods, for simple human mistakes that all of us are ample to make at times, either from excitement or forgetting...
Funny how we worship past legends and most likely they were in todays world poachers, law breakers etc.
it is sad how we let ourselves to be led like a sheep to a slaughter

Read this about 3 times, and all I can say is that it is the price of doing business.

If your going to play the game, you have to abide by the rules of where you are playing.

Just my opinion, and that is all it is game and fish laws are enacted/enforced basically as Legalized Ethics. I know that sounds stupid, but look how often hunting discussions on this site cross the line from what is legal, to what one or some people consider as Ethical.

Personal ethics are just that and they differ from one person to the next. Since hunters can not agree on what is and is not Ethical across the board, Legally established rules and regulations are set in place to give us the parameters we should be working within.

I am one of the "If It Is Legal And The Person Has No Problem Doing It That Way, It Is THEIR Business" group.

Other operate under the "I Do Not Care If It Is LEGAL, I Do Not View Anyone That Operates In That Manner As A "True" Hunter".

Thoughts/beliefs/perceptions are changing constantly among hunters. Older hunters look back on what was, younger hunters look at what is and what they want. Older hunters are in a shrinking minority, much of what they remember as accepted practice is frowned upon in todays world.

Another aspect is that in today's world, the general public has a much different view of hunting/hunters and their place in the overall scheme of society than the public of 30 years or more back did.

Agreed CHC
BUT IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO THROW IT OUT THERE
Still think it is crazy world

In our hunting camp we often have debates/discussions regarding what is legal and what is not, and other unclear areas in the regs. I might mention that two of the participants are attorneys of many years' experience.

There are a few different ways of looking at this situation.

I hate to say this but it seems as if the focus of law enforcement has changed. It's not so much a matter of maintaining law and order (in the case of police) or protecting the resources (in the case of conservation wardens.

It is becoming more about revenue collection.

This is most evident with game law violations. There are many instances of people getting $10,000+ fines for conservation law infractions. Yet, committing relatively serious crimes against humans seldom results in a five figure fine.

I read a story about an hunter in WY who used the "gutless" method to dress out an antelope. He forgot to remove the inside tenderloins (a few ounces of meat, at best.) That oversight earned him a $400 fine. Yes, he broke the letter of the law but $400 for such a simple oversight? I don't know for sure, but a person could probably shoplift (intentional theft) or run a red light (putting others in serious danger) in WY and not earn a $400 fine.

The state probably figured that it's easier to shake down big $$$ out of someone who can afford to hunt vs. some poor schmuk going a few MPH over the limit in a 1995 Chevy.

On the other hand, there seems to be something about hunting that brings out the worst in some people. There are lots of guys who are good, upstanding, law abiding citizens in their daily lives. But put a gun or bow in their hand and they turn into big-time violators as soon as they think nobody is looking. Can you imagine being a warden and hearing the endless B.S excuses and outright lies?

The conservation law ARE confusing. Most other laws (especially traffic laws) are somewhat consistant all over the country. A red light means the same thing in Montana as it does in Pennsylvaina. Now consider the WY antelope hunter who was fined $400 for leaving a few ounces of meat on the carcass. (As I understand it, Alaska is even more strict in this regard.) In my home state of Wisconsin there is no "wanton waste" law, as such, that specifies out how much meat must be recovered from a kill. "Party" hunting is legal here. With mutual agreement, I can legally fill your tag and you can fill mine. This is a SERIOUS violation in just about every other state. Using 2 way radios to report the location of game is illegal here but perfectly OK in New Mexico. And the list goes on.

If you're going to play the game you've got to know the rules.

Crazy world again
And we are doing it to ourselves
I got pretty good shakedown twice ( no fine )
Didn't have my duck stamp signed while I was elk hunting ?
And other time when kids were younger my daughter was not with me but I had her tag in my wallet and Game wRden saw it and oh boy I got the riot act
Right there, anyone would get sour on the whole FWP entity

Anyway, it's just like anything else, we should not tolerate this kinda behavior from any cops period
I don't care how much BS they put with, if you do this kinda job you gotta distinguish between good and bad most of the time, otherwise get the hell away from job like that

quote:

If you're going to play the game you've got to know the rules.

I have probably hunted as long as any of you, and the above quote has kept me from being ticketed/fined/hassled or even had a bad experience with ANY GW/GMO, anywhere.

Know the laws, abide by them or stay home, it is that simple. Good intentions won't buy anyone anything.

I have hunted in Colorado/Wyoming/Idaho/Nebraska/New Mexico/Arizona/Texas/Newfoundland and Nunavut.

You either abide by their regulations or you suffer the consequences.

Getting an ass reaming talk is a whole hell of a lot better than a fine ANYDAY!!!!

It is really simple, if you are going hunting out of your home state learn the rules of the place your going or stay home.

Still fucked up world of so called law enforcement world
Ultimately again, us and legislature bear the burden
Kick the damn British out...

So, you are perfectly fine with allowing everyone to set their own laws?

No, just common sense and respectful treatment from any law Enforcement entity.
That is the whole point of my contribution on this particular subject as it is called...

I guess I have been extremely lucky almost half century of fishing/hunting in Texas and around the continent, but I have never had an unpleasant run in with any Game Warden, anywhere.

The deal is, the in the field LEO's, don't write the laws, they just enforce them. I have talked to several GW's and they often do not agree with some of the laws they have to enforce, but they have to enforce them because it is their job.

One thing I have seen over the years, and it has somewhat faded away, is the concept that some LEO's, regardless of the agency, approach their duties under the "Letter of The Law" concept, while others operated under the "Intent Of The Law". The latter group tended to be the older/veteran officers that did not/do not agree with how the laws are written.

Reality is....half of all the people on this earth are no damn good. If everyone was honest we wouldn't need a single law. Hell, lots of the wardens don't know the letter of the law themselves but it doesn't stop them from attempting to enforce it. I had one telling us to empty our guns because we couldn't hunt woodcock with lead because they're a migratory bird.

My only gripe with F & G is the wardens who assume someone is guilty of something before hello is spoken.

Like C-horse,I have hunted all over the country for well over half a century and like wise I have never had an unpleasant experience with any GW, plus I have always been treated with respect..it might have a lot to do with attitude to start with.

I agree and I have not yet incurred fine in 25 + years, but I have seen bad attitude from game wardens and it simply irks me.
That being said, this particular contribution is more about how if you step from one patch to another, laws and regulations change drastically and whats totally acceptable in one state can get you hung in another and that bothers me.
Wardens know it and have tendencies to pick on out of staters just like cops have tendencies to pick on out of staters on our highways.

Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best and if we don't stand against those kinda attitudes, we are doomed.

MY WHOLE POINT IN THIS DISCUSSIONS. KEEP ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT HONEST BY QUESTIONG THEIR INTEGRITY JUST LIKE THEY QUESTION OURS INTEGRITY EVERYTIME THEY STOP US.

The part that bothers me is every state and some areas of states have different laws. Yet if you violate one or more of them. You can and very well may be banned from hunting all the rest for years or even life.

Seems like if that's the case, they all should have the same laws so we'd know them well. Here in CO, the laws are so fk'd up the way they're written it's mighty hard to understand what it says. Just get a copy of our hunting regs and see if you don't agree. I fully believe they're written that way solely for the purpose of fine collections.

Usually the first visitors to our elk camp are the local wardens to check everyone out. They're nice or have been. Yet, driving out of the field in the darkest night on a steep hillside I was ahead of three other trucks and almost ran into a mud covered pickup parked no lights on in the middle of a two track. I could barely see something that didn't look right so I stopped, less than 4 feet from hitting it! Soon as I did, a GW knocked on my window spooking the shit out of me. "Open your bolt I want to see if your gun is loaded". Wonder what would have happened if I hadn't seen his truck parked in the two track.

George