I don't know much about laws and such, and I know it differs from state to state... But... I'm sitting here and get a knock on the door, I go answer it and see its the GW, he introduces himself and I notice another one, Walking around my storage building(?) can they do that? Anyway, He mentions seeing antlers on my BACK porch as they rode by, They are Barely visible from the road, and dang I'd would have never noticed them... He asks me what I can tell him about it, I cooperate, even though I feel like I didnt have to.lol. I tell him I killed it. He asks if I checked it in and if I had my license. I showed him. Then he continues questions... Where did you kill him at... ? I said (insert county here). He asks where abouts? I tell him turn by turn directions, he nods his head, by this time the other gw is on my porch also listening in, and asks what I killed him with a Crossbow? ( I had some xbow bolts on my porch from my Grandfathers xbow) I said no a long bow... then corrected my self with compound...lol ( i was a little nervous?) He then asks well do you have anymore antlers laying around.... I said no just hanging in my house from last year, they say there goodbye's and are on their way. Are they that bored this time of year? I felt slightly intimidated to be honest, why the 3rd degree? Maybe they could smell my nervousness and thought I was guilty of something? I understand seeing a set of antlers and asking about them, but where, what, how, and such, I mean come on... Vent over.
I mean at what "reasonable cause" do they have to come onto your property to question you? A set of antlers laying on your porch? There's a lot of other things more productive they could be doing. IMO
I'd be happy they are doing their job. They don't always know who are the poachers and who are the good guys. Poachers always lie, so the fact that they were thorough is a good sign, IMO.
John's thinking the same thing I was......... Didn't you say a few months ago that you are always tearing around in the yard on the quad? Maybe you PO'd the neighbors somehow?
They could have been going off a tip, like others said. Or they could have jsut saw the rack & gave it a shot. Either way I am happy to hear of them at least trying to find a poacher.
1) I'd be happy they were doing their job. 2) I agree that it sounds like someone may have called something in on you.
They saw evidence of a dead deer. Checking to see that it was legally harvested is their job. I got stopped this year by a GW when leaving my lease. He held me up for about 10 minutes looking through my car and checking my license. When he was done I thanked him for checking and told him to keep up the good work.
let the GW go to a deer show and interrogate all the people with deer racks getting scored and see how that goes over. how many people show up without any proof of ownership or tag kill info or even a pic of them after the harvest. i am sure many of of us have racks from years and years ago ,,,, prove there yours and you shot them.... good luck on that one. did you know you are supposed to tag each piece of deer meat in your freezer with tag # again who does that?
Most GW's I've dealt with over the years have a guilty until proven innocent attitude. I'll agree with the others, someone called you in.
I f the ..GW wants easy pickens they should be at the meat locker on opening weekend .. shops cut the antlers off on the spot,
From what i have learned over the years dealing game wardens is this: They can do ANYTHING THEY WANT. Probable cause is crap...deer tracks on your property can be probable cause. Hunting stickers on your truck...the fact that you HAVE A BEARD. They can cut locks, enter buildings, set up surveillance, ANYTHING. The cops joke around here that the game wardens have more jurisdiction and the firefighters get more love...and its TRUE. Maybe i should mention that my dad built the local game wardens house and that ive ran into 2-3 others in my youth. I used to fish with the former GW every Wednesday morning.
I understand,you were going hunting, I've been checked before, no big deal, did he ask you where you were going? Now where abouts' is that at? What you were using, anybody else going to be there? And I can't think of anyone who I could've PO'd I have a atv and I ride on my land, I also shoot guns, fish at my pond, let my dog run etc.I've only lived here since I was 2. Neighbors should be used to that by now... What is it you guys say when people complain about hunting land? Buy/lease your own? If my neighbors don't like what I do on my land they should buy/lease their own. :D. But, I get along well with my direct neighbors, and Have one neigbor 2 houses down they hate hunting, but they usually don't cause any problems, We even speak to each other now and then, but especially not 3 months after the antlers have laid there. I just see no point in questioning a set of antlers on someones back porch. I understand there job, but those antlers "could have" com from anywhere. Just don't see the point. Doesn't really matter, just didn't feel right that they could play 20 questions and walk around my yard without permission, from a set of antlers on my porch.
This, OR There are rumors that you "too good". Game Wardens HOUND the guys who kill big bucks constantly here. Call it the Mitch Rompola effect.
not picking on you simon, just saying i have called the gw on people on my ground and over the years have found out what they can and cant do, sorry they have to have probable cause, they have people scared into thinking what power they have,, In this case they seen antlers and that is there (probable cause) here. every cause must start with... probable cause, they dont like getting things kicked out of court over the small stuff. I have said this before, if the powers that people think a gw has were true there would be tons of drug bust and terrorist raids that start as GAME VIOLATION
