The fear of hunting

bigole5 · Feb 4, 2005

Maybe you have seen this but I just came across it. Personally I think the guy is a dip. The article starts out great just like the good old days but turns real quick. Check it out!!

http://www.kingsoutdoorworld.com/feature/fear-hunting.shtml

Bigole5

Chef · Feb 4, 2005

I encourage everyone to read the three page article. It doesn't describe all F&G officers but I think we can all see a trend.

Bigole5, thanks for posting the link. You are right in saying the beginning is the best part. Kind of describes a part of why we all love doing what we do...hunt.

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"

martinc · Feb 4, 2005

I've read it a few weeks ago.

Yes, we have laws and rules that are hard to understand at times, they're numerous, but they're there to protect wildlife. I would love to simplify some rules across states to make it easier for non-residents who hunt in many states.

But the guy looks like a real jerk, a loudmouth. He provokes wardens and then wonders why they're after him.
Personnally I've never been harassed by wardens. I'm not saying that there is no egotrip among wardens, but they're not common, at least where I hunt.

martinc

Hawkk33 · Feb 4, 2005

I read this months issue and I like the fact that the mag owner is allowing reading to submit their views both pro and con about this article. Very fair journalism IMO .

avery · Feb 4, 2005

Thanks, bigole5 for the interesting article.

It seems pretty obvious the author has a chip on his shoulder about something. Glad he got it off his chest; now maybe he'll realize this is the 21st century, not the 1940?s. Things will never be the way they were then. There?s more hunters, less land, and lots more opportunity due to 50-60 years of technological advancement. What he fails to mention, however, is that there's probably more game, thanks in large part to the efforts of those he is demeaning.

I think his examples are anecdotal, and probably did happen, but his broad generalizations are designed to make you think that EVERY encounter with authority is a negative one. I'm sure he never asked his friends, family, and buddies about GOOD experiences they've had with authorities; that would ruin his premise. I've posted here several times about poachers being caught by the "authoirites." Using his logic, these authorities are enforcing bad laws and harrassing legitimate hunters. I didn't catch a single positive story in his article. Surely, the "authorities" and the laws do some good, some time. His article is anything but fair and balanced.

Perhaps he has a guilty conscience and is rationalizing the situation before he gets caught.

Avery

buttshot · Feb 4, 2005

It was a very interesting article . Kinda like the way the author tried to turn his readers against the "badge, authority" after leading them down memorie lane . I doubt this guy is guilty of too much , but obviously he has been rubbed the wrong way . I personally , can only think of one bad time with the DWR and we were in the wrong .
One thing is for sure , I won't be getting a subscription to that magazine . That author really has a bad attitude with UDWR . Quite possibly an ego problem as well . Maybe they harrassed him once or twice , but maybe he has harrassed them a couple times too .
I don't believe that because he claims to be a sucessfull trophy hunter that he should be above the laws and regs put forth from the DWR . I am sure also that if he has broken the law unkowingly that he hasn't fessed up to it with the UDWR .
One thing also , I don't tremble or sweat at the sight of the "badge" , in fact I try to get more info from them to keep myself out of trouble when I visit with them . Or let my opinion be known to them about bad laws and regs , usually you will get the other side of the coin when you converse in a civil manner . Better informed , I always say .

AZbowhntr · Feb 4, 2005

This aught to be interesting. I just picked up the magazine not even 30 minutes ago. I noticed the heading sound off- fear of hunting but didn't know what it refered to.

Huck58 · Feb 4, 2005

They are changing, it is only a matter of time. Here in Wy our Wardens are pretty down to earth and common sense types. But now, we have a woman, she is not married, has been artificially insiminateded twice. Does not date men. Her choice, and none of my concern. But she isn"t the run of the mill family man with kids in school and a wife, like we are used to.

RELH · Feb 4, 2005

I think the writer of this article has the same mind set that Claude Dallas had. I have been hunting for over 25 years in several states and I have never had any of these problems that he mentions, nor has any of my family or hunting friends. In fact I have seen just the opposite from wardens, and know of incidents where they cut some one slack and did not write the ticket due to the minor violation involved. On numerous occasions they were more then willing to provide information that made the hunt that much better.
I think that if these complaints were investigated, we would learn that he only told us enought to make it sound alot worse then it really was, and the circumstances were more severe then portrayed by the "victim" involved.
This guy does appear to have a very severe "chip on his shoulder" concerning anyone in authority that may tell him what he can or can not do when it comes to game laws. Just my my two cents on the article.

RELH

fin little · Feb 4, 2005

Sounds like the same fears and hatred you hear from drug dealers and thieves about cops. I'm sure there are incidents where injustice from wardens happens. They're just people who make both good and bad decicions. I,m pretty sure there is no big conspiracy . I can believe the article was written . I just cant believe it was published.

GJM · Feb 4, 2005

Claude Dallas?This guy was calling it like he has seen it over the years, where was he mentioning anything close to what Dallas done? I agree with the article, we have good wardens here and they need to keep that edge when confronting the outdoorsman, you never know, but to the warden, just say hello conduct your business and leave me be and there's no problem, DOW is not the problem in NV it's the BLM Ranger, you know the one that was hired as a public relations person, with sidearm cocked and locked carries an AR, riot shotgun, Hell who knows maybe an RPG in the back of his little Explorer to get the big bad xmas tree cutter, a guy that sets up camp in a remote location and he thinks they are a Meth Camp when BULL season is in full swing, and last but not least the wood cutter that is just spending the day out with his family and he gets the 3rd degree from Mr Ranger, when even with uncontrolled burns, chaining they still can't get rid of the trees! As far as Dallas if they would of treated it in a different manner those 2 wardens would be alive today, and Dallas would of got a fine and maybe jail time but they went in wired too tite! and who pulled down first? People forget how they raided the house that killed a young kid with a concussion bomb, with his mother in the house kinda like Frank and Jessie!, cept he didn't rob no bank he was just trapping illegal and poaching, no cause for anyone to loose there lives, JMO!...Greg

txhunter58 · Feb 4, 2005

Guess the auther wants to go back to the "good ol days" where people just hunted when they wanted and shot what they wanted. I have never had anything but good encounters in the many times I have encountered a game warden. They have also been very helpful when I call them at home and ask questions about areas to hunt. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

bobcatbess · Feb 5, 2005

Huck58

LMFAO BUT I KNOW ITS NOT FUNNY!!!

WE HAVE A WOMAN IN THE FOREST SERVICE (LAW ENFORCEMENT IN BIG LETTERS DOWN THE SIDE OF HER TRUCK)BELIEVE ME,WE ARE NOT INNOCENT!!!

SHE PACKS 3 CODE BOOKS AT ALL TIMES,WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF SOMETHING SOONER OR LATER!!!

INTERESTING STORY,I AGREE THERE ARE 'STUPID' LAWS,THERE ARE 'STUPID' PEOPLE,THERE ARE 'STUPID' PEOPLE BREAKING LAWS,'STUPID' PEOPLE MAKING LAWS,THERES BOUND TO BE A FEW 'STUPID' PEOPLE UPHOLDING THE LAWS!!!

WHAT HAS ALWAYS BAFFLED ME WITH THE GOVERNMENT IS THEY CAN'T EVEN MAKE THE LAWS THAT ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT STICK,BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS COMMING UP WITH MORE & NEW ONES!!!

IT MAKES YOU WONDER IF THE GUY THAT WROTE THE STORY HAS THOUGHT ABOUT THE PAST UNTIL IT HAS TOTALLY PI$$ED HIM OFF,THE DAYS OF EVERYBODY GETTING A BIG BUCK,THE DAYS OF CAMP MEAT,ALWAYS ILLEAGAL BUT EVERYBODY DONE IT,POSSIBLE PARTY HUNTING,DOING AS YOU DAMN WELL PLEASE,BIG BUCKS EVERYWHERE,OR MAYBE HE'S HAD A FEW BAD EXPERIENCES,IT DOES HAPPEN!!!

I WAS CHECKED ONE TIME AT LAKE POWELL,THE WARDEN FOUND AN EMPTY SHELL ON THE FLOORBOARD OF MY TRUCK,THEY NEARLY DISASSEMBLED THE TRUCK LOOKING FOR THE GUN,THEY WERE REAL MAD WHEN THEY FOUND OUT I DIDN'T HAVE ONE IN THE TRUCK,I'M NOT MAD ABOUT THEM LOOKING,THEY WERE JUST DOING THEIR JOB,BUT THE ATTITUDE THAT CAME WITH NOT FINDING A WEAPON I CAN LIVE WITHOUT!!!

I DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR,(THEY PROBABLY WANT YOU TO)I DO NOT HIDE MY IDENTITY,I'D SAY THERE ARE ALOT OF PEOPLE LIVING IN FEAR,BUT I'LL BET MOST OF THEM ARE HIDING SOMETHING OR BREAKING LAWS THEY SHOULDN'T BE,JUST MY OWN OPPINION,NOTICE I SAID MOST NOT ALL!!!

THERE ARE SOME CHICKEN#### LAWS,I'LL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT!!!

MOST WARDENS ARE REASONABLE,I'LL BET MOST OF YOU CAN ADMIT THEY DON'T AGREE WITH ALL THE LAWS THEY ARE TRYING TO ENFORCE!!!

ONCE IN A WHILE YOU WILL RUN INTO A REAL 'JACKASS',NOT OFTEN BUT IT DOES HAPPEN,SOMETIMES I WONDER IF THEY HAVE A 'QUOTA' TO MAKE,BUT THEN AGAIN THESE FEW ARE THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES!!!

THE ONLY bobcat NOT LIVING IN FEAR(EVEN THOUGH THEY WANT ME TO),I'M GONNA LIVE,I'M GONNA DIE,ITS JUST A WAY OF LIFE!!!

conch · Feb 5, 2005

Over the years I have had dozens of encounters with fish and game law enforcement officers. I can only think of one negative experience. I've found that authority figures in general put out the same attitude they receive. I can understand how the author of the article developed the chip on his shoulder and his need to vent. But I can't believe any reputable editor would allow such rhetoric in a national publication. It would be nice for all of us to do whatever we felt like whenever we feel like doing it. Unfortunately, there is way to many of us populating the world. It is disheartening to have so many laws regulating our conduct, but each and every law on the books today is an attempt to slow freewheeling behaviors.
As a group we tend to complain about to many laws. Then when someone crosses unwritten lines we tend to rationalize the conduct by saying ?it's not against the law!? When enough people refuse to tolerate questionable and selfish behavior, a new law is born . . .

alsatian · Feb 5, 2005

I agree with BOBCATBESS largely on this.

I personnally have not had any bad expriences with the law while afield. The only encounter I have had with the law was in Texas, hunting doves, the Department of Wildlife officer asked my son and I to unload our guns and he checked our shotgun magazine size. He also checked our papers. He was polite. I sensed no "guilty until proven innocent" attitude. At the same time, I'm pretty confident any non-compliance with the regulations would have been ticketed. Say I had failed to put a magazine plug in my shotgun which was borrowed from my mother-in-law and did not, in fact, have said magazine plug when I borrowed the shotgun. But, this is the law and it is in place because someone in the past abused common sense and made the law necessary.

Taking the guy's description of being badgered by the badge at Lake Powell hunting coyotes to be accurate, I can see how he would feel the badge was being a butt head and deserving of some disrespect. I'm not sure I would have played it the way he did, but I applaud his courage and backbone.

I feel for his encounter with the BLM guy relative to insurance. Don't know what to say about that. There are a lot of lazy, non-service oriented people working in the public sector. Then again, there are a lot of energetic, helpful people working in public service.

If there is any point to the guy's long text other than venting and getting his frustration off his chest, it would be to alert us that our game and wildlife laws are getting out of hand and effectively outlawing hunting and fishing. Is this true? I don't know. I appreciate the heads up and will be vigilant in this regard. When there is some legislation or pending legislation that disagrees with my interests -- usually my rights, such as gun owning and hunting rights -- I get a letter in the mail promptly to my legislators, state if appropriate or federal if appropriate. I also share my opinon on the topic with others and try to win them over to my viewpoint, to have an effect larger than my lone voice. Anyone else who cares about retaining their gun ownership/utilization rights and their hunting and fishing rights ought to do the same. It only does so much good belly aching about things. The elected officials is where the rubber meets the road. Rattle their chains.