C.O. Ability to question you while hunting

I didn't say either were a right. I said, I would argue that hunting a wild animal for food is more a right than driving. I know that we live in a police state and have for quite a while. We will continue to live in a police state. I'm just saying that I disagree with it and would argue that hunting and fishing for food is more of a right than driving. I feel that the founding fathers would turn in their graves looking at the current hunting regulations and laws.

 

I used to want to see more COs and more funding for wildlife enforcement but your post touched on something that concerns me and has happened in other states with healthy budgets for wildlife enforcement. They spend most of their time using their powers to help the DEA and local law enforcement on non wildlife issues.

 

OOOk and this adds merit to your argument in what way? This legislation did not change that your hunting PRIVILEGES can be taken away it only made it harder, for PETA and groups like them, to get legislation thru to completely do away with hunting. That was the whole intent of the bill. Please
Probably everybody on this site already knows this. So Please enlighten me on how this has anything to do with the questions that were raised in the original post.
I agree that we do not need infringement , by the government, on our rights but first we need to know the difference between RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES and what exactly each are. Also when we go into an argument we need to know what exactly we arguing about. So far , not with everybody's argument, I've seen alot of dogs (or dog) peeing in the snow.
Its kinda like going gun-hunting and not knowing you need to have ammunition also. You do alot of walking around in the woods but when it comes time to seal the deal you just can't figure out why your gun won't work.:eek-new:

 

For whatever it's worth, I got checked by a CO for the first time EVER last weekend. Had already gotten my buck (and had him tagged & hanging so I could go back out on doe patrol) and was hanging out in the camper for a bit when the CO knocked on the door. He was just cruising out our road, checking everyone who was hunting. He congratulated me on my buck and then asked to see my license & tags. Shoulda seen his eyes light up when I said I didn't have any (LOL!) - then I burst his bubble by explaining that I was hunting on my own farm. We had a good laugh about it & then he gave me several of his business cards & told me to give him a call if we had any problems. I thanked him & he went on his way. No problems. And I didn't feel like he was threatening my rights or anything...

I just assume it's the same as driving a car... If you do it long enough, you're eventually gonna get checked.

 

I'm glad your encounter went well and you weren't issued a citation for a pointless infraction. I just feel that he should not stop and contact you unless a complaint or reasonable suspicion has been established. Why check you with a deer hanging in plain sight? You obviously had nothing to hide. One little breech of regulatory policy (possibly not having a carcass tag on the animal while you are inside 20' away) could cost you plenty. I'm all for law enforcement and catching scum bag poachers...I just don't think their revenue should be generated from prosecutions while not needing a warrant. Side note: I have only been checked once, as a teen on private property and the gentleman was very nice and found no violations.

 

I wonder how much Fish and Wildlife makes off their COs writing tickets? If someone knows please let the cat out. Just wondering what the numbers are.
Sorry not trying hijack this thread or change the argument. It was just a thought. Carry on with the debate.

 

Ummm, you've heard of the EPA, right?

 

So I hope now that in case someone didn't realize it before reading this, that they now realize that elections matter. All the laws and powers granted to the CO's weren't done in a bubble. People who were elected passed those laws.

 

Please someone educate me on all the special powers that COs have that other LEOs don't. I might get all fired up to once I find out what exactly they can do.

 

Ain't that the truth !

 

The privilege to hunt and fish has become a right, but the same restrictions apply nonetheless as was quoted..

If you don't want to be subject to the restrictions, then don't do the act.

This is not true, the Kentucky Water Patrol was dissolved and all of the duties absorbed by the CO's of KDFWR. Last I heard, the dispatch at KDFWR was shut down because it was cheaper to contract these services from KSP than to hire and maintain a dispatch.

 

I don't think I would question "crestlner200" on his statements. I believe he knows what he is talking about since that is what he does for a living. A game warden.

 

I'm done with the popcorn, got the wings out now...

 

If you aint got nothin to hide it wont take long.

 

A few years ago I had problems with OOS hunters, they bought a 1/4 acre piece of ground near me, built a hunting shack on it and got permission to hunt a 10 acre tract(which was just a grown up ticket) that joins my farm. every year for 4 or 5 years I would have to "show" them the property lines, three years in a row they killed deer, a couple of nice bucks, I finally asked the CO if he would go by on opening day and check their hunting license and see if they were checking their deer in, they usually hunted for 10 days and shot anything that moved and usually had 3 0r 4 hanging on a pole the first morning. He did, turned out they only had resident tags and license and hadn't properly tagged the one deer they had hanging on the pole. $250 a piece for wrong tags, there were 4 of them and $800 for not properly checking in the doe. I haven't had a problem with them since and they don't hunt much anymore. Based on your logic he shouldn't have checked them because there was no indication they were doing anything wrong.