Game Wardens in Vail for WEYCO?

[fireweed]

With the Hunting while trespassing law in affect, WDFG has a stake in the game.  Fine by me.  I am sure those of you who have antee'd up for permits appreciate it too.

In 2012 the WA legislature approved RCW 77.15.435 which makes it unlawful to hunt on, or retrieve wildlife from the property of another without landowner permission.

The law was enacted because while trespassing has always been illegal, with no fish and wildlife law pertaining to trespassing while hunting officers could not seize wildlife/gear if the only violation was trespass. Essentially, you should shoot a 6x6 bull while trespassing, and as long as no wildlife laws were broken you could not have the elk or gear seized. The creation of this law changed that and now requires officers to seize wildlife taken in violation of this law.

This law only pertains to hunting. So as of now officers cant seize fish, shellfish, or gear taken while trespassing, if again, the only violation is trespass.

FISHING WHILE TRESPASSING IS ALREADY ILLEGAL. THE ONLY THING THIS LAW CHANGED, AND WOULD CHANGE IS THAT OFFICERS CAN SEIZE FISH, SHELLFISH, AND/OR GEAR IF YOU ARE TRESPASSING. YOU CAN BE PROSECUTED TODAY FOR TRESPASSING IF YOU ARE FISHING, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER TRESPASSING VIOLATION, HOWEVER NO GEAR/FISH CAN BE SEIZED.

Funny how this law was passed just BEORE all the access permits started.  WDFW walked right into it....

[brew]

Game wardens and other public employees--even those being hired out by private companies--should not be enforcing access permits.  If the land is open to any kind of public access (permit or otherwise) then everyone they encounter should be assumed to be there legally, and their policy should be to check for game violations.  If the land is totally locked up, then check for poachers and trespassers.  But this corporate obstacle course of open to the select few, lease on one side of the road/permit on the other, or Columbia Timberlands permit in one sections/ St. Helens permit in another, or children under 18 are ok but over need their own paperwork, --none of this should  be enforced by state employees with violations actual crimes.  Its ridiculous and un-American.

game wardens are a law enforcement agency with the state and they can cite you for any violation they want--from traffic fines to domestic violence to poaching a bull elk...it was said by a Game Warden that came to our Hunter Education class that we were instructing that if they thought that you might be thinking of violating any of the state's laws that they could pull you over and reasonably search you...their jurisdiction superceeds anything