Checked by a Game Warden?

[TopOfTheFoodChain]

We were in camp this year and had a game warden stop by and check our tags. No problems. He was a nice guy just doing his job. That got me thinking..... It's the first time I have ever been checked by a warden for anything during hunting season. I have only hunted big game for 17 years- muzzleloader all but 2 of those years. In the past we have reported poached or wounded animals on four different occasions so maybe they're just really busy with all the reports they have to follow up on?

For the record: I'm not complaining either way. I appreciate the job they do and do not mind being checked at all. 

With all the hunters on this forum I wonder how many of us have actually been checked?   

[jaymark6655]

I was stopped this weekend.  I was cutting firewood, but had the .308 and .223 incase I saw a bear, cougar, or coyote. (my deer tag is for archery, so I didn't have it)  He wanted to know if I had gotten a deer because the license doesn't desinate that it is archery and checked my rifles to see if they were loaded.  He also checked to make sure I tagged my firewood.  It was my first encounter and I was nervous as hell so he probably thought I was hiding something.

[gasman]

Got checked this year for the very first time.
Had a gamie check a guy in front of me, pass by me and my dad and check out the guy behind me (Yoterhunter  ) out on JBLM.

[halflife65]

I've been checked a number of times:
1.  Lots of game checks I've driven through.  The only time that I was ever hassled at one was probably 25 years ago when I was sitting in  the middle of a single cab pickup with my dad (driving) and uncle (passenger) leaving for the evening.  Because we were all crammed in there we had put two of the rifles (unloaded) in a hard case behind the seat and the game warden pulled us out and checked everything because we didn't have the rifles in plain view.  It had been dark for an hour, we were jammed in the front with all of our stuff and I was a little kid - like 14 or so.  Probably we were closer to getting in trouble from my dad and uncle's negative reactions than the actual rifles...as a little kid I was scared but probably would just be annoyed now.  Seems like they were just looking for something - oh, and we had done nothing wrong so they didn't find anything.  Eventually, they just let us get on our way.
2.  Checked a couple of times bird hunting.  Although they checked licenses they mostly just wanted to know how we were doing.  Pleasant experience.
3.  Checked while doe hunting.  Had a doe that I had shot (legally - I had drawn a tag) down in this clearcut and had forgotten my pack board.  I had a gym bag with dry clothes in it, so I emptied it out, walked back, boned the doe out and stuck her in it.  When I got back to my pickup a game warden was standing there trying not to laugh at me.  Another pleasant experience.
4.  Had my dad drop me off on a mountain bike on Green's Pass and road down into the Little Naches and got picked up by some friends that were camped there.  About halfway down a game warden drove around the corner and was totally shocked to see me.  Said that as far as he knew there was no one within 10 miles of me.  Did try to trick me into saying that I had someone drive down and drop me off (I didn't) but there was a bit of snow and he could see my tracks all the way from the top.  That was a bit of a bummer but I kind of saw through it.  Anyway, after he determined that I peddled my ass out there he was pleasant.  Checked my license and then bs'd me a bit and we were on our way. 

So, I've been checked by guys just doing their job and had only one bad experience 25 years ago.  Pretty good record, really.

[66 Jake]

Checked the last couple of years, the guys have been very professional and informative.  From all the experiences I've had they have been great, might be a little different if you are breaking the rules.

[Klyne3]

I was checked a few years ago. Went back to the truck to have lunch. He was a little snippy at first due to my rifle on the tailgate until he found out it was unloaded, totally nice guy after that and gave me some great information.

[sisu]

Now & then.
Just called in three poachers today for trespassing, shooting on private land, etc. At first I thought these clowns were hiding and going to wait for me to leave & break into truck. These guys had their vehicle hidden off road, no hunter orange on, and were busy blasting on opposite side of road that is private AND posted. I should of known they were up to no good as soon as I spotted them. Heads pop up like deer in brush, then quickly disappear(no hunter orange on) then blasting. I moved myself so I could see them, that is when I see them donning their hunter orange vests, climb into vehicle and get out of Dodge.

[Elkrunner]

I have been checked on several occasions.  One time about 10 years back, I was hiking an old skidder road in the Bethel and came around the corner to find the guy standing there in the middle of the woods.  He checked all my tags and began asking me all sorts of questions.  Apparantely, there had been reports of guys riding there atv's in the area and he was following there tracks.

I also had them come into camp back in Winthrop when I rifle hunted.  I even was stopped in the Colockum about 5 years ago while archery hunting.

[Rooster1981]

I get checked multiple times every year. I remember back in 96 in unit 329 I was stopped and checked  6 differant times while elk huning. I think it really depends on where you hunt.

[pianoman9701]

Only once for deer/elk, but usually every year for goose in unit 2A.

[Machias]

Once since 1994 for hunting.  They've been to my house a couple of times related to trapping.

[hoytem]

been checked twice in the lewis river. First time i was driving a fs road, a gold colored truck came flying around a corner locked up his brakes and blocke the road in front of me, jumped out with his hand on his gun and ran up to my window. He asked to see my tags and checked my action to make sure it was not loaded. Once he found I was legit he turned friendly and asked if i'd seen anything.
Second time I was taking a buddy into Cougar to get picked up and a smoking hot female warden checked us. It was dark and we were not hunting. I had left my tag at camp but had my rifle in the truck(don't want it stolen while no one is in camp). She asks for my tag I told her I'm not hunting as it is dark and am heading to town. She says" well why do you have your rifle in the truck then? I need you to take me to your camp and show me your tag." I was pissed but drove the 2 miles back to our camp and showed her my tags. She was a bitch, i should have told her this is America and i can take my rifle where i want. My buddies ragged on me for being a little ticked off cause she was so hot.

[CedarPants]

Been checked while elk hunting the Wenaha, duck hunting King City as well as Wallula Junction, pheasant hunting south of Sprague Lake (that warden helped pull me out of a creek I had the pleasure of falling in ... while carrying a limit of pheasant .... he couldn't stop laughing at me) as well as Benton City, but I don't recall ever being checked while deer or turkey hunting - which is by far when I'm in the woods most.  All experiences have been pleasant

[jstone]

Twice last year. 1 in the Taneum. He was kinda young and arrogant. The other was in the Swakane Late Archery. Really cool Guy. Never have a problem with it. Doing there job.

[270Shooter]

Only twice while elk hunting that I can remember, the warden checked my tags and rifle each time, they seemed a little pushy but they had a lot of other guys to check and some of them didn't look like they wanted to be talked to so I can't blame them, they were just doing their job.

I was checked 4 or 5 times fishing the natches river last summer for trout, same warden everytime. He just checked to make sure out hooks were single barbless and to make sure we had out licenses. After the second time he didn't even bother to check us anymore, he just stopped by to ask us how we did and told us some other spots to check out, really nice guy.