Have You Ever?...

[Yoder409]

Probably 40 years ago I took our cocker spaniel out for a quick, late afternoon pheasant hunt.

She got real birdy and you'd better keep up to her because a flush was guaranteed.  Bird went up and flew straigt at the sunset.  I snap shot and dumped it.  Then I realized I'd never heard it cackle....

Yep.  Hen.  Back at a time when hens weren't legal birds in PA.

Pocketed the bird and went home.  Called the warden and met at his house.  Paid the $5 fine and came home with the yellow copy if my dumbass award.

[sbbow]

I got one! I've never tagged a deer until I get it back to the house in fear of losing it while dragging through the woods and to this day I still don't until I get back to the house(family farm ) That was a $150 ticket.


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[deerhunt1988]

Shot a gobbler and when I went to get him I saw another gobbler flopping several yards behind him. Had no clue the second gobbler was there. To make matters worse, I was hunting on a military reservation. Immediately called the game warden office and they told me to bring both gobblers out to the post entrance and military police would meet me and carry me on base. Had to get registered up just to go on base. Quick background check and all that. Military police were looking at me like I was dumb for reporting myself.   

"So, you just shot two turkey. Then called to report yourself?"

Yup.

Finally got to the natural resources office and had to give a statement and sign an affidavit in front of the military police and natural resources guy (maybe a biologist?). The game warden was off that day, thus the MP stayed around. They had a list of folks who had signed up to take confiscated game meat. There happened to be an old guy on the list who loved to turkey hunt and couldn't anymore due to his health. He was thrilled to hear he was going to get a gobbler! They told me to pick one out to turn in, so I gave them the "bonus bird".

No ticket, unique experience!

[RutnNStrutn]

I've never gotten a citation or a warning...... with that said, I fudged the law a few times in my youth but thankfully got away with it. But I'm an old man now, and I haven't done stupid stuff in years. Besides, with game & fish agencies sharing offender info through the Internet a person would be foolish to break the law. I love hunting too much to risk such stupidity.

[jhoward11]

Never been ticketed, but have been with CO's who have ticketed several law breakers and have enjoyed the stories of how they were not doing anything wrong to get out of a citation while rolling my eye and laughing!!!

[Cut N Run]

In winter of 1980 I was hunting ducks with a buddy in eastern Colorado on some public land.  The hole of water were hunting was 1.25 miles from the parking area.  Since it was the farthest away, it got the least hunting pressure.  We killed a few Greenwing Teal, a pair of Gadwalls, a few Widgeons, and just before dark, we filled our limit with 3 greenhead Mallards and one hen.  One of the mallards was wounded and out-swimming the dog.  Each time the dog got close, the duck would dive under, then pop up 50+ feet away.  We gathered up the decoys, spent hulls, dead ducks, and carried it out to the road.  I grabbed my gun and started slipping along the dyke behind the cattails.  I saw the mallard just before he saw me.  As he was preparing to dive, I ended him. The dog fetched it and we headed out.

After we made the long walk back to the parking area, a game warden was the only other vehicle in the parking lot.  He asked who was shooting after dark and I explained that I had a cripple that I needed to finish with one shot.  I think we must have made him late for supper, because he wasn't hearing it and wrote me a ticket anyway.  I immediately decided to fight the ticket in court.

When my court date rolled around, my truck was in the shop and I couldn't arrange a ride to the next county.  So, I got up early and started walking at 4:00 a.m. that morning to cover the ~12 miles to make my 9:00 a.m. court appearance.  I got to the courthouse just as they were pulling the doors closed.  I had to plead with the officer that I'd started walking that day at 4:00 a.m. to get there in time. He let me in.

The game warden failed to appear, so they bumped my case to the last on the docket to give him the opportunity to show up.  I had to sit through cases of spousal abuse, motor vehicle theft, petty larceny, drunk & disorderly, shoplifting, armed robbery, etc.. By the time my case rolled around, the judge said he's seen that I barely made it in the door and wondered how seriously I was taking this.  When I told him that my truck was down, I couldn't get a ride, and I'd walked the 12 miles to get there, it changed the way he was looking at me.  I explained the situation and that I accepted responsibility for firing one shot after legal shooting time to finish off a wounded bird that I was responsible for. If I had to pay the fine, I would, but I didn't feel it was justified.  He asked me to approach the bench and said in a low voice "We've had a courtroom of bad and evil people in here all day today and I'm sorry that we made you sit through that". "It sounds like you were doing exactly what a responsible sportsman should have done and if that game warden would have taken the time to listen to what happened, he never should have written this ticket in the first place".  "He couldn't even be bothered to show up today".  "I find in your favor and waive any court costs"..."Have a nice day, sir".  "I wish we had more responsible citizens, like you, then my courtroom wouldn't be so cluttered with evil people and lawbreakers".

Jim

[TrackeySauresRex]

Stopped a few times and interviewed, never fined. Once fishing, I was told to work on my technique. lol.

My favorite one. In Ny, we were motoring down a twisty mountain road doing the speed limit (generously). A super trooper traveling in the opposite direction whips his head, looking at me and my buddy through his aviator shades as we pass each other. I laugh! We have 2 tagged bucks in the back of the truck. I say to my buddy pull over he's gonna come for us. He questions me, ya think?.. I say oh yea, definitely. So he pulls over and we're waiting for him. About a minute goes by and he rolls up on our bumper. He walks over to the truck and says "What'd you stop and pull over for? I wasn't gonna stop yas" lol!
We giggle and say, we didn't want you to go too far out of your way. lol!

He un taped our well secured deer tags on the carcass. Checked them over, congratulated us and we went on our way.

[appalachianassassin]

I got a warning after self reporting a kill on what I thought was opening day. I realized when I tried to check it in online that opening day was not until the following weekend. And called the game warden immediately.