Stopped by CO this year?

Xiph0id · #1 10-04-2016, 08:43 AM

I was stopped when out by a member from the whitecourt office.
He gave me a written warning as I was missing one of my papers.
Super nice guy, profesional and informative.
Spoke to him after the weekend when I called the office.

I like hearing stories about encounters.

Been stopped this year?

elkhunter11 · #2 10-04-2016, 08:51 AM

A few weeks ago,I spoke to the local CO who lives close to me and he mentioned that he was going to be making a presence at the pheasant release sites this year. Since then, I have been out a dozen times and haven't seen him yet. I keep expecting to come across him soon though. Thinking back, it has been over ten years since I was checked in the field, and about five years since I was checked at a joint F&W/RCMP check stop on the highway,

Dick284 · #3 10-04-2016, 09:11 AM

It's been a handful of years since I've been checked while afield.

kujoseto · #4 10-04-2016, 09:41 AM

Never in my life. Wouldn't mind seeing them regularly just to know the yahoos or there might get caught. Seems too easy for them to get away without a little vigilante justice lol

Spartikus · #5 10-04-2016, 09:42 AM

I went through a checkstop and the guys were great to deal with. It was dark and I rolled down all the windows in my truck and turned on the interior lights prior to getting up to the stop. I think they appreciate little courtesies like that. guy wished me better luck asked a bit about the hunt if I saw anything and then waved me on.

I've called them a couple times to get clarity on regs and concerns with lease holders being dicks. Very knowledgeable people and very easy to deal with so far. I'm sure we all have bad days so hopefully I don't catch one of those

wildwoods · #6 10-04-2016, 09:58 AM

We get stopped usually every year by High Prairie. Those guys are on the ball and do a great job.

AbAngler · #7 10-04-2016, 10:06 AM

Right in front of a taxidermist in Red Deer, dropping off my freshly harvested MD. Was a little surprised, but all was in order and I was on my way fairly quickly.

Papershredder · #8 10-04-2016, 10:24 AM

Just talked to one of the officers on my way in from work yesterday. Great guy. We chatted about what I had been seeing for hunting activity in my area, then he just asked if he could check my rifle that was in a case on the backseat before we parted ways. Great to see them out and about. Just them driving around and being seen in the field will hopefully be enough to make some people be sure of their decision before pulling the trigger.

Spartikus · #9 10-04-2016, 11:20 AM

Hey Papershredder just out of curiosity what did he want to check your rifle for? If it was cased in the backseat I am curious as to what he was concerned about. No trigger lock is required on a NR for transport as long as you do not leave it unattended. If he was checking it for being unloaded I get that.

Just wondering so I am prepared for what they might ask. During rifle season I always have a loaded mag at the ready when driving to and from my spot but the breech is always open and the mag is never in the gun.

Just curious.

Thanks!

Papershredder · #10 10-04-2016, 12:00 PM

He just pulled the bolt to make sure it was unloaded. I see them and talk to them all the time around the two plants/fields I operate; so we usually just end up chatting after the new guys have checked me once and get to know me.

Yaha Tinda · #11 10-04-2016, 12:20 PM

Last year was the first time in many years and in the middle of nowhere, putting along on a new logging road at 10 kph, looked in the mirror and there were blue lights ah flashing. Surprised the heck out of me! He politely warned me of the dangers of travelling these roads, although I new they were not hauling yet. Asked if I had a weapon, the caliber and then checked it for ammo. Then off he went after the fellow who was down the road ahead of me.

I took the opportunity to express my concern regarding the logging trucks using the existing narrow lease roads and hauling without the signs being legible or in place. Probably in one ear and out the other.

More often than not, I'm calling them or stopping in their office where they seem to spend much of their time.

Spartikus · #12 10-04-2016, 12:23 PM

Thanks. And good on him for being diligent and checking even though it sounds like you guys had a good dialog. No problem staying inside the rules but a hot button of mine is the cowboy type that try and intimidate and way overstep themselves. Usually happens with RCMP. That being said I am not dissing the RCMP just saying more than once I've had to ask the dude to stand down because they were waaaay out of line.

F&W have been good to me and looking forward to seeing more of them out there.

BUSHRVN · #13 10-04-2016, 12:54 PM

My son and I were on a boat trip on the NSR between Drayton and Rocky this summer and around the corner ahead of me comes another jet boat. It was an RCMP and a F&W officer together doing a combined check up run. They asked me to pull over and politely proceeded to check if I had been fishing, had licences, safety gear that is required etc. They were friendly and nice to talk to and ask questions about the area from. They didn't ask me if I had any firearms though?

Passthru · #14 10-04-2016, 12:54 PM

Funny you ask. Was walking out of the bush at dark last night in 248. Had a CO parked behind my truck when I walked up. Nice guy, he ask for all my papers and when everything checked out he informed me that he had reports of guys with crossbows and were looking for them. Wished me a good night and was on his way. His diesel idling for the last hour of daylight near my stand was a bit annoying though. Just doing his job, nice to see enforcement out.

Jadham · #15 10-04-2016, 01:49 PM

Yes, a number of times over the years.

Went to check out Bigelow today, despite the recent stories about the designated pheasant sites. There was one there this morning.

Bigrackdreams1973 · #16 10-04-2016, 02:55 PM

The last time I was stopped was a couple of years ago in Northern Sask. my buddy shot a deer and then come and picked me up from where I was sitting on a field for the evening hunt. On our way back to the road I noticed a vehicle parked about a 1/4 mile away with no lights on. We drove into the field where the deer was and of course it was a good one, 186" 5x4. Anyways, we took pics, loaded the deer and after we started driving they lit us up in the field. We had permission to be there, did they? Anyways there was two of them so they split us up and thus began the interrogation, I had the ***** and he was very accusatory of our actions. Asking stupid questions like "What happened here?" so I said "He shot a deer." He said "I can see that, but what happened?" I then said, "You were on the road and watched him drive in and pick me up, then you followed us in to where the deer was and watched us take pics and load the deer, so you know as much as I do." He was getting mad and his partner came and got him and they left. Buddy had the nice guy and found out that they had been called in from outside of the area because there was complaints of illegal outfitting going on which included poaching. I only give attitude to those who give it first, I have good friends that are COs and have respect for all trying to uphold rules and laws. I have hunted for 30 years and have only been stopped by the COs 5 times. Mostly they have to big of an area to cover with the manpower they have.

coyotezh · #17 10-04-2016, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xiph0id

I was stopped when out by a member from the whitecourt office.
He gave me a written warning as I was missing one of my papers.
Super nice guy, profesional and informative.
Spoke to him after the weekend when I called the office.

I like hearing stories about encounters.

Been stopped this year?

just wondering what paper did you miss?

hilt134 · #18 10-04-2016, 04:04 PM

Had one pull behind me and my buddys while our car was parked in a pull out. He parked across the road blocking three cars. honestly he couldnt have been more stand of ish unless he walked up with his hand on his gun. Its was just a fishing license check on the weekend you didnt need any licenses. I also had one look through my car windows before asking me to open it up for a illegal fish search. Of which there was none. The co's have not been nice i must say. The fish and wild life guys on the other hand have been absolutly wonderfull each time the checked for licenses or just had a chat. Weird but i figure the cos that stopped me must of been having a bad day or somthing.

58thecat · #19 10-04-2016, 04:11 PM

Yup and it was a after the licence and routine check it turned into story time and they were two great fellas.
Told them after we said our goodbyes to be safe and catch a few bad guys!

DRE75 · #20 10-04-2016, 04:16 PM

Got stopped by a pair a few weeks ago up in the Three Creeks area, they checked me and my buddies paperwork and asked us if we knew about the grazing reserve rules, which we did, and then one of them recognized my buddy from work (we work at the jail) and we started chatting about WMUs and grouse.

The one guy stopped a truck going by and it was a funny moment, as my buddy and I were talking with the other CO, we heard her partner slide/rack a shotgun in the other truck and we all reacted the same way, hands to the belt and head on a swivel, she smiled and we all had a little laugh.

Out here in the Peace River area they seem to be on the ball and good in their people skills.

Scott N · #21 10-04-2016, 04:17 PM

While I haven't been out hunting yet this year, I've spent 40 + days fishing.... only asked to produce my license one single time.

robson3954 · #22 10-04-2016, 04:39 PM

Nope. Last time was 18 years ago for a fishing license when I was a teen. Driven by several where I thought I'd be pulled over, but nope. Maybe not looking like a redneck while driving helps

Xiph0id · #23 10-04-2016, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coyotezh

just wondering what paper did you miss?

I only had my tags that I bought online and forgot to print the receipt parts, wildlife certificate and such.

Actually, I called about the wolf I shot as I had a few questions and asked him if he checked up on my tags. He said yeah I did. We were in a not cell service area and he could not look them up.

ghostguy6 · #24 10-04-2016, 06:46 PM

Ive been checked many times before and have had nothing to complain about. I understand it can be inconvenient to be stopped but they are just doing their jobs. This Saturday however I was stopped and checked by a younger officer with a real chip on his shoulder. He basically accused me of being a poacher because I was driving slowly on my way out of this site. He said road hunters weren't welcome even though it would have been 100% legal if I had taken a bird from the road. Earlier I had taken a few ducks but had lead shot in my ammo box (was using steel for these shots)so I got the gears about that. It didn't matter to him that I had steel shot as well for the migratory birds. He even went as far as running a hand held metal detector over my birds looking for shot and cutting open marked factory ammo to verify it was indeed loaded with the correct shot. I was hunting with a 12ga and only had 1 firearm in my possession but he cut open some of the 20ga ammo as well. He even made reference to my licenses being hard to read because I apparently had my printer set to portrait and not landscape when I printed the licenses. Basically he treated me like a criminal for 45 minutes until he found nothing wrong, very unprofessional in my opinion. The sad part is its guys like that who make it harder for all the other officers in the field.

Scott N · #25 10-04-2016, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

Ive been checked many times before and have had nothing to complain about. I understand it can be inconvenient to be stopped but they are just doing their jobs. This Saturday however I was stopped and checked by a younger officer with a real chip on his shoulder. He basically accused me of being a poacher because I was driving slowly on my way out of this site. He said road hunters weren't welcome even though it would have been 100% legal if I had taken a bird from the road. Earlier I had taken a few ducks but had lead shot in my ammo box (was using steel for these shots)so I got the gears about that. It didn't matter to him that I had steel shot as well for the migratory birds. He even went as far as running a hand held metal detector over my birds looking for shot and cutting open marked factory ammo to verify it was indeed loaded with the correct shot. I was hunting with a 12ga and only had 1 firearm in my possession but he cut open some of the 20ga ammo as well. He even made reference to my licenses being hard to read because I apparently had my printer set to portrait and not landscape when I printed the licenses. Basically he treated me like a criminal for 45 minutes until he found nothing wrong, very unprofessional in my opinion. The sad part is its guys like that who make it harder for all the other officers in the field.

Did you, or have you considered, logging a complaint? If an officer it being truly unprofessional, his superiors should know about it.

ghostguy6 · #26 10-04-2016, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott N

Did you, or have you considered, logging a complaint? If an officer it being truly unprofessional, his superiors should know about it.

I have drafted a letter already, I'm just trying to decide if I should send it in. The incident occurred in an area I frequently hunt and I'm sure there will be repercussions on my end while I wait for the results if an investigation is started.

74monster · #27 10-04-2016, 07:24 PM

we have not seen a F&W officer around our hunting camp in probably 6-7 years

outdoors forever · #28 10-04-2016, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwoods

We get stopped usually every year by High Prairie. Those guys are on the ball and do a great job.

Absolutely right they do!

.

R3illy · #29 10-04-2016, 07:43 PM

while fishing this year i got stopped 4-5 times all on different lakes in different parts of AB. Havent got out hunting yet...

2 Tollers · #30 10-04-2016, 07:44 PM

Camping at Blood Indian we had F&W stop by the site checking on folks fishing. He was a little surprised we were just camping. Very personable officer from Oyen and spent a bit of time talking about black powder hunting, elk around Suffield and the carp in Blood Indian. Easy guy to talk to.