fish and wildlife

[slingshot]

Went out for a few days opening elk season and was camped in a public campground .After the morning hunt and lunch a snooze was in order so into the trailer for a couple hours nap.Pretty soon heard this pounding on my door.Whos there fish and wildlife offficers.
He wanted to see our licenses so I reluctantly gave them to him and his helper and they wrote down our names and license numbers.Is this the norm these days as we were not hunting at the time camp ground was clean really no reason to check on us then.
Your thoughts on this

[albertadave]

Originally Posted by slingshot

Your thoughts on this

Good to see them out checking hunters but their time might be better utilized talking to guys who are in the field hunting, rather than sleeping in their trailer. Different story if your camp was a mess or you had an animal hanging but it doesn't sound like that was the case.

You don't need a hunting license while camping, or a fishing license for that matter. You could have just said "I am not hunting". But it is good to stay in their good books also.

[Frans]

I think I'd have had a hard time staying friendly, but probably would have complied. But "Bugger off, I'm not hunting", would have been an acceptable answer in my opinion.

Frans

[aulrich]

I don't know but I suspect it would be a safe bet that most people camping this time of year are hunting. Seems like an effective way to get a list of guys or licence plates that they don't have to worry about. Sure getting woke up is no fun but you woud be way more ****ed if they walked up to you while you had a moose coming into a call.

[lazy ike]

Just becuase you were not hunting @ the time, doesn't mean they didn't see you out earlier in the day. They have a very tough job to do and deal with alot of *******es.

Originally Posted by lazy ike

Just becuase you were not hunting @ the time, doesn't mean they didn't see you out earlier in the day. They have a very tough job to do and deal with alot of *******es.

And, at times, they are the *******es

[Okotokian]

Sounds a little fishy.... you mean to say they just walk up to every trailer in the campground and ask to see licences? That doesn't seem right. Are you sure they didn't ask "are you guys hunters?", or see a lot of hunting paraphenalia around?

[LongDraw]

I am curious as to how many people that they ask to see a license during hunting season, that have camo on, spotting on the side of the hiway that "look" like hunters do not have a license? I would suspect not many?

On the flipside I have NEVER been approached by F&W outside of the hunting season when spotting, scouting, etc. before light or after dark during hunting season when I would assume most of the illegal activities take place.

I have also NEVER been pulled over by the police or RCMP to check my drivers license, insurance, etc.. Just because I am driving.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by LongDraw

I have also NEVER been pulled over by the police or RCMP to check my drivers license, insurance, etc.. Just because I am driving.

oh I have... it's called a "Check Stop"

[Jamie]

Up on our trip, we had a Fish cop come into camp. Nice enough fellow. He didnt ask about tags and spent a good deal of time showing us on a map where he thought the elk would be. I find there is a MAJOR difference between Guys up north and the guys around Calgary.
When he left (after about 45 min) he gave us 4 different copies of his magazine.

Jamie

[Walleyes]

Yah,, I think it has a lot to do with the individual.. You will run into some that are on a trip that's for sure and then there are those that respect people.. The only problem is, is that we really can't do anything about the egotisticle ones but suck it up...
I think that the C/O in question out stepped his bounds by bothering you in you're camp but again what can you do.. If you were to be anything but cooperative you would of come out of it on the sh@ty side...
We do live in a police society don't forget,, they have to know what the citizens are up to at all times or there will be no rest... They have the right to search and to ask and to demand what they please and we the right to shut up and take it...
What a country ehh,, I'm glad my Grand Father and Father and Uncles fought to give me a free country,, it sure was worth it...

[munsterx]

Where were you hunting up North or by Calgary or where they, seem a little more friendly in the north what are your thoughts.

[gramps73]

Ran into F&W from around Calgary, was not the happiest people that i have seen at 7am, asked what we were hunting and if we had tags for them. After all was said and done he reminded us of the differences between a black bear and grizzly bear was the length of there toes. Never the less was not one of the happy ones..
g

[LongDraw]

I would like to add that I was pulled over by F&W this year in K country and ended up BSing with the guy for 20 minutes or so, and he never asked to check my license, great guy. He must have assumed that I did have my lisence. Park wardens.... that is another story.

maybe there was some hunting related issues in the given area cant blame them it is a tuff job no matter where you are .I was once fishing on a peir in Florida and the c/o's didn't even ask to check your cooler they "JUST " did it no Quesion's asked .Cant say i blame them like lazy ike said

They have a very tough job to do and deal with alot of *******es

.

[chuck0039]

I have never had a problem in the north country, I have gone thru check stops, had them check me on the ice, out hunting, and even stop in my yard when they see me out there with the quad and rifle most of the time it ends with a few laughs. i think that the way they react to people is the way the people react to them. If you ignorant to them as the approve you then of course that is the way they are going to treat you. Now thats not to say they are having a bad day or have run into problems with other sportsmen/women that may have ruined there day It happens to everybody. Beside its there job and i just wish that the government that we have in this province would sink some money into srd so they can be out more and stop the idiots that will eventually ruin what we have in Alberta.

[buckmaster]

x2 what chuck said ;too many idiots that will ruin it for the future!!!!

[Dick284]

I find it kind of amazing that in the 25+ years of hunting in Alberta and with at least one encounter with a Fish and Wildlife Officer each season, I have never ran into a grouchy or bietchy one. Some were more light hearted than others, but never an honest to godness Oscar the Grouch. Then again I respect their authority, and I am usually quite pleasent and curtious, to them. I've had more good hunting information passed my way from Officers in the field, even the local County Constable is quite abliging with letting me know who is having coyote troubles and has even given my name out so they can contact me.
Maybe then it's just my rugged good looks and my sparkeling personality , nope maybe it's just luck
Who kows, but I'm not wanting to see these fellers bad side that's a for sure.

[slingshot]

So Alrich do you think they have a quota on names or are they checking to see who purchased what for general season.My partner had his pickup that has his company marking on it the co commented on the company and asked why the pichup was not the same model as the company logo.
Anyway run in to this fellow last year stopped us while driving no big deal.This year they must have a better budget as he had a new pickup and a rookie in training.So i think if i choose to go back to the same spot that there will be knocking at my door.
In general i appreciate the work that they do and timing is everthing.
A few years ago hunting in southern sask. we were stopped and checked and stopped and checked the following day by the same fellow.We had a deer in the box inside of the truck cap.The co entered to check for tags.This is where it becomes a little funny he entered the back of the truck and I heard a thunk and looked down ya ther lies his nine mil so I picked it up and placed it under my arm.When the co came out he said everything was ok so i asked him if he lost anything he gave me a dirty look so i said it again.Still not phased I brought out his nine mil and handed it to him butt of the barrel first.No smile no thanks no nothen.
The following day I shot a nice whitetail and while gutting found out that the buck was gorged up the dirt shoot on a prvious occassion.So the the co and he came out and offered me either a new license if I choose or to send me my money back as I was a none resident.
Since it was the day before the end I choose the money as I still had a doe tag.
I asked him if i could keep the horns from the buck and his statement was one or the other.So there you go.
I later found out that he was husband of one of my cusons daughters.

[Gunner22a]

Our hunting party always hunts north of Athabasca. We get visited two to treee times during the week we are up there by the officers out of the Athabasca office. The very first time they came they really went over us but were very polite and professional at the same time. They figured out pretty quick that we run a clean camp. Now when they come they check the meat pole if they see something new from their last visit, might ask to see the lisence that goes with the new tag, usually stay for a coffee and fill us in on what is happening and where they think the animals are. They have even given us the description of a vehicle they were looking for once and asked us to call it in if we saw it. They are a good crew up there and are only doing the job we pay them to do. I'm sure there are some tough nuts out there to make a name for themselves, there are in every profession but the guys out of Athabasca are a good lot in my books. If any of the wardens from Athabasca are reading this we will see you Friday. Two McPherson tents and three Ford Rangers.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by slingshot

This is where it becomes a little funny he entered the back of the truck and I heard a thunk and looked down ya ther lies his nine mil so I picked it up and placed it under my arm.

Just to clarify they carry 40S&W's not 9's. Further more they are no longer called CO's they are Fish and Wildlife Officers. A CO works in a Provincial park and are no longer armed, the F&W officer is armed.

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Just to clarify they carry 40S&W's not 9's. Further more they are no longer called CO's they are Fish and Wildlife Officers. A CO works in a Provincial park and are no longer armed, the F&W officer is armed.

Hmmmmm. All the guys around here that have conservation officer on their shoulder are armed. At least this summer they were. One officer comes into my store quite often and it's a standing joke for me to ask him if I can shoot his gun this time.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by Huntnut

Hmmmmm. All the guys around here that have conservation officer on their shoulder are armed. At least this summer they were. One officer comes into my store quite often and it's a standing joke for me to ask him if I can shoot his gun this time.

Well you could be right it was my understanding that when the F&W guys went away from the CO handle was because the CO's did'nt want to be armned. Double Hmmmm.
At any rate I know for a fact the F&W officers use 40's and I know that the 2 F&W officers we had here in DV dis liked the CO handle, not saying it applies to all F&W officers but the two here sure disliked the handle.

[Gunner22a]

I had occasion to contact the Athabasca office with a questio prior to hunting season and made the mistake of calling them Conservation Officers. That they are not and was quickly corrected. They are Fish and Wildlife Officers and yes they are armed. I have seen CO's packing as well. The odd bit of illegal hunting goes on in some of the parks and as one CO told me "his partner "Smith and Wesson" has been required on more than one occasion.

[Cdamen]

Originally Posted by Jamie

Up on our trip, we had a Fish cop come into camp. Nice enough fellow. He didnt ask about tags and spent a good deal of time showing us on a map where he thought the elk would be. I find there is a MAJOR difference between Guys up north and the guys around Calgary.
When he left (after about 45 min) he gave us 4 different copies of his magazine.

Jamie

X2
had the same occurance around nordegg, great guys around there.

[Jamie]

Munstrex. We were hunting up north of Vallyview.

I think the farther you get away from the big city's, the better the chance you have of running into a great officer. I am not saying they don't exist around Calgary.. I am just relaying my experience's.

Jamie

[shooter3456]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Well you could be right it was my understanding that when the F&W guys went away from the CO handle was because the CO's did'nt want to be armned. Double Hmmmm.
At any rate I know for a fact the F&W officers use 40's and I know that the 2 F&W officers we had here in DV dis liked the CO handle, not saying it applies to all F&W officers but the two here sure disliked the handle.

Well just to clarify a little further for you fellas. A Conservation Officer is employed by the Parks, Conservation, Recreation and Sports division formerly known as Alberta Community Development-Parks and Protected Areas. They are responsible for provincial parks, wildland areas, wilderness parks, heritage rangelands and ecological reserves. The full time officers are in fact armed and do carry a glock, the seasonal officers that you might see during the summer are not armed. A Fish and Wildlife Officer is employed by Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) and is responsible for pretty much the rest of the province with the exception of National Parks (The National Park Wardens were the wardens you probably remember hearing about being disarmed during the summer). That is another story. Anyways Fish and Wildlife Officers also carry a glock, at least the one who checked me yesterday had one. As far as calibre is concerned I don't think it really matters, one department may like one more than another and this may change from province to province. If you are in the field and in doubt as to whom is checking you; take a second and read the side of their truck or their badge on their uniform. It may not sound like a big deal to us but you never know what kind of mood they may be in that day. It's true that the two departments were in fact amalgamated at one point in time, so naturally there is some confusion as to whose title is what.

[bearbait]

they checked out our camp by the berland. then checked us on a road in the ranger...took plate #'s and tags and all our info...asked him why all the info he said they were having probs in the area...nice guys though..

[QIsley]

Originally Posted by shooter3456

Well just to clarify a little further for you fellas. A Conservation Officer is employed by the Parks, Conservation, Recreation and Sports division formerly known as Alberta Community Development-Parks and Protected Areas. They are responsible for provincial parks, wildland areas, wilderness parks, heritage rangelands and ecological reserves. The full time officers are in fact armed and do carry a glock, the seasonal officers that you might see during the summer are not armed. A Fish and Wildlife Officer is employed by Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) and is responsible for pretty much the rest of the province with the exception of National Parks (The National Park Wardens were the wardens you probably remember hearing about being disarmed during the summer). That is another story. Anyways Fish and Wildlife Officers also carry a glock, at least the one who checked me yesterday had one. As far as calibre is concerned I don't think it really matters, one department may like one more than another and this may change from province to province. If you are in the field and in doubt as to whom is checking you; take a second and read the side of their truck or their badge on their uniform. It may not sound like a big deal to us but you never know what kind of mood they may be in that day. It's true that the two departments were in fact amalgamated at one point in time, so naturally there is some confusion as to whose title is what.

Shooter is correct, CO's (Conservation Officers) work for Parks, Fish and Wildlife Officers work for SRD.

You never know why you may have been contacted in Camp, might have been following up on a complaint...., I like talk to hunters and fishermen where ever I find'em, hunting, camping, having lunch in a restraunt, filling up with gas... Often get some good intel by talking to folks, the name of the game is to catch the guys that like to spoil it for the rest of us.....

Quentin Isley
Fish and Wildlife Officer
Red Earth Creek