What do you think of walking up to a treestand or blind and asking to see ID? I'm not a fan of this at all. I'd say this guy is way out of line.

Public or private land, I would be very upset if for no reason a Conservation Officer walked up on my stand I had legally scouted, placed a stand, and was hunting in prime-time hours, possibly ruining my chance on a Buck I had been watching for months! As another reader commented, please get me on my way in, or coming out. I realize Officers are short handed, but walking up on every orange vest will just make people hunt in camo!

I wanted to be a game warden when I was a kid but here in CO we have never had a game warden barge in a stand like shown in the pictures here talk about ruining a hunt or a stand.

Ok maybe I was just making an assumption, that every state has rapid fire idiots. I have only hunted in Ohio and Nebraska so I am drawing from that experience. I have heard on a couple of occations more then three shots in a row as well. Another assumption could be that there is a group of people driving deer, none of which could hit the broadside of a barn, hence multiple shots. I would hate to think that a large majority of the state is comprized of people who are unethical and aid in giving us ethical hunters a bad name. It is already hard enough to try to find somewhere to hunt. I also agree that if a wildlife officer walked up to me in a treestand for no other reason but to check my gun and permit I would be FURIOUS, but if what you say is true and there is a large majority of people hunting beyond ohio's regulations I would welcome it simply to get the "undesirables" off the land and make more room for those of us who do things right.

what is with everyone shooting themselves?

I do not think that the Warden should distrub anyone's hunt by checking for license, orange color, etc. unless the Warden has reason to suspect an illegal activity. Here in Texas, the Game Warden have more legal authority than any law enforcement agency in the state. But, too many of us have to pay a lot of money to hunt and may only get to hunt white-tail deer once or twice in a lifetime, and to have a Warden screw up that hunt when I am doing everything legally would piss me off and make me very unfriendly, uncooperative, and unsupportive towards any Warden. I'm a Red-neck, retired military, and disabled vet. An incident like those in this story would make my blood boil and I'm stupid enough to go to Austin, TX each and every time the Dept of Parks and Wildlfe has an open meeting to fight the Wardens on whatever laws that wanted to change. I have always preached religion and sportsmenship to my grandsons, but with the current administration in D.C., it may soon come down to bare kinuckles to protect our 2nd Amendment. I'm just about sick and tired of the lawyers, judges, and politicians not having any common sense who are only out to line their pockets with my tax dollars.

I would assume these actions took place on state property. I'm not sure what the regulations are in Ohio but I know in Wisconsin, public property, you're not allowed to leave blinds or treestands out overnight, and ground blinds must have a certain amount of orange around the perimeter for safety precautions.

You are generalizing and I don't think it is fair. I am a Ohioan, I don't run around with a 8 round shotgun, or a 44 scoped mag. I would bet there are plenty of people in your state that "take as many shots as they can rattle off".

I have met a couple of the wardens in the photos. They patrol the areas I hunt. For one person they have entirely too much area to cover.

I hope that ground blind was on public land. Who wants the game warden or anyone for that matter bothering them on opening morning of season & ruining their chances. I know many people that are feed up with that type of behavior from ODNR employees. I've had landowners in our rural area saying they don't want them on their land unless they called for a problem. Most times they do a decent job & treat you fairly if you are honest/law-abiding. Hunter Jim from Ohio

You know,if you don't do anything illegal they are the greatest guys in the woods. I have been checked and never had even a rude officer. There is a bunch of poaching down in Southeast Ohio. And poachers don't care. These guys have a tough job to do with many,many hours. Not to mention running into some crazy person with a gun in his hands. I respect them and what they do. As for going on to private property. They has more power available to them then the FBI. If you have a fishing license or hunting license your freezer is open to search at anytime. All they need is a reasonable cause to search you property and being without a warrant. An anonimous phone call is reason enough. Unless you have something to hide you have no trouble with the Game Warden ( Officer, as there is only 1 Warden per county) These guys will help you more then not.

wouldn't it suck to be hunting and have a warden walk up to your stand and disturb all the deer? just not right.

How would you feel if you walked out to your tree stand you have been in since September only to find a trespassing shotgun hunter sitting in it while his 10 buddies are trampling through the woods you have been scouting and hunting all year. That is not right. Maybe that is why the game warden is walking out to these blinds and stands to check permision and licenses.

the officer is actually a really cool guy i got to meet him.

I'll bet that the guys with a slug in his foot and .44 in the thigh will be somewhat more careful in the future. Or not.

Even though a warden's job is difficult and could be hazardous at times, It realy messes up a good hunting trip when he walks up to a man hunting from a tree stand. There should be another way and probably are ways to accomplish the same task. Two years ago an officer "drove 'up to my tree stand, I just gave up and went home for the day... They normaly don't do that here andI thought it was uncalled for.

"I've had landowners in our rural area saying they don't want them on their land unless they called for a problem."..... most wardens I know don't go on private land during a hunt unless there is a reported problem or they suspect a problem. They are just wayyyy to busy down here in the south.

Can you not use a rifle, or do people just prefer them to the terrain? And out of the 5 years I've been hunting and all the other time I've spent in the woods I've seen 1 game warden... guess we dont have too many compared to Ohio

That would really piss me off if a game warden came up to my blind or stand in the morning, during my hunt, opening day or any day. That's BS.
The problem is, you really don;t have much of choice but to be bite your lip, or the officer can rally ruin your day if wants to. He wears the badge, and has the power. You will never win by arguing or being a jerk to a LEO.

In Colorado, the law is quite clear with regards to entering private property to check a hunting license: Any law enforcement officer (not just game wardens) can enter private property to check a hunting or fishing license at any time. Of course, they're going to have to show that there was somebody hunting or fishing when they did it.

In fifty years of hunting in Mississippi, I have only seen two game wardens in the field while hunting, one was at a dove shoot, the other was on a small public road near an access trail. He sure was disappointed when I stopped 100 yds from the road right of way and unloaded my rifle.

i want to be a game warden so bad

I should say I'm not really an Ohioan, I just happen to live here now.