N80
Super Member
This weekend I was down at my cabin. I turkey hunted Saturday morning, had no luck and came back to the cabin to relax. It was about 10 am (I should have still been in the woods but there was no gobbling) and I heard a truck pull up which is not unusual. We have lots of friends and relatives that pop in all the time.
I get up and go to the door and its the game warden. I went out and introduced myself. Told him I'd been hunting that morning. He introduced himself as well. Real nice guy. Knows my local relatives. He is going to my nieces wedding next month. We chatted a bit. The he mentioned that he didn't know my cabin and such were down here. He just saw the open gate and thought he would see if anyone was hunting. I didn't think anything about it since I typically follow the letter of the law when it comes to hunting I told him to pop in any time.
Anyway, I got to wondering. Do game wardens have the right to go on anyone's property just because someone might be hunting there? What if the property is posted? Can they come on the property if it is posted and the gate is locked?
Anyone who knows me here at TBN knows that I'm a Don't Tread On Me type but I'm not really baiting anyone here. I'm sincerely curious about what the laws are and what rights to privacy a landowner has. I'm am also sure it is different from state to state but when you think about it, just because someone could be hunting on your property doesn't mean that they are or that they are doing it illegally or that that constitutes reasonable suspicion. Someone could be growing pot on my place too. Doe that mean that DEA can go on it looking for pot just because it could be there. All my life I've always just assumed the wardens can go where they want and I just accepted it. But now that I'm a landowner it does puzzle me a little and it seems like an interesting subject.
I get up and go to the door and its the game warden. I went out and introduced myself. Told him I'd been hunting that morning. He introduced himself as well. Real nice guy. Knows my local relatives. He is going to my nieces wedding next month. We chatted a bit. The he mentioned that he didn't know my cabin and such were down here. He just saw the open gate and thought he would see if anyone was hunting. I didn't think anything about it since I typically follow the letter of the law when it comes to hunting I told him to pop in any time.
Anyway, I got to wondering. Do game wardens have the right to go on anyone's property just because someone might be hunting there? What if the property is posted? Can they come on the property if it is posted and the gate is locked?
Anyone who knows me here at TBN knows that I'm a Don't Tread On Me type but I'm not really baiting anyone here. I'm sincerely curious about what the laws are and what rights to privacy a landowner has. I'm am also sure it is different from state to state but when you think about it, just because someone could be hunting on your property doesn't mean that they are or that they are doing it illegally or that that constitutes reasonable suspicion. Someone could be growing pot on my place too. Doe that mean that DEA can go on it looking for pot just because it could be there. All my life I've always just assumed the wardens can go where they want and I just accepted it. But now that I'm a landowner it does puzzle me a little and it seems like an interesting subject.