Busted by the game warden I was....

MikeD74T · Dec 18, 2005

Bird, What do you suppose the officer would say if you politely asked to search his cruiser first? LOL I also work rotating shifts and occasionally "drive home with the drunks". Likewise the officers have been curteous and send me on my way after finding out where I was coming from.
On 2 occasions I've stopped, and after identifying myself, asked a night shift officer with a pulled over car way off the road in a field if he needed any help. In both cases they asked me to standby. I was on the local Fire Dept at the time.
Another poster said he liked the local LEO stopping by to chat as a form of property protection. My neighbor at my vacation home often stops when going by with his cruiser. I agree it has deterrent value to ner-do-wells. He also got a new tractor this summer so we have a little comparison going. He got a 75 hp NH so I'm no competion. He carries pictures like it's a newborn. As much as I like and respect Skip, I'd decline any unwarranted searches, business is business and both sides must follow the rules or there won't be any rules left.

fishman · Dec 19, 2005

I'm just posting some relevant text from the TPWD code of conduct available on their intranet.

( TPWD game wardens and authorized personnel assisting game wardens in the exercise of law enforcement duties may enter private land and use information obtained from private land without landowner consent for law enforcement purposes. Game wardens and authorized personnel assisting game wardens in law enforcement duties may not collect or use information not related to law enforcement purposes without the express written consent of the landowner.

)

It appears from this that in Texas at least, game wardens can enter your land without your permission.

bontai_Joe · Dec 21, 2005

I realize the original post was about game wardens, but I was under the apparently mistaken belief that I could be armed while on my own land for self protection at all times whether I was in or on a vehicle or not. This was quite educational,and I will check further into PA law to see what restrictions there are, if any.

YanmarFever · Dec 21, 2005

I just had an employe of fish & wildlife in our tractor lot.
I mentioned to him what had happened with the warden trespassing, the tickets ect....

He went on to tell me that in Oregon you can have a loaded weapon in your vehicle on your own property at any time, even while hunting !

he might also buy a tractor from us /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

tpost · Dec 22, 2005

I realize the original post was about game wardens, but I was under the apparently mistaken belief that I could be armed while on my own land for self protection at all times whether I was in or on a vehicle or not 

Thats what I thought..until the game warden told me different.I asked him about being on private land and he said the reason it was illegal on private land was because of safety. Thats the only violation I had,the rest was the boys violations that had killed the deer and never had a license or field tagged there deer,I never even give it a thought whether they had license or not,but next year they will before they hunt. My gripe was the way the game warden came onto my property,not the fact that the boys were illegal. I just don''t think he should be able to swing onto my land and start peppering me with questions unless there was something obviously wrong which in my opinion there was not. Next year we will be perfectly legal so we should not have anything to worry about.So I marked it up for experience,licked my wounds and go forward.

RedRocker · Dec 22, 2005

That just doesn't make any sense, Safety? The second amendment is null & void on private property due to safety? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

getut · Dec 22, 2005

( Safety? The second amendment is null & void on private property due to safety?)

I quietly curse a variation of those words to myself each time I get a seatbelt ticket (approaching 30 of them now).

tpost · Dec 22, 2005

That just doesn't make any sense, Safety? 

He said safety..it does not matter if it is private or public land..I am thinking whats more unsafe..me on a tractor with a loaded fire arm with the safety on or me standing on a hillside that is so steep it is hard to keep your balance and running a chainsaw putting a 3' oak tree on the ground.

vetteman · Dec 22, 2005

I talked to a retired NYS DEC enforcement officerthat I know very well and I asked him about this situation and he said that it is against the law to have a loaded firearm on a motorized vehichle (except for someone with a permit) BUT he also said that if a person would fight a ticket for this that it wouls loose in the court of appeals for not having a search warrant, just aks him how he knows this, It only happened once!!!!!!!