Game Warden Field Notes
April 9, 2018
Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030
Note: This item is more than six years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
A Game Show Host
A Zavala County game warden recently completed a year-long investigation involving a ranch manager who was selling hunts without the consent of the landowner. The ranch manager even brought in a camera crew from a well-known outdoors television show to video the hunts. The unauthorized activities resulted in the illegal harvest of 11 white-tailed bucks off the property. The ranch manager was indicted on 11 state jail felony counts of hunting without landowner consent, along with multiple other charges.
Alexa, Where Does the Game Warden Live?
An Ellis County game warden responded to a call from a ranch manager who had witnessed two subjects shooting out into his pasture from the county road. The ranch manager and another farmer chased the subject’s vehicle down the highway, while the warden headed to their location from the opposite direction. The ranch manager advised the vehicle was turning into a driveway, which just happened to be the warden’s private property. The warden arrived at his residence shortly and confronted the pair — a father and his 17-year-old son from Ft. Worth. The dad claimed they were just driving around, showing his son “how to load a gun, shoot in a safe direction . . . and you know, gun safety stuff.” After the warden issued a citation for discharging a firearm from a public roadway, and provided a brief primer on firearms safety, the father asked, “Did I really pull into your driveway?” The warden nodded and smiled. “That was kinda convenient,” replied the man.
Did You Lose Something?
An Ellis County game warden received a call from a landowner who had evidence of someone hunting on his property without consent. The landowner showed the warden an image from his game camera of a hog that was shot under a feeder. The image only captured the subject’s backside. The warden did find a bloody knife that was left at the scene. During his investigation, the warden learned that several individuals had permission to hunt on a neighboring property, and photos of a couple of dead hogs had been posted to one of their social media accounts. The warden paid a visit to the residence of one of the teens who posted the images and spoke to his father, who confirmed his 17-year-old son and some friends had shot two pigs the previous weekend. The warden asked him if they cleaned the hogs at the house or on the property they hunted. The man replied it was out at the property, and unfortunately, his son said he lost his knife in the process. The warden told the father the reason for his visit, asked if this looked familiar, and showed him the lost knife. The next day the boys gave a full confession. The cases are pending.
Anti-Social Media Behavior
Game wardens in Limestone and Leon counties recently completed a several month long investigation into an animal cruelty case. The suspect had used fireworks to torture a live, previously injured raccoon and posted the act on social media. The suspect was recently indicted by a Limestone County Grand Jury and warrants for his arrest were obtained. The suspect was arrested and placed in the Limestone County jail. The case is pending.
Unintended Consequences
On March 22, a Matagorda County game warden received a complaint about several sick and/or dead eagles and buzzards on a local ranch. Upon arriving at the location, he observed a dead feral hog that the birds had obviously been eating. Three dead bald eagles and a few buzzards were located in the immediate area. Several more buzzards and a caracara that were too sick to fly were also observed. Suspecting the possibility that the pig may have been poisoned, and because of the bird species involved, the warden contacted a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent and brought him in on the investigation. They made contact with a neighboring farmer, who admitted to soaking corn in a poison and putting it out to get rid of the feral hogs in the area. The federally-protected birds had ingested the poison. The violations were turned over to USFW for prosecution.
Snakes Alive!
At about 1 a.m. on March 25, game wardens were on patrol when they encountered a pickup truck traveling through a remote area of Zapata County. After conducting a traffic stop on the vehicle, it was found that the driver, a person with an extensive history of game and fish violations, was hunting rattlesnakes from the roadway. Two citations were issued, and two rattlesnakes were seized. After traveling to the violator’s residence to retrieve other illegally harvested snakes, it was found the violator had picked up another rattlesnake on the roadway immediately after receiving citations and being released from the first contact that night. Additional citations were issued for hunting from the public roadway and 11 more rattlesnakes were seized from the residence. The cases are pending.
Tag Team
In early March, a Smith County game warden received a call from a Virginia game warden concerning some Texas deer confiscated from a taxidermist in Virginia who was operating without a license. There were three sets of antlers, and two of the tags came back to Smith County. The third buck, a 10 point, had a name but no tag. The warden was able to obtain an identity and interviewed the man whose name was attached to the 10 point buck, and determined the deer was taken illegally. The subject was coyote hunting and saw a deer he couldn’t pass up. The subject had no hunting license. The warden then interviewed a second subject, who had a blank tag on one of the other bucks seized. His deer was killed legally but he failed to fill out his tag, harvest log, and did not have the required hunter education certification. Cases and warnings were filed for no hunting license, untagged deer, improperly tagged deer, harvest log and hunter’s education violations. Civil restitution is pending.
Couldn’t Escape the Net
A Freestone County game warden had just checked and released a boat of Dallas area fishermen who were cast netting for tilapia and running jug lines on Lake Fairfield. Shortly after releasing the group, she discovered an illegal gill net near where she first made contact with the group. After hauling in the 500-foot net, the warden made her way back to the Dallas anglers to ask about the gill net. As she re-approached, the group quickly pulled up their jug lines and sped off toward the boat dock. The warden called a state park police officer for backup at the boat ramp, and after questioning, the suspects confessed to having placed the net out earlier in the day. Citations were issued for the illegal net and for taking game fish by illegal means/methods. Numerous largemouth bass and tilapia caught in the net were released back into the lake.