Game Warden Field Reports
Compiled by Assistant Editor Gary Roller

The following are excerpts from law enforcement quarterly reports submitted by state game wardens and supervisors.

Be Careful What You Ask For - State game wardens in Osage County received a request for decoy work to combat complaints of road hunting. .officers set up and worked a decoy set, catching the man and two of his fiends that had requested the decoy work. Charges have been filed.

High Velocity Bow - A Tulsa County game warden charged a commercial wildlife breeder with game violations. The breeder shot a good buck with gun while the buck was fighting his breeder buck through the fence. The problem was he checked it in as an archery kill. A taxidermist, who was mounting the head, was also arrested for obstructing an officer.

Perseverance Pays Off - After receiving information about a Kansas resident illegally killing deer, an Osage County game warden brought the case to conclusion after a month of investigation and patrol work. The subject was caught with an illegal deer opening weekend of gun season. Further investigation resulted in the subject and his accomplice pleading guilty to charges resulting from two illegal deer taken during primitive season. They received fines totaling $2500.

Joint Investigations -A Tulsa County game warden and agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completed a lengthy investigation into multiple illegally killed deer in Kansas. Three men from the Tulsa area -were picked up on arrest warrants and have confessed to the crimes. Cases are pending.

District Two and District Three game wardens assisted USFWS agents with an investigation into the illegal use of pole traps. Pole traps were wing used to trap raptors feeding on fighting chickens. Several citations have been issued.

Be Careful Where You Hunt - A Sequoyah County game warden worked an investigation into illegal hunting on a federal wildlife refuge. The two subjects involved learned that hunting illegally on federal property can be rather expensive. The two were fined $4400 on a variety of wildlife offenses.

Repeat Offender - A pursuit of a spotlighter in Atoka County turned out to be briefly unsettling for the game warden involved. The officer was in pursuit of a 4-wheeler when it crashed and the subjects .300 mag. rifle went off. After determining he was not being shot at, the officer arrested the subject. This was the suspect's second offense for both spotlighting and attempting to elude. Along with wildlife violations, felony charges were filed for running a roadblock.

Role The Video Tape -A McCurtain County game warden investigated a subject killing a turkey out of season. The subject decided to get his Thanksgiving turkey on Thanksgiving day in front of some folks' house. Unlucky for him the lady of the house was videotaping the turkey. She got the whole thing on tape including the turkey being shot, a good closeup of the culprit's s face, the door being slammed on the turkey's wing, and the tag on the car. We won this one!

Hunter Innovation - Two state game wardens witnessed a new way to fill deer tags. They observed several men motor out to an island in Sardis Lake and go on to shore. Then in a bit, some of them got back into the boat and started across the lake. They cut the motor and began firing at some deer they had spooked into the water. The game wardens arrested ten subjects and confiscated four deer.

You Can Run, But... -A state game warden in Creek County caught a man killing a deer out of season and had followed him to his home to gather more information. The suspect said he had left his license at a neighbor's house, and he was allowed next door to retrieve it. After a lengthy wait, the officer saw the suspect bolt from the neighbor's back door and run into the woods. The chase was on and the suspect was soon back in custody. A further record check revealed that the suspect was wanted on several outstanding warrants. He is also facing a new charge for resisting arrest.

Sometimes pets get you into all kinds of trouble - A report of a man keeping a pet deer in a dog pen caused additional problems for a Creek County man. A game warden checked on the report and, sure enough, the deer was in the backyard dog pen, and the dog pen was next to the garage. As the officer pondered about what to do with "Bambi," he glanced through the window of the garage and spotted several illegal bobcat hides and an illegal buck deer hanging from the rafters. Cases are pending.

Some Guys Just Don't Learn - Two District Five game wardens apprehended a subject hunting furbearers out of season and hunting without a license. Two months later, the same officers caught the same subject hunting furbearers out of season and hunting without a license. Besides fines, this time the firearm was forfeited.

Singing Those Prison Blues - District Five game wardens reported a number of subjects being picked up on outstanding warrants from other agencies while out hunting. One subject in Love County was on probation and was sent back to prison with an extra year for good measure.
In the western part of the state, the state game warden in Ellis County arrested a group for headlighting that included a subject on probation. The headlighting charge and other wildlife charges managed to get the subject's probation revoked, so he's now back in the pen.

Be Careful Out There - Two Caddo County game wardens, while arresting a subject for spotlighting, found he was carrying a loaded .25 caliber semi-auto handgun in his rear pocket. He did not have a concealed carry permit. Makes you wonder why he was carrying it! The subject was charged with headlighting, hunting from the aid of a motorized conveyance, transporting a loaded firearm and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon.

When In Rome, Do As The Romans Do - State game wardens apprehended four subjects spotlighting rabbits in Elaine County. The subjects informed the officers that this was the way they hunted in their country. After a short conversation, and several citations, the subjects decided that they should get a copy of the hunting regulations and study them.

These Mountain Lions Are Getting Dangerous -A District 6 and District - game warden responded to a report of a mountain lion killing farm dogs. While at the site, they located 7mm. cases where the dogs were found. Wonder who taught the lion to shoot a gun? After pointing out the rifle cases and the bullet holes in the dogs, the landowner decided maybe the culprit wasn't a big cat after all.

Meth, Meth And More Meth - Four of the eleven District 6 game wardens became involved in meth cases while on routine patrol during the past deer season. One subject was caught by game wardens "cooking" on his vehicle in Blaine County.

In Caddo County, a game warden determined that the vehicle he was following was not night hunters, but a mobile meth lab. A county deputy as contacted and he responded to the scene while the game warden continued to trail the vehicle. When the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, short chase ensued. The suspect vehicle crashed and two subjects fled on foot and one was arrested at the scene. The other two were apprehended later.

A Canadian County game warden stopped two subjects at 0230 opening morning of deer gun season for suspicion of headlighting several wheat fields. The suspects immediately informed the warden they were not trying to kill deer but were looking for anhydrous ammonia to steal and resell to meth crooks. A spotlight and a model 870 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck shot were found in the vehicle.

Road Trip -A state game warden impressed on some hunters that maybe vehicles should only be used for getting from point A to point B, The officer captured a van load of road hunters shooting turkeys in Roger Mills County. The court system netted $2600 for the incident.

A Trophy They Didn't Get To Keep - A Beckham County game warden was called to the scene of a traffic stop by a city officer that had more going on than just a traffic violation. An investigation of the incident led to the arrest of two subjects with a record class 10-point-buck that had been killed at night. The deer cost the defendants $1266 and the loss of the rifle.

Maybe He's Just Big For His Age - The state game warden in Washita County investigated a report of an individual killing a big buck during the youth doe hunt. The officer tracked the man down and gathered enough information to prosecute and convict him. The 10-point buck cost $1,257 in fines, $750 in restitution, and the forfeiture of a Browning A Bolt rifle with scope.

Nothing Like Coffee And Donuts -A Kay County game warden received a complaint from two brothers who witnessed a person shoot a nice 12-point buck with a rifle during archery season. They gave a good enough description of the person and vehicle that the officer recognized it to be a local landowner and donut shop owner. The officer went to the shop and ordered a donut and coffee and asked the lady waiting on him if the owner was there. When the owner came out and saw the officer he said "I knew you would be here, but I didn't think you'd be here this soon."

You Never Know Who Might Be Listening - Four individuals were caught spotlighting and in possession of deer the Friday night before deer season in Alfalfa County. The game warden saw the subjects spotlighting and determined they were using a rechargeable spotlight and were on foot. The officer approached the subjects and could hear them talking about how a Spotlight causes different colors in the deer's eye if it has been shot. They also talked about gut shooting a deer and that they could not find it. Upon contact, they had no rifles and one suspect was covered in blood. They were searched and one suspect had a loaded 9 mm pistol concealed. Three of the four were jailed and charges were filed on two illegal deer and the concealed weapon.

Road Kill Or Not A Road Kill - State game wardens in the panhandle made a case on a person who had received a new rifle for Christmas and decided to try it out on a buck antelope. He had cut the head off and left the carcass. The head was found at a local taxidermist where it had been left with the story that it was a roadkill. After being interviewed the subject confessed to killing the antelope.

Computer Crime -A Garfield County game warden made a case on a person offering a deer head for sale on E-Bay. An individual had advertised the head for auction. The game warden recognized the subject from his E-mail address and went to the house and confiscated the head. The subject was issued a citation for illegal sale of wildlife and the head was forfeited.