Game Warden Field Notes
Compiled by SGW Gary Roller

The following is based on information taken from law enforcement quarterly reports submitted by state game wardens and supervisors.
Game warden investigates tip - A game warden in Washington County received a tip that five people were involved in poaching deer. An investigation was done and it resulted in 21 charges being filed. Theses included: killing deer in closed season, headlighting, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, shooting from a public road and trespassing.

Maybe I should invest in a tape measure - One subject maybe thinking just that after being cited for short fish. Two Osage County game wardens have both cited the subject for length limit violations this past summer. It seems the person was caught with a small saugeye early in the summer and was caught again later on Birch Lake with a short flathead.

Subject found with bald eagle parts - Two District Two game wardens assisted the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office with a search warrant which turned up bald eagle parts. The case was finalized this quarter with the defendant fined $1,000 plus court costs and given a one-year suspended sentence.

Lifetime revocation is a first - Two Sequoyah County game wardens recently completed a 2001 case where a search warrant resulted in sixty wildlife charges. As a result, the defendant was given a lifetime revocation of his hunting privileges, which is the first time such a sentence has been given in District Two's history. In July, the same defendant became the focus of another warrant served by sheriff's deputies, which resulted in new wildlife charges. This time an illegally taken eight-point buck taken across state lines to a taxidermy shop has prompted federal Lacey Act Charges. In addition, migratory birds taken with use of a blowgun have been added as additional federal charges.

Interagency assistance - A District Two game warden assisted the Colorado Division of Wildlife with an investigation into an Oklahoma resident who had been falsifying information to obtain resident licenses in Colorado. Another District Two warden helped federal agents interview a suspect involving an illegal elk kill.

All they had was the urge - A Muskogee County game warden apprehended some road hunters on the opening day of dove season. These so-called hunters were road hunting using 4x4 ATV's. They were charged with transporting loaded firearms, hunting without licenses and hunting migratory birds with unplugged shotguns. Two Wagoner County subjects were also apprehended hunting doves off ATV's.

Wonder if flood insurance will cover it? - A game warden in Sequoyah County issued a citation to an off-road enthusiast who got his vehicle stuck in the Illinois River stream bed, which is also a designated trout stream. While calling for a wrecker, the lake sirens began to blow and the rising waters completely submerged the vehicle. Maybe he needs to have PFD's on board?

Commercial elk operation follow up - In a case mentioned in a previous issue, game wardens conducted a follow up search warrant on an unlicensed commercial elk operation in Sequoyah County. This ongoing investigation with the Department of Agriculture finally resulted in wildlife charges against the owner. Over one hundred distressed elk and numerous dead carcasses have been documented over an extended period of time.

Caught in the act - District Three game wardens have been busy with fire patrol on Three Rivers WMA. This is a special project the game wardens undertake to cut down on the number of fires, which in-turn saves thousands of acres from being burned. During one of these patrols, two game wardens caught some folks cutting down a gate on the area. The activity has been ongoing and has been quite a controversy for the last few years, but this is the first time anyone has been caught. One officer walked up behind the guy who was bent over the cutting torch, tapped him on the shoulder, and told him to stop cutting the gate. They were very surprised to say the least. Felony charges have been filed in the district court over this incident and more are expected from evidence gathered from the subsequent investigation.

Game warden takes confession - A Lincoln County game warden received a call from a person who apparently wanted to get right with his conscience. The officer was called in September about a turkey killed in May. The caller wanted to confess to a crime. It seems he neglected to check his turkey at a check station, which is required for turkeys killed east of I-35. The game warden issued the subject a citation for failure to check in a turkey.

Not funny money, but funny license - A McClain County game warden made a case on a counterfeit fishing license. A man and his wife were checked fishing and asked for their licenses. The fisherman and his wife said the license was a Xerox copy in case it got wet. However, the criminal masterminds had signed the copy. When asked why the copy had original ink on it, their stories quickly changed, yet remained far from the truth. The wife stated she had borrowed a license from a stranger that happened to be in her neighborhood. The forged license had an issue time and date on it that allowed it to be tracked back to the original by Wal-Mart. All three people were issued citations and are scheduled to appear in court.

Big cats cause one man big problems - State game wardens from Districts Six and Seven assisted the USFWS with a buy-bust operation at a travel plaza along I-40 in western Oklahoma. A USFWS special agent posing as a potential buyer arranged to meet with an Amarillo, Texas man to close the deal on purchasing two clouded leopards, a regular tiger cub and a white tiger cub. After arriving the deal was made and officers from the two agencies swooped down on the party. Four people were briefly detained with one being served a warrant for his arrest. The cats and his vehicle were seized and the subject has been charged in federal court with Lacey Act violations.

Returned to the scene of the crime - A Kingfisher County game warden arrested two men for headlighting, hunting with the aid of motor driven conveyance and possession of illegally taken wildlife after receiving a call. The subjects shot a spotted fawn -from the road within a quarter mile of four houses. They left and returned to the scene three times, thus giving the game warden time to get to the location and make the capture. The fact that both men were highly intoxicated probably contributed to the irrationality of their behavior. Both suspects pled guilty and paid $3,010.40 in fines and costs.

Third times a charm - A Caddo County game warden caught two subjects hunting dove after legal shooting hours. By itself, it was not anything extraordinary. However, for one subject this was the third time in a little over a year that he had been cited for a wildlife violation.

Just me and Bambi - The game warden in Blaine County followed up on a tip that a subject was keeping a fawn taken from the wild. The game warden was entering the suspect's driveway to check it out when he met the man and a passenger leaving the residence in a pickup. The rider was a doe fawn that appeared quite comfortable riding in the front seat. The game warden had the same guy in court the previous month for deer related violations involving his commercial operation.

Another slow learner? - A Custer County game warden caught a fisherman twice in a three month period fishing without a license at the same fishing hole. The culprit was jailed the second time as a warrant for writing a bad check to obtain a temporary license was added to the fishing without a license charge. Restitution was granted to ODWC for the bad check and the fisherman was sentenced to additional fines and jail time.

The thrill was a fleeting moment -_ Two District Eight game wardens rescued three gentlemen who had waded to "The Island" on Salt Plains Lake and then came close to drowning trying to make their way back due to high winds and waves. It was reported that the gentlemen were thrilled to see them until they were told they would be getting a citation from the USFWS for trespassing.

Subject arrested for wildlife violations and criminal charges - Two District Eight game wardens teamed up in an investigation on a habitual violator and served a search warrant on the individual for illegal possession of deer. Sheriff's deputies also arrested the subject for theft of four-wheelers, tools, conspiracy and concealing stolen property.