There’s a special something about the ones in Utah. Fuggers are always trying to get you with something. Was fly fishing once and on the way out we walked through an unoccupied camp. There was some trash about so we picked up what we could until our hands were full. Fish cops pull up and try to give us a ticket for littering because it’s obvious we made that mess and didn’t pick it all up. 🙄
Another time was helping a buddy fill his deer tag. Found him a really nice 4x4 muley so he blasts it right through the heart. Well, it goes about 100 yards on adrenaline and drops. I have him walk me over to where it fell and find it just across and ancient fallen down field fence. Fish cops were around the bend and heard the shot and come flying up the road in their brand-new Hunter license fees provided F350 and start giving us hell. The deer died just inside unmarked private property that they magically know about. I walk them back to where the deer was shot - show him the blood trail on public land and they start in on how I must have shot it, gonna test me for gunpowder residue, etc. I got pissed and told em to go right ahead if they’re that stupid. They write us up for trespassing and then confiscate the deer too. I asked then WTH were we supposed to do? Deer was shot on public land but died on private with no delineation - required by law - and no contact information for the land owner. (Later we found out he KNEW the landowner) Response? You could have left it but then we would have charged you with felony wasting of game. We both fought it in court and won, cost us $5k in attorneys fees though. By then the deer was long gone and DWR wouldn’t grant my friend another tag so they still screwed us.
Was out hunting doves with my buddy on HIS property when the F&G shows up. My friend is about 200 yards away so this guy wants to see my landowner signed written permission form for me to be hunting there. My friend comes over and sets him straight and then tells the fish cop if there’s no violations, to get the hell out of here.
Some friends of mine were up elk hunting. They apparently didn’t have certified weed-free hay for the horses so here’s your ticket. Yeah, they probably deserved that one. On the way out though the fish cops somehow managed to get their truck stuck so they’re flagging my friends down to come pull them out. They handed them a shovel and told them ‘good luck’.
Then you have the checkerboard public private sections of land in Wyoming that they’ll nail for trespassing, even if you diligently step across the section corners without touching private land in an attempt to keep you off of them.
I don’t have any use for poachers and such. I honestly want to support F&G but many of them around here are just overzealous aholes! It’s all about revenue generation. An attorney friend of mine told me Utah DNR spends more on average prosecuting poachers than the DA does on the average murder case.
