Jerk of a Park Officer at the Wab..

[viral_override]

I have a small vent...and I hope you guys dont take it the wrong way. I ve been buying my licence religiously every year, i crimp my barbs, I keep my smally tiny boat up to par, I dont drink in the boat, so on and so forth.

We went for a couple hours of fishing at Wabamum and when we came back this Park Officer guy there was waiting for us at the dock. He start going on about what we were doing on the lake. I say fishing and then he proceeds very rudely saying, show me your license.

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

He asks if we caught any fish, I say no, then he checks my cooler where we have snacks and makes me dig around in there.

Then he check our life jackets if they are up to "code" and start lecturing me on that...

WTF??? I tried to be nice to him but it was like he was "searching" for something to bust us on...(he was literally there for 45 mins)

Has anyone else had this experience??

[Cal]

Yep, once in awhile you get one that seems like he's bitter about not makin the police force or somthing. Maby their just trying to do their jobs but with all the actual poaching going on why do they have to harrass guys who are obviously doing their best to comply with the rules?

[viral_override]

Yea..I dunno...never had this before..

[tonyflyfish]

I hiked straight uphill to a lake in the middle of now here and guess who followed me up? He was polite and only asked to see my license. I asked him about the standards for crimping and he said a person should be able to rub a finger over the barb and not get hooked. He caused me no trouble at all. I am extremely outgiong and polite but he had no personality at all which is just fine-he was doing his job and I give him credit for hauling his gluts all the way up that hill.

[seahawkfisher]

a CO on a power trip who was searching my friend's buddy's boat threatened to shoot my friends dog because he was swimming in the lake in the direction of a moose that was taking a little dip in the water. funny thing is, he's a defence lawyer who doesn't take kindly to threats; guess we'll see what comes of it.

[I-Love-Eyes]

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

:huh::huh:

If I understand the regs, the hooksIN YOUR TACKLE BOX can be barbed. It is the hooks on your fishing rod that must be pinched.
Did you get the guys name? Perhaps a phone call to the "office" about his unprofessional behavior??!!:confused:

[viral_override]

sigh...no I did not get his name. gr...and wow..I can t believe that other story about shooting someones dog....thats just plain ignorant.

[bsnyder]

I very rarely have problems but there is a young fellow that strys to strut his stuff at Pinehurst.He puffs his chest out till it looks like it hurts and realy playes the power trip.At the last tourny we were all thinking of thrwing him in the lake.The young lady there was realy nice and very reasonable.They do have a tough job, but would make it easier on themselves if they had a personality.:wave:

[bsnyder]

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

:huh::huh:

If I understand the regs, the hooksIN YOUR TACKLE BOX can be barbed. It is the hooks on your fishing rod that must be pinched.
Did you get the guys name? Perhaps a phone call to the "office" about his unprofessional behavior??!!:confused:

As long as you dont have a barbed hook in the water there is nothing he can do about it.Sask usess barbs and we travel back and forth so some of our stuff may have barbs.

[viral_override]

I very rarely have problems but there is a young fellow that strys to strut his stuff at Pinehurst.He puffs his chest out till it looks like it hurts and realy playes the power trip.At the last tourny we were all thinking of thrwing him in the lake.The young lady there was realy nice and very reasonable.They do have a tough job, but would make it easier on themselves if they had a personality.:wave:

LOL...that was exactly this guy!!!

[I-Love-Eyes]

Bob, if the hook is on your line, in water or out, it is supposed to be pinched. We were at a tournament a couple of years ago where a guy had a barbed hook on his line, and he was DQ'd and fined for barbed hook.He said he simply forgot to pinch the barb when he tied it on but.... I had this discussion with my son--who is studying to be a CO--and the assumption is, if it is on your line, you have had it in the water. This is the very reason that I pinch the barb BEFORE I tie it to the line. It's a bit of a grey area because of being allowed to have barbed hooks in your tackle box, and they are starting to crack down on barbed hooks on your line pretty hard.

[river_runner]

I have a small vent...and I hope you guys dont take it the wrong way. I ve been buying my licence religiously every year, i crimp my barbs, I keep my smally tiny boat up to par, I dont drink in the boat, so on and so forth.

We went for a couple hours of fishing at Wabamum and when we came back this Park Officer guy there was waiting for us at the dock. He start going on about what we were doing on the lake. I say fishing and then he proceeds very rudely saying, show me your license.

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

He asks if we caught any fish, I say no, then he checks my cooler where we have snacks and makes me dig around in there.

Then he check our life jackets if they are up to "code" and start lecturing me on that...

WTF??? I tried to be nice to him but it was like he was "searching" for something to bust us on...(he was literally there for 45 mins)

Has anyone else had this experience??It dosent sound that bad MAYBE he just though you were A PUCH OVER or didnt like your looks ??? .I dont know i wasnt there good to see there out there Checking.:wave:

[Cal]

It dosent sound that bad MAYBE he just though you were A PUCH OVER or didnt like your looks ??? .I dont know i wasnt there good to see there out there Checking.:wave:

:huh:What would that have to do with anything??? Like I said, these guys deffinatly have better things to do so I dont know why they play games because they think they can get away with it or because they dont like your looks.

[floppychicken]

I have a LOT of friends and acquaintances who are CPS members and basically they are ALL pretty good guys / gals when it comes to being professional and stuff like that.... I can't really think of anyone that has an 'Attitude'.

Having said that, I've met a couple of BY-LAW officers who were absolute DICKS ! This one guy looked like he was 14 years old and was on a TOTAL EGO trip. I think maybe he watched too many TOP GUN movies or something... Guy was an arsehole. :mad:

It's too bad, because for many of us who don't know the good ones (the majority of them), it's hard to identify (in a Positive way) with anyone in uniform and whom carries a gun... This seems to be very typical of F&W officers. Fortunately for me, my experiences with them has been very good.

Cheers, :)

/FC...

[SNAPFisher]

And for every jerk there is one who is extremely great. I met a great one up near Grand Cache. He saw me and a couple buds fishing the Muskeg and immediately made a b-line for us. As we approached he was looking us over and you can tell he was making up his mind on what to check for. My buddy Ayr immediately walks up, introduces himself and shakes the guys hand. I believe his name was Mike...but my memory is short. At any rate, we had a 45 minute discussion with Mike about the area, fishing, what was happening, bear spray, ....you name it. Totally professional, helpful and an excellent officer.

Who knows, maybe your demeanor was something to cause suspicion. Maybe take the first step next time and not think defensively or "what the heck does this guy want" or "here we go again". Not saying that you were definsive as I wasn't there but I do find the first step approach to be helpful.

Just my .2 cents for what it is worth.

P.S. Most of these officers know one heck of a lot about the area they patrol. They have great information to share if their willing.

[Lotep]

My question is would you rather not see them out there at all looking for people poaching?
Yes i agree his demeanour could have been better but the number of people that these individuals deal with on a daily basis is astounding. People go to great lengths to hide things from COs and even people with fishing licences (not saying you) will poach fish. Sorry to hear about your bad experience, did you catch his name?

[Wulfespirit]

I know we'd all like to expect a higher standard from law enforcement but its just being unrealistic. Like people in any line of work, there are ***holes and there are good guys. The bad ones often ruin the image of the good ones as it takes a lot of good experiences to make up for the one bad one you have.

I had a terrible experience with a CO on a goose hunt several years back. Four of us had a couple of willow blinds set up on a pea field. We were about halfway to our limit on Canadas and noticed a CO truck had parked at the edge of the field about 500 yards from us. In any case we kept on going and were in the process of teasing in a big flock from the opposite side of the field. We were honking them closer and closer and finally they got close to us and looked like they were going to commit to land. Just as this happened, the CO entered the (private) field and came flying at us at high speed - spooking the flock before we took our first shot. We were a bit flabbergasted - what a lovely thing to do. At that point, this guy got out and proceeded to check EVERYTHING. Licenses, guns, the contents of our blinds and bags, and each bird we had taken so far. He even hinted at checking our trucks (though never went through with it) - all the while without showing the least bit of courtesy or pleasantness. Not to mention he didn't bother apologizing for interupting the hunt.

He didn't find a thing which seemed to frustrate him. He finally went back to his truck without a word and drove a way.

What was the point of that?

In any case, let me qualify the above by saying the vast majority of the time my experiences with COs is positive. They're mostly pleasant people out doing their job and I'm happy to cooperate and have a conversation with them.

I'd like to see some professional standards adopted by them to try and put a crimp on the bad ones. I can only imagine the impression that my goose CO would've left on any young hunters we might've had with us that day. To them - COs would've undoubtedly looked like the enemy if that was their first experience with one. Unfortunate.

[viral_override]

Yea in general, pretty much every PO has been great...thats why I was so suprised at this occurrence. Well...must a been my turn for a bad one I guess..better luck next time.

[Whiskey Wish]

I guess despite being CO's they are human beings as well (j/k) so are subject to the same stresses we are all subject to every day.
Fight with the wife.
Snarl with the boss.
Watch a good "bust" go bad in court.
Hangover.
Last customer was a prize arsehole.
Born with a serious personality defect. :lol:
The list goes on and on.....

Yes...they are supposed to be trained professionals but sometimes it is difficult to remain objective.
Many years ago when my Pa was still alive and pushing 70 years old we were out bustin' birds and on our way home stopped by 2 CO's on the roadside. My pa ( for whatever reason ) kept his licence and tags attached inside his hat and it was a bit of a pain digging them out. One of the CO's had stopped my Pa twice in the last 10 days or so already and my Pa complained when he asked to see his licence and tags again. He said "How many times do you need to see my licence before you accept that I have a licence?"
At that point the second CO asked the first officer if he had already seen this fellows licence within the last few days and the first officer said yes he had seen it twice. The second officer asked to be excused and they both returned to their truck and sat inside in what was a VERY obvious chin waggin', finger pointin', dash slappin' ARGUEMENT. We both stood outside our vehicle, licences in our hands, trying not to laugh and wondering where this was all headed. After a few minutes the second CO got out of the truck and walked over, apologized for the delay and said we were free to go and to have a nice day. My Pa said "It sounds like our day is going a whole lot better than yours. You have a nice day too." and we left.
Tough job. Tough conditions. They chose to do the job and I think most would readily agree that they need to hold themselves to a higher standard than a "regular" job.
My two cents.

Keep Your Powder Dry
Dave.

[Jayball]

And for every jerk there is one who is extremely great. I met a great one up near Grand Cache. He saw me and a couple buds fishing the Muskeg and immediately made a b-line for us. As we approached he was looking us over and you can tell he was making up his mind on what to check for. My buddy Ayr immediately walks up, introduces himself and shakes the guys hand. I believe his name was Mike...but my memory is short. At any rate, we had a 45 minute discussion with Mike about the area, fishing, what was happening, bear spray, ....you name it. Totally professional, helpful and an excellent officer.

Who knows, maybe your demeanor was something to cause suspicion. Maybe take the first step next time and not think defensively or "what the heck does this guy want" or "here we go again". Not saying that you were definsive as I wasn't there but I do find the first step approach to be helpful.

Just my .2 cents for what it is worth.

P.S. Most of these officers know one heck of a lot about the area they patrol. They have great information to share if their willing.


best response by far on this thread. we all have to co-exist so it helps if we take the first step and be proactivly positive.

[Okotokian]

I have a LOT of friends and acquaintances who are CPS members and basically they are ALL pretty good guys / gals when it comes to being professional and stuff like that.... I can't really think of anyone that has an 'Attitude'.

Having said that, I've met a couple of BY-LAW officers who were absolute DICKS ! This one guy looked like he was 14 years old and was on a TOTAL EGO trip. I think maybe he watched too many TOP GUN movies or something... Guy was an arsehole. :mad:

/FC...

That is exactly how it is in Okotoks, and I'm not alone in my opinion. All our friends agree that the local RCMP are great and the bylaw guys are total *&#^#. RCMP will often let you off with a warning that leaves you red-faced but repentant. Bylaw guys will throw everything they can at you. They also choose the easy stuff... speed traps, harassing dog owners, but rarely patrol at night for vandals, etc.

My theory is that the bylaw guys are just frustrated "wanna-be" cops who couldn't get in. The town has indulged them by giving them cars and uniforms that are almost indistiguishable from the RCMP. Just no guns... thank god.

[savagencounter]

Yea in general, pretty much every PO has been great...thats why I was so suprised at this occurrence. Well...must a been my turn for a bad one I guess..better luck next time.

Ive had nothing but good experiences with co here in alberta, last year i saw them pull a u turn when i was coming back with my deer on the trailer and was politely asked for my tags, some small chit chat and that was it, another officer pointed us out some good deer and bear areas he had seen some eairlier in the day which helped us bag a deer, my ol lady last week forgot her fishing licence in the truck and the officer phoned it in no complaints, after he chatted for 10 mins before asking for the licence, ( appartly she made an impression because he tryed adding her too facebook :mad3:) funny how he remebered her name lol must be why she didnt get a fine for having a barb as she had just changed hooks. But we all have a bad day but what im thinking is someone had phoned in a poacher or something and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just like everyone else when you have a ****ty day it helps to **** someone else off too lol. beware of the co who remebers you wifes name lol

[viral_override]

Thanks everyone for all your responses....at least Im not the only one...I ve never had a bad run it with any one of them until this time...

[wildman]

ive had run ins with rabid nazi fish cops at wab too.
and NO you do NOT need to crimp every hook in the box...JUST the one you are using.
in thier defence...they DO deal with a TON of *&%#$s at wab regularly so they are calloused by it...

[ctd]

As it states in the regulations it is illegal to fish with a barbed hook. Untill that hook touches the water you are not legally fishing. So they can fine you all they want but a simple day in court will have it thrown out.

As for a person threatening to shoot my dog, I would have asked him how he would feel with a broken knee and smashed hands. Then I would have told him to get the f off my boat.

I agree though most CO's are great guys and do an awesome job of what they are suppose to do. They usually are a wealth of information about the area.

[river_runner]

Like I said, these guys deffinatly have better things to do .:huh:like what

[Cal]

Like bust actual poachers rather than harrass guys with licences, legal fish, and crimped barbs who are obviously doing their best to comply with the rules.

[sheephunter]

That is exactly how it is in Okotoks, and I'm not alone in my opinion. All our friends agree that the local RCMP are great and the bylaw guys are total *&#^#. RCMP will often let you off with a warning that leaves you red-faced but repentant. Bylaw guys will throw everything they can at you. They also choose the easy stuff... speed traps, harassing dog owners, but rarely patrol at night for vandals, etc.

My theory is that the bylaw guys are just frustrated "wanna-be" cops who couldn't get in. The town has indulged them by giving them cars and uniforms that are almost indistiguishable from the RCMP. Just no guns... thank god.

LOL...all bylaw cops are like that! The majority of Park Rangers that I've met too. Seems the F&W officers are pretty good eggs though....but I'm sure there are a few exceptions.

[river_runner]

Like bust actual poachers rather than harrass guys with licences, legal fish, and crimped barbs who are obviously doing their best to comply with the rules.WELL OK THEN :ashamed:But i will leave you with this that Officer dosent know Joe blow from o hole in the ground and if he is complying with the rules as you put it unless he or she checks you out.

man Its dam if you do and dam if you dont .You cant please everyone I hope they do more check's out there its well needed. Have a good day CAL:wave:

[Curly Bill]

I Guess some guys were meant to be F&W, RCMP, By-Law and some were'nt or maybe they just have bad days but i wish they would'nt take it out on us who are compliant and reasonable.

[redneck posse]

Ive only had one kind of run in with f&w and that was my fault. i just got back from a walk down a cut line and laid the riffle on the front seat and forgot to take out the clip. and it wasn't that bad i got a stern lecture and a warning. then he told my about a nice cut block that he had seen a nice buck in about 20 minutes before. even came by a hour later and helped me load it. so i yeah i got yelled at but i also got a nice 4x4. now the park guys at pigeon 2 years ago where azzholes.

[Peace Country]

My son-in-law is a parks officer in southern Alberta. He wants to be in Fish and Wildlife offer but Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan have a hiring freeze on right now for 3-5 years, go figure...... His goal is education to the public and if you are honest you will be educated not ticketed, but if you lie and it is blanted as to what you where doing and you are not willing to fess up your self to be educated then your will be ticketed. The stuff he talks about as to what happens in the parks is unbelievable. He has been chased by a person with a machete this summer hi on drugs, pulled a drowning person out of the water who was so drunk they could not stand, watched people try to feed bears after they where told to leave the area??? Rescued a driver trying to launch their boat at the lake only to drive right in as the press on the gas not the brake, drunk?????????
When I listen to him talk about his day it is amazing what happens in Alberta parks, and what the general public will try to get away with.
He was issued a bullet proof vest to wear as a parks officer that says something for Albertan’s who use the parks.
You know you need a fishing license buy one, you know that barbed hooks are not allowed pinch them...

[Rollie]

wierd how different days/times of day bring different things. Went out with some of my family today to Wab and seen 3 CO's they just looked at us and said nothing and carried on with their business. Just for the record were were all nice and legal.

[Cal]

WELL OK THEN :ashamed:But i will leave you with this that Officer dosent know Joe blow from o hole in the ground and if he is complying with the rules as you put it unless he or she checks you out.

man Its dam if you do and dam if you dont .You cant please everyone I hope they do more check's out there its well needed. Have a good day CAL:wave:

Hope you didnt take that personaly cause I didnt mean to offend you. I agree he's gotta check you out to see if you are complying with the rules. But when a fish cop checks my barbs, licence and fish and finds nothing, then procedes to go through my truck and tackle box, and is a complete jerk on top of all that I cant help but think that rather than find a real poacher he'd rather just be a dick to me cause he can.

[hockey1099]

My one experience this year was pretty good. The guy checked the cooler and our hooks on the line. it was all new tackle and i was not finished crimping all the barbs. so my gf's rod had one barb left, he saw that i had my pliers out and that i had debarbed mine my dads and my sisters so he just said make sure you get the last one. i wish he would have checked my box. all of my hardware is debarbed except for anything new that is still in the box. I prefer barbless as it adds an extra chance for the fish to get away and it makes catch and release so easy.

But i deal with alot of cops i have found that 80% are decent guys with 20% having huge attitude issues.

[blackmamba]

I find the biggest problem with fish n chips is that , they dont educate the public . Some times I find that the only way they justify doing there jobs are by issueing tickets and looking for a reason to give you a ticket . Sure i understand they have a job to do but obviously if you are following the rules and regulation , whats the point of them making life difficult for those of us following the rules .. Just leaves a real sour taste in my mouth..

[wildman]

hey b.m.
totally disagree with your 1st statement...
EVERYONE who buys a license gets a regs book.
it is law to follow these regs.
pretty easy math.
ignorance is not a valid excuse.

[Lotep]

I find the biggest problem with fish n chips is that , they dont educate the public . Some times I find that the only way they justify doing there jobs are by issueing tickets and looking for a reason to give you a ticket . Sure i understand they have a job to do but obviously if you are following the rules and regulation , whats the point of them making life difficult for those of us following the rules .. Just leaves a real sour taste in my mouth..

I agree and disagree with your statement. A portion of COs and F&W do try and educate the majority of people that they encounter. On the flip side you can only tell someone so many times that they need to pinch their barbs and follow the regulations before you turn blue in the face, then it is time to issue tickets.
But as was stated before, for the majority of the time demeanour of the individuals dictate the outcome of the interaction.

[blackmamba]

hey b.m.
totally disagree with your 1st statement...
EVERYONE who buys a license gets a regs book.
it is law to follow these regs.
pretty easy math.
ignorance is not a valid excuse.

So show me where I said ignorance of the law was a valid excuse .. It NEVER is , but some of the fish cops treat you as guilty till proven innocent , In this case this CO had an attitude because he wares A green suit and has a gun . In my opinion he is no different than me and you .. You get alot more respect from people if you talk and treat them as you wish to be treated .

[beermilk]

let me ask this question.. does a CO actaully have the legal right to search my tackel box ?? i wouldnt let a cop in my house without a warrant why would i let a CO into my takle box. maybe the superseed the law i dunno but i always wondered if they were actaully allowed to just rip threw all your personal stuff like that.

[ukrmaf]

In all my encounters with them i have only had one bad experience, we were coming back from long lake with a boat behind my vehicle and fishing gear, i had my license on me but my brother didnt, we were at the ft.sask turn off, 1.5 hours away from the lake and our parents were 15 min behind us with my brothers license in their vehicle, he couldnt pin anything on us because we werent doing anything wrong but he went through the back of my suv and through te whole boat in and out several times over trying to find something and was being a super dick, not sure what was up his a55, but like i said we did nothing wrong and eventually he let us go. Having said that i have been stopped or checked on at least two dozen other ocasions and had nothing but awesome experiences, the guys do their job and let you go allong with a smile often giving tips and pointers. I guess there's always some guys or gal that needs to take out years of frustration on other people and makes it to a postion of authority. I would file a complaint, there is no need for that, someone in that co's position should avoid problems and altercations at all cost rather than start them.

Also i didnt think it was a crime to have barbed hooks in the tackle box, if he was going through my box i would ask him that.

[fisher Gord]

You did say Park guy, not Game warden[ i know old name] park guys are often university students [summer job], or Just park guys who do not know all the hunting and fishing rules,hence checking your tackle box. the only not nice experiences I have had have been with these type not real enforcement officers, but I do know all the local enforcement officers by their first name.

[Canuck44]

I have not had any bad experiances with Co's yet, except for the time I forgot how to count and kept 1 to many pickerel, and I run into them a couple times each year. This spring in sask we were 40 minutes away from the nearest place to get a hunting license and the co's met us after hours at the local office to get us our licenses, great bunch of guys for the most part if you are not doing anything illegal.

[Deano]

let me ask this question.. does a CO actaully have the legal right to search my tackel box ?? i wouldnt let a cop in my house without a warrant why would i let a CO into my takle box. maybe the superseed the law i dunno but i always wondered if they were actaully allowed to just rip threw all your personal stuff like that.

A C.O. has the right to search all your belongings, including your vehicle. I have seen check stops on the highway with R.C.M.P. and C.O's. The R.C.'s can not search your vehicle, but the C.O.'s can.

I have been checked about 10 times and have NEVER had a problem with an officer. I actually appreciate it when they a very thurough and tell them so. I remember one time in particular when I was fishing at Pigeon and was asked to reel my line in so he could check my hook. I told him it was the first time I had been asked and told him I was happy that he made me do it. Like SNAP said earlier, they do have GREAT information to give if you show them respect.

I would love to hear some stories from C.O's about all the idiot fishermen they have dealt with :rolleye2:.

Deano

[tbosch]

a CO on a power trip who was searching my friend's buddy's boat threatened to shoot my friends dog because he was swimming in the lake in the direction of a moose that was taking a little dip in the water. funny thing is, he's a defence lawyer who doesn't take kindly to threats; guess we'll see what comes of it.


Was this near nordegg? I had a CO treat me just about the same way about 7 years ago while camping on the shunda april 1 weekend. My dog barked at the guy and he reached for his baton and told me if I didn't subdue her he would beat her until she couldn't bark anymore. I proceeded to ask him if he then would like to be beaten until he couldn't bark anymore, he obviously knew he was in the wrong because he quit barking too.....but then proceeded to check all insurance, registration and fishing licenses even though there wasn't a fishing rod or tackle anywhere in sight. Quite the experience to say the least. We almost went home on day 1 of a 4 day camping trip.

[seahawkfisher]

nope; this was up in NB1.
cheers

[NCC]

Next time you feel like you're being harassed pull out your camcorder or start videoing with your cell phone. If he's acting reasonably, he has nothing to worry about. If he's being a dick, he'll probably leave or change his attitude.

[mooseknuckle]

Next time you feel like you're being harassed pull out your camcorder or start videoing with your cell phone. If he's acting reasonably, he has nothing to worry about. If he's being a dick, he'll probably leave or change his attitude.

Oh yeah I'm sure they would love that?!

[chanter]

[QUOTE=viral_override@hotmail.co;367092]I have a small vent...and I hope you guys dont take it the wrong way. I ve been buying my licence religiously every year, i crimp my barbs, I keep my smally tiny boat up to par, I dont drink in the boat, so on and so forth.

He asks if we caught any fish, I say no, then he checks my cooler where we have snacks and makes me dig around in there.

Honestly I think he thought you were lying because you were at Wab and said you didn't catch a thing.(not being a smarta**) He prob thought you were hiding something...

[sheephunter]

Next time you feel like you're being harassed pull out your camcorder or start videoing with your cell phone. If he's acting reasonably, he has nothing to worry about. If he's being a dick, he'll probably leave or change his attitude.

Actually really good advice. It stops a situation from escalating and leaves no doubt in the court's mind what transpired should you ever end up there. I always carry a pocket tape recorder in the truck in K-Country just to have a record of my conversation with any Park Rangers that happen to pull me over. Let them know right away that you are taping the conversation and chances are it will be very cordial. They have a job to do and I totally respect that and they shouldn't have any issues with someone recording them doing their job.

[Ruffgrouse]

Cal:
I was wondering from your post of "Like I said, these guys deffinatly have better things to do, Like catch poachers".
I was wondering if you could tell us what a poacher looks like ?
DO you have a picture for us to go by ?
Line ten people up and lets all pick out the poacher !
If the officer does not conduct a verbal question period and a look at plain view items in the boat / vehicle, how is he /she suppose to do the job ?
Every one has a bad day once in a while. I have meet tons of people that
are suppose to be public servants that can be b*tchy !
Hospitals, Telus, Shaw, Auto dealers, 7-11, Mac's you name it !
Why jump on the Law and ride them ? What do you do for a living ?
Answer the questions asked of you and don't try and be a smart a*s. It's 98% about the attitude. If the officer stops 20 people a day and 19 of those try to tear them a new rear end, just maybe when you get stopped they are a little on edge ! Try to be part of the solution, not the problem.
I am more likely to give a warning than issue a violation ticket / lay a charge if the person appears to be of some level of a human being !
If the conversation starts with " %&*# you ", I would guess that you are going to have a bad day !
Just a little FYI :wave:

[tbosch]

Was this near nordegg? I had a CO treat me just about the same way about 7 years ago while camping on the shunda april 1 weekend. My dog barked at the guy and he reached for his baton and told me if I didn't subdue her he would beat her until she couldn't bark anymore. I proceeded to ask him if he then would like to be beaten until he couldn't bark anymore, he obviously knew he was in the wrong because he quit barking too.....but then proceeded to check all insurance, registration and fishing licenses even though there wasn't a fishing rod or tackle anywhere in sight. Quite the experience to say the least. We almost went home on day 1 of a 4 day camping trip.

I would like to follow this up by saying I have had nothing but good experiences with CO's and F&W since. I have even obtained some great hunting/fishing information from them. This i'm sure was an isolated incident and the guy was probably just having a s***ty day. I just didn't appreciate him taking it out on me is all.

[Cal]

Cal:
I was wondering from your post of "Like I said, these guys deffinatly have better things to do, Like catch poachers".
I was wondering if you could tell us what a poacher looks like ?
DO you have a picture for us to go by ?
Line ten people up and lets all pick out the poacher !
If the officer does not conduct a verbal question period and a look at plain view items in the boat / vehicle, how is he /she suppose to do the job ?
Every one has a bad day once in a while. I have meet tons of people that
are suppose to be public servants that can be b*tchy !
Hospitals, Telus, Shaw, Auto dealers, 7-11, Mac's you name it !
Why jump on the Law and ride them ? What do you do for a living ?
Answer the questions asked of you and don't try and be a smart a*s. It's 98% about the attitude. If the officer stops 20 people a day and 19 of those try to tear them a new rear end, just maybe when you get stopped they are a little on edge ! Try to be part of the solution, not the problem.
I am more likely to give a warning than issue a violation ticket / lay a charge if the person appears to be of some level of a human being !
If the conversation starts with " %&*# you ", I would guess that you are going to have a bad day !
Just a little FYI :wave:

Ok, this was my very worst run in with a CO and happened two winters ago and mcmillan lake. Two fish cops come up on skidoos, one guy is obviously the sidekick of the pair and hangs back. The other guy comes up and asks me the usual, licence, barbs and fish. I show him my fish and barbs remaining calm and friendly even though he is being a dick, he directs me to his sidekick for licence checking. While I am giving my licence and chating to the sidekick I hear a some of my stuff being moved around, as he pulles up my tipups (this i understand) and dumps my two pails of gear all over the ice and leaves my stuff like that. I dont say anything about this though it seems pretty anal and keep chating with his buddy who seems apologetic about his co workers behavior. At this point without asking he go's over to my truck and starts going through my truck. I am pretty sure he is overstepping his athority but still I say nothing and eventualy the ******* leaves. Ive had a few other run ins as well, and I've talked to other people in the area that have had that guy try and go through their vehicals as well. I have never been dissrespectfull to a fish cop in my life, I'm realy glad to see them out and checking things out most times but when they persist in jerking around guys that anyone with a shred of comon sense could see are doing their best to comply with all the rules ya gotta wonder if their serious about getting the bad guys of if their just having a bad day and taking it out on people just cause they can. Beleive me I know what a bad day is like, I once worked 72 hours straight, my job includes getting electrocuted, set on fire, and 3rd degree burns. Last summer on average would go at least 24 hours without sleep at least once a week. Try dealing some ******** of a rig pig when you have been up for 30+ hours... But I still dont go around being a dick to strangers because of it, and if a fish cop thinks he's having a bad enough day to justify treating people like crap than he is a *****.

[viral_override]

[QUOTE=viral_override@hotmail.co;367092]I have a small vent...and I hope you guys dont take it the wrong way. I ve been buying my licence religiously every year, i crimp my barbs, I keep my smally tiny boat up to par, I dont drink in the boat, so on and so forth.

He asks if we caught any fish, I say no, then he checks my cooler where we have snacks and makes me dig around in there.

Honestly I think he thought you were lying because you were at Wab and said you didn't catch a thing.(not being a smarta**) He prob thought you were hiding something...


HEY....well.....LOL...we didnt catch anything but a lot of weeds...lol

[Sundancefisher]

I have never had a problem with F&W officers except once when I phoned report a poacher and 5 of them were caught red handed fishing with bait in the Elbow upstream of Calgary when the stretch was closed. He just gave them a warning.

I think any time the report a poacher is used there should be a ticket issued. Takes the punch out of the program if a person takes the time to protect the fish and the people get off scott free. In this instance I had told them the stream was closed and they kept on fishing.

While this was years ago...I hope they take the calls more seriously now.

As for personalities and behavoir...they have always seemed professional.

Cheers

Sun

[alodar]

Gotta keep in mind some CO's don't support hunting or fishing so of course they will try to find anyhting tehy can get you on .... to date i have only ever had good experiences.

[RonkyTonk]

I must be lucky I ve been shooting and fishing in AB for 9 years, I have been checked once at Sibbald pond after Sighting in the rifles at the range down the road. He checked my licence, he didn't see the rifles so I didn't feel the need to tell him, it was a very professional interaction. When dealing with enforcement of any kind IMO I try to be positive and as professional as possible. I belive they respect that , and return the favor by acting the same. :cool:

[fishead]

That is exactly how it is in Okotoks, and I'm not alone in my opinion. All our friends agree that the local RCMP are great and the bylaw guys are total *&#^#. RCMP will often let you off with a warning that leaves you red-faced but repentant. Bylaw guys will throw everything they can at you. They also choose the easy stuff... speed traps, harassing dog owners, but rarely patrol at night for vandals, etc.

My theory is that the bylaw guys are just frustrated "wanna-be" cops who couldn't get in. The town has indulged them by giving them cars and uniforms that are almost indistiguishable from the RCMP. Just no guns... thank god.
I am in Cochrane, sounds like we live in the same town. Bylaw is just as bad here.

[Rigg dogg]

Thought I would throw in my 2 cents.
Over the years I have been checked out occasionaly and I can't recall any BAD story's.
We were @ Rock Island a few weks ago, pulled into launch the boat ( have never been there before )
Noticed the Wardens truck, went down to take a look at the boat launch, meet up with the Young fish Cop. He was just launching his Jet ski. Yapped with him about how the fishing was. Said he would catch up with us later on the lake.
We take off, do some touring around. He stops by and gives us the once over. Asked a few questions, told us a couple storys and headed out.

Had some freinds on the lake, they said the same thing about him. Checked them over. Never rude, but still being thorough.
Nice guy, a fair bit younger than my self but very respectful while all the time doing his JOB!!

I can recall a few times back when a guy was a snot nosed punk and getting checked out, where they probably did have the right to be Ignorant.

Where they kept their cool, did their job and sent me on my way. But that was quite a while ago and I have a feeling things have changed over the years.

[bsnyder]

Bob, if the hook is on your line, in water or out, it is supposed to be pinched. We were at a tournament a couple of years ago where a guy had a barbed hook on his line, and he was DQ'd and fined for barbed hook.He said he simply forgot to pinch the barb when he tied it on but.... I had this discussion with my son--who is studying to be a CO--and the assumption is, if it is on your line, you have had it in the water. This is the very reason that I pinch the barb BEFORE I tie it to the line. It's a bit of a grey area because of being allowed to have barbed hooks in your tackle box, and they are starting to crack down on barbed hooks on your line pretty hard.


I got a warning ticket a moose a couple of years ago. Some young pup said it wasnt pinched enough.He agreed thet we tryed but should of maybe had a die grinder.:huh:
After a heated argument about we allways C@R, havnt kept a fish in 3years, and supply of factory barbless hooks I went to coart about it.I just passed a hook and plyers to the judge and had him try to pinch them:)The warning ticket was taken back.I didnt want anything like that on my file so I fought it.We try to follow the rules, love fishing!!!! but lets be reasonable:)Die grinders in the boat:huh:Dont see that in the regs:lol:

[rem338win]

I got a warning ticket a moose a couple of years ago. Some young pup said it wasnt pinched enough.He agreed thet we tryed but should of maybe had a die grinder.:huh:
After a heated argument about we allways C@R, havnt kept a fish in 3years, and supply of factory barbless hooks I went to coart about it.I just passed a hook and plyers to the judge and had him try to pinch them:)The warning ticket was taken back.I didnt want anything like that on my file so I fought it.We try to follow the rules, love fishing!!!! but lets be reasonable:)Die grinders in the boat:huh:Dont see that in the regs:lol:

Ok, was this in Saskatchewan, because in Alberta you have never had to, nor do you have the ability to go to court on a warning (even if it is in writing). This doesn't smell right.........................

[gprime27]

Two years ago I had a run in with the F&W. We were fishing at Ridge Res and they came up quite smug. we had kept one walleye that was big enough however, when the officer took the fish to his "personal measuring bored" he decided that ticketing us for .5 of a cm would be a good idea. He snapped pictures of the fish on the board but, to my suprise he didn't pinch the tail and when he went to check my friends license I measured the fish again and it was legal. After arguing with him, I gave up and told him to give me a ticket. He then ripped my car apart.. went through my tackle box and even opened up the hood of my car to check for more fish. Walked up and down the shoreline making sure we didn't hide anymore fish. Meanwhile the guys across the shore bolted because they had a 24 of beer and a 26 of vodka and about 10 illegal fish. After pointing that out to him he said "I guess they are just lucky". Took it to court and won.

[vault]

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

:huh::huh:

If I understand the regs, the hooksIN YOUR TACKLE BOX can be barbed. It is the hooks on your fishing rod that must be pinched.
Did you get the guys name? Perhaps a phone call to the "office" about his unprofessional behavior??!!:confused:

yep the guy is is a bozo, he has no right to go through your tackle box to say what you can have and not have for barbs on hooks. As long as they are pinched when they hit the water, you are fine. He's on a power trip and should go do some recurrent training. Some ID from him should have been gathered to report how unprofessional he was.

[sheephunter]

There is a process for laying complaints against F&W officers and Park Rangers that you feel acted inappropriately that will get far more results than complaining on a messageboard. I've been down that road a couple times and the outcomes were very satisfactory in both cases.

[Hunter Trav]

There is a process for laying complaints against F&W officers and Park Rangers that you feel acted inappropriately that will get far more results than complaining on a messageboard. I've been down that road a couple times and the outcomes were very satisfactory in both cases.

Any chance you could outline that process for us TJ, I think it would be good for everyone here to know about it...:)

[sheephunter]

The simplest way is to craft a letter outlining your concerns (include as many details as possible) and send it to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Fish and Wildlife and to the Head of Enforcement. This contact info is available on line.

After that, you will be contacted to discuss things further and you may even be offered a meeting with the parties involved. It's actually a very good process and something that the department takes very seriously. In the one situation I was involved in, the CO was just unaware of proper proceedure and the problem was rectified and in the other case, I made my concerns known to the CO's superior and left it to him to deal with. I felt it was time and effort well spent in both cases and I learned a bit about the challenges officers face on a daily basis and the officers learned about about the concerns that hunters and anglers have. That's pretty much all you can ask for.....:)

[Hunter Trav]

Excellent, glad to hear there is a good way to have this type of thing dealt with. Thanks for sharing that info with us all. :)

[crazyfish]

Was fishing last summer at smoke lk. (fox creek area), the F/W officer approached our boat and was very kind, talkative, and smilied , asked us about our day. I said we had only been out for 1/2 hr and no bites yet, he kept chatting us up, then asks my two daughters " how many fish has your dad really caught today", :huh: i was speachless, i couldn't believe he'd said that. My daughter asked him why he just called her dad a liar, and he responded " thats the best way to catch people in lies" ..... too bad he had left a good impression on me and my daughters right up to then.... kindly asked him to leave, too bad it left a bitter taste for a long time. But thats the only bad one for me, all others have been very good ...!

[Wulfespirit]

Was fishing last summer at smoke lk. (fox creek area), the F/W officer approached our boat and was very kind, talkative, and smilied , asked us about our day. I said we had only been out for 1/2 hr and no bites yet, he kept chatting us up, then asks my two daughters " how many fish has your dad really caught today", :huh: i was speachless, i couldn't believe he'd said that. My daughter asked him why he just called her dad a liar, and he responded " thats the best way to catch people in lies" ..... too bad he had left a good impression on me and my daughters right up to then.... kindly asked him to leave, too bad it left a bitter taste for a long time. But thats the only bad one for me, all others have been very good ...!

Really helps the kids view of the world.

That's tragically abhorrent behaviour. Sorry your kids had to see it.

[SCO]

[QUOTE=Wulfespirit; In any case we kept on going and were in the process of teasing in a big flock from the opposite side of the field. We were honking them closer and closer and finally they got close to us and looked like they were going to commit to land. Just as this happened, the CO entered the (private) field and came flying at us at high speed - spooking the flock before we took our first shot. We were a bit flabbergasted - what a lovely thing to do. Not to mention he didn't bother apologizing for interupting the hunt.[/QUOTE]

Is there not a section in the regs where a person can be charged with disturbing / interrupting a persons hunt? Do they not need reasonable grounds to enter on to private property to more than check for licenses. He should have waited to stop you when leaving the field.

There was a CO like that around here that liked to play "games" like this until we got rid of him. A few buds and myself lodged some complaints about the stunts he was pulling and he only lasted about 2-3 more months before being transfered.:wave::evilgrin: What he did not know was that I had helped out the senior officer of special investigations and that my cousin worked under him for her 1st year out of CO school.:lol: Feel sorry for whoever hunts in the area he is in now. This might be the same guy?

[Denadii Cho]

I have a small vent...and I hope you guys dont take it the wrong way. I ve been buying my licence religiously every year, i crimp my barbs, I keep my smally tiny boat up to par, I dont drink in the boat, so on and so forth.

We went for a couple hours of fishing at Wabamum and when we came back this Park Officer guy there was waiting for us at the dock. He start going on about what we were doing on the lake. I say fishing and then he proceeds very rudely saying, show me your license.

Then he checks EVERY hook in my tackle box to see if they are barbed and hi find one side of a hook that "not crimped enough" and gives me crap for it.

He asks if we caught any fish, I say no, then he checks my cooler where we have snacks and makes me dig around in there.

Then he check our life jackets if they are up to "code" and start lecturing me on that...

WTF??? I tried to be nice to him but it was like he was "searching" for something to bust us on...(he was literally there for 45 mins)

Has anyone else had this experience??


Sounds like the guy has a serious cranial rectal inversion. Aside from that...Crimped hooks? What's that for? Is that a must? For Pike?

[predatorzedge]

Thats the same officer that patrols in huntin season, you can catch him hiding his truck behind oil tanks, walking to the road and laying in the ditch waiting for guys to shoot at deer off the road. Then he jumps up and starts yellin, grabs yur guns, a real winner, its gonna suck for him someday when one of those coyotes thatt attack humans come running outs the brush for the free meal, might think twice.

I very rarely have problems but there is a young fellow that strys to strut his stuff at Pinehurst.He puffs his chest out till it looks like it hurts and realy playes the power trip.At the last tourny we were all thinking of thrwing him in the lake.The young lady there was realy nice and very reasonable.They do have a tough job, but would make it easier on themselves if they had a personality.:wave:

[predatorzedge]

Actually if you catch a warden doing that he actually can be charged for harrasment of wildlife if taken to court the crown will prosecute, happened in BC

[QUOTE=SCO;373498]Is there not a section in the regs where a person can be charged with disturbing / interrupting a persons hunt? Do they not need reasonable grounds to enter on to private property to more than check for licenses. He should have waited to stop you when leaving the field.

[pondstomper]

Did you ever wish you could pull out a F&W officer out of your pocket when you spot poachers, instead of phoning it in and hoping they will get there in time? Most of my experiences with the law have been good ones. Except for the one RCMP officer that WAS in my town. But to the rest of the RCMP, (Sherriffs, By-Law, Parking Patrol, cut us some slack now and then. You might get a better review) Fish and Wildlife. Your services are greatly apprieciated and needed. Thanks for a great job.

[jacob1202]

just so u know for future reference too... u dont have to have every hook barbless... and the only way they can give u a ticket for that is if they catch u with a fish on ur hook with barbs on it... went to court already for this... i buy alot of hooks and throw them in my box... i dont crimp them right away all the time only b4 i use them... and beleive me i do... but that is horse**** what he did to u.... i think i know this park officer at wabamun and i think hes the same one that sent me to court... he lost tho