What would a warden do?

Dolfan21

Ten Pointer
Interesting article, and I would say that I agree with both wardens and hopefully they would all make the same decisions. I am sure they wouldn't, but good to know the thought process. Kind of common sense in many respects.

http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=13770


For those who need a summary before they click, they basically ask 2 wardens how they would react if a hunter 'accidentally' shot a hen while killing a gobbler. ( also same scenario for gigging an undersized flounder). I liked their responses.

Has this ever happened to anyone and if so, what did you do and how did it play out?
 
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Bailey Boat

Twelve Pointer
When I lived in CO I was being checked by a warden and when we parted ways I jumped a rooster within a dozen steps. What I didn't see was a hen cutting in front of the rooster and when I fired the hen dropped and the rooster kept flying. The warden had turned at the sound of the shot (probably scared the crap put of him) and saw the hen hit the ground and the rooster flying away. We conversed about it for a few minutes and the only thing he said was "thanks for dinner" and took the hen and headed to his truck.
I was lucky that he was close enough to actually see what happened and didn't rum me up the flag pole. But when I asked him what I should have done if he wasn't around to witness the misdeed, he advised to SSS and not put it in my vest. Lucky me....
 

nchunter

Twelve Pointer
I've probably told this story here before. Short version, warden went duck hunting with two other guys. Told no one to shoot unless he said take em, didn't want any illegal kills. He said shoot em, he was wrong. He buried the duck.
If you make a honest mistake and a ticket will make you feel better, call it in. If not, SSS.
 

Dolfan21

Ten Pointer
I just googled SSS and it came back as :donk:donk:donk:donk, Shower and Shave. Not sure I should do that after killing an illegal hen. lol.

kidding aside, what does SSS mean? Stop Saying :donk:donk:donk:donk?
 

nchunt101

Ten Pointer
There was a game warden in Warren County who gave a friend of mine a ticket for accidentally shooting two turkeys with one shot (second bird was his 3rd of the season). My buddy went to wardens house to tell him and got the ticket and the warden wanted to take his gun. This game warden left a bad taste in a lot of folks mouths around here.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Now this is just my 2 cents which aint even worth that mind you but if he shot a 3rd bird he deserved the ticket good of him to be honest and I would hope he would get some consideration like reduced ticket but as a hunter its our responsibility to make sure the bird we are shooting is clear of other toms and hens and know honest mistakes happen but its still a mistake. And to me there should be no need to ake his gun
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I don't think there is any game warden or NCWRC official or lawyer or judge that wants our turkey resource to be healthy and thrive any more than I do. So if I killed a hen by honest mistake, I don't know what I'd do. I ran a red light by mistake once and lucky no one was coming through the intersection when I did it. That mistake put my life in peril and anyone else's who could have been coming through as well. But I didn't turn myself in. Didn't occur to me to turn myself in, but maybe I should have....
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
If I killed a hen accidentally I would use a turkey tag and eat turkey as usual. No uh ohs, no stupid pictures, nothing but scraps to bury in the yard. I'm not wasting a bird because of an honest mistake.
Too many people seem to have to brag about stupid mistakes.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
If I killed a hen accidentally I would use a turkey tag and eat turkey as usual. No uh ohs, no stupid pictures, nothing but scraps to bury in the yard. I'm not wasting a bird because of an honest mistake.
Too many people seem to have to brag about stupid mistakes.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Don't forget to salvage the eggs from inside,,,,,,,yummy!!!

Ummm,,,,,I mean I've heard they are yummy
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
I figure if a guy goes out of his way to find a warden and tell him about such an event, I'd expect him to be honest, and would expect the warden to be very understanding.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
 

Newsome Road

Ten Pointer
There was a game warden in Warren County who gave a friend of mine a ticket for accidentally shooting two turkeys with one shot (second bird was his 3rd of the season). My buddy went to wardens house to tell him and got the ticket and the warden wanted to take his gun. This game warden left a bad taste in a lot of folks mouths around here.

What if we replace that "2nd turkey" with "hunting partner". Knowing your target and what's beyond it applies ALL the time.
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
I know people that have killed 2 gobblers with one shot, I don't know anybody that turned themselves in for it. Honest mistake, :donk:donk:donk:donk happens.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I know a kid who killed 4 gobblers in one shot. He had 2 adults with him, and none of the 3 people watching the action knew the other 3 gobblers were back there.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
fellow killed a bird on Camp mackall back a ways (when I hunted there pretty much solely),,,,,,brought the bird into the station and the warden happened to be there,,,,,said "nice bird, now go get another",,,,,,fellow said "I would but I have to go do XYZ",,,,,,,then you could see the light come on,,,,,,warden just said "just checking"!

they were federal wardens back then on Bragg,,,,,those positions left during the 2008 shutdowns,,,,,,he was a good fellow,,,,,,,
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I know a kid who killed 4 gobblers in one shot. He had 2 adults with him, and none of the 3 people watching the action knew the other 3 gobblers were back there.

i was calling for a friend in texas. looking over his shoulder.bird rolled right up. he shot; went over to get it ; and said " there are two of them."

perfectly legal there so ; no big deal. Neither of us saw the second bird. i have no clue where he was in relation to the first bird. i guess i wasnt checking the background well enough.

he is the luckiest man alive for doing this, he had several longbeards in front of him in texas on a different trip and killed two with one shot as well.
 

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
^I did it in Nebraska...first bird(s) I ever shot out there. I dropped the hammer, and about the time I got my foot on his head I saw the other one flopping down the hill and heard my brother holler "I got him!"...err I got him too lol! To this day I have no idea where that other bird was, but no daily limit and I had a tag, so we rolled on.
 

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
Interesting article, and I would say that I agree with both wardens and hopefully they would all make the same decisions. I am sure they wouldn't, but good to know the thought process. Kind of common sense in many respects.

http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=13770


For those who need a summary before they click, they basically ask 2 wardens how they would react if a hunter 'accidentally' shot a hen while killing a gobbler. ( also same scenario for gigging an undersized flounder). I liked their responses.

Has this ever happened to anyone and if so, what did you do and how did it play out?

Gigging flounder can be a bit iffy so I understand that. Shooting a hen, not so much. If there are hens anywhere close to a tom you do not take the shot. Period.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
^I did it in Nebraska...first bird(s) I ever shot out there. I dropped the hammer, and about the time I got my foot on his head I saw the other one flopping down the hill and heard my brother holler "I got him!"...err I got him too lol! To this day I have no idea where that other bird was, but no daily limit and I had a tag, so we rolled on.

Good to know on that daily limit. i hope i get a chance to explore that option in a few weeks. :)
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Good to know on that daily limit. i hope i get a chance to explore that option in a few weeks. :)

yup can kill 3 in day I've done it within a minute once 2 in one shot and another that came in to spur the downed flopping birds. They used to only gove out 2 tags I would only shoot one in a sitting just to stretch the unt out but I had plenty time more often than not and was in no hurry to get back. If limited on time its OK but after did it realized I drove 22 hours to be done hunting in one very short morning. Used to have land out there that hunted on trespass fee was eat up with birds seemed they never had bad hatch, The one advantage to tagging early is the Black Hills was short drive away depending on the snow that was where I headed next
 
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