Game Warden Field Notes 12/11/13

The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

• DWI Lands Woman in Jail
  After observing a sports car speeding and veering into a median just north of Del Rio, a Val Verde County game warden pulled the car over. The female driver showed signs of intoxication, but refused all field sobriety tests. She was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and placed in the county jail. Case pending.
• Chase Nets Pot
  Game wardens were patrolling the western edge of their far west Texas district for deer poaching late one night when they saw a vehicle turn around suspiciously on a highway. Before the wardens could activate their emergency lights to pull the vehicle over, the car accelerated rapidly and gained distance. The wardens found the vehicle ditched on a side road after a short pursuit, but the occupants had abandoned the vehicle and disappeared into the darkness. After securing the scene, the wardens inspected the vehicle and called for backup after finding multiple bundles of suspected marijuana. When backup arrived, an extensive search of the surrounding area for suspects began, but the officers were unable to locate the suspects. The 430.2 pounds of marijuana found in the bundles, as well as the vehicle were seized as part of an ongoing investigation.
• Running Out of Excuses
  A Parker County game warden completed an investigation and charges were brought against three subjects for killing six deer from a public road and dumping the deer off a bridge. It is unknown how many deer the subjects actually wounded and never found.  One of the men said that they had run out of ammunition for the rifle and were shooting at the deer with a shotgun, using duck load.  Restitution is pending for the three does and three fawns that were dumped.
• Sniffing Out the Truth
  While checking for fishing violations in east Travis County, two game wardens saw three male subjects smoking marijuana in plain view at a picnic table. The wardens along with K9 partner, Ruger, contacted the subject and the dog searched the vehicle previously occupied by the subjects and alerted the warden to the driver’s-side door. Inside the vehicle, Ruger located a marijuana roach. Paraphernalia citations were issued to all subjects, who admitted to partaking in the illegal activity.
• Aiming for Trouble
  A Williamson County game warden met with a hunter who had made an Operation Game Thief call about a hog hunter who shot across the property line about 15 yards from his position. The hunter shouted at the shooter after they shot onto private property. The hunter said the shooter wasn’t shooting at a hog or deer. The warden tracked down the hunters who lived nearby along the San Gabriel River and found the person he was searching for. Within a couple of minutes, the man confessed to shooting across the property line. Case is pending.
• Case of the Missing Antler
  A Polk County game warden discovered a white-tailed buck, with a missing antler, at a local processor. The antler looked to have been recently broken off. After speaking to the hunter, the warden discovered that the deer was originally a six-point buck, which is under the 13-inch antler restrictions. Case pending for taking an illegal white-tailed buck with less than a 13-inch antler spread.
• Un-licensed to Kill
  Seeing a fresh, clean tag on a large buck brought into a local deer processor, a Polk County game warden became a little suspicious. After checking the license with dispatch, the warden learned that it had been purchased a few minutes before the deer was dropped off at the processor. Several interviews later, the warden found that the man had already killed a large buck on opening day, also killed the buck in question on the same property. To avoid getting caught, the hunter called his brother and asked him to go and buy a license for another family member, who was not a hunter, and bring him a tag. The plan backfired when they forgot to get their stories straight. Charges filed included exceeding the annual bag limit of white-tailed buck deer less than 13-inch antler spread, hunting under the license of another, and possession of an illegally taken white-tailed deer.  Cases and restitution on a 140 Boone and Crockett whitetail pending.
• Too Many Deer, Too Little Spread
  Two Polk County game wardens investigated a local man suspected of exceeding his white-tailed deer bag limit. After a short interview, the subject confessed and produced the antlers from 8-point and 10-point white-tailed bucks he killed during the first week of the season.  Case filed for exceeding the annual bag limit of white-tailed buck deer with less than 13-inch antler spread.
• A Photo Speaks 1,000 Words
  After a detailed investigation, two game wardens served a felony warrant after a subject was caught on a trail camera with a beer in one hand and a rifle slung over his shoulder. The wardens partnered with the justice of the peace and several community members and identified the subject. It was found that the subject had been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the late ’80s.  With the photograph as evidence, wardens provided their case a few weeks later and acquired the arrest warrant.
• Shining a Light on Untagged Deer
  An Atascosa County game warden was assisting the Jourdanton Police Department and the Department of Public Safety with the search for an intoxicated man who was causing problems. The warden shined his flashlight in a driveway of a residence and saw a buck deer hanging. After making contact with three men, two citations were issued for two untagged deer and warnings for not filling out the hunter harvest log.  Cases pending.
• Trail of Bread Crumbs Leads Wardens to Guilty Hunters
  While checking duck hunters on Redfish Bay, two San Patricio County game wardens encountered a group of hunters using bread crumbs as bait.  As the wardens approached the blind, they noticed pieces of what turned out to be bread floating in the water around the blind.  The hunters said that since they did not have decoys they decided to use the bread to lure in the ducks.  Inspecting the hunter’s bag, the wardens found a cormorant, which the hunters claimed was a pintail.  Cases pending.