Interesting encounter with a “GW” last week. I was setting up my brother who is in a wheel chair and a truck pulls up on us. As I approach the truck a guy stepped out the passenger seat saying they needed to get down our road to check timber on a diff piece of property. I said not a chance at 3:00pm on Friday afternoon we were hunting. He was quick to say he was a GW and that he was contacted by a land owner to show a logger where their property was located. My response was “not my problem”. I did offer them access the next day around lunch if they wanted. He proceeds to show me some type of badge (I never really looked at it). In a matter of 3 min he went from area game warden, to retired game warden to GW in different area. He was not ugly to us just seemed irritated with us. Question is if he was a GW off duty do I have to give him access. He claimed to have permission to use that road but started side stepping when I told him I was the only one who could give permission. There are other roads to that property just in bad shape. I either own or lease all property bordering that road.

Watching this. I didn't think a legitimate Game Warden had to ask.

Like fred says , tell him to pound sand

We don't pay GW to show loggers where to go. Logger pick up a phone and call land owner's he needs to talk too

I think Barney Fife was blowing smoke. I would have called the land owner.

Doesn't sound right.

showing a logger to a piece of property doesnt sound like the responsibility of a GW you were right to tell them its not your problem. the logger can contact the property owner and figure it out im sure, using your road was just more convenient at the time.

X2.

I'm betting he's prolly a security guy for a large timber company I know Alabama power has land agents and so does Russell lands that are basically security guards the apco guys are actual law enforcement

tell him to pound sand.

At all




And kiss ur arse

And I would have had my cell phone out videoing and getting pics of him, the vehicle, and the tag. id put a camera up. He will be back.

Impersonating a law enforcement officer (when you are not one) and/or using the power of one's public office for private gain (such as to access a piece of property he wants to hunt, or aid a property owner in finding access for loggers access in exchange for being allowed to hunt the property) are all potentially criminal or fireable actions. I'm not saying you need to take this that far but if you have any more issues with this supposed game warden or especially if he starts harassing you, just keep that in mind.

WHASB

Sounds like a fired game warden to me. You need to have a good contact at DCNR you can call when something like this occurs.

Some large timber companies have their own conservation officers, or they used to anyway.
They only had authority on the timber company land.
I know Scott Paper company had their own officers around the tensaw delta back in the late 80s.

They had their own at Gulf States which is now Westervelt.

Any he should have identified himself in that fashion if that was the case

Absolutely. I wasn't defending the action, just saying there are game wardens that don't work for the state.

You are correct I should have videoed it. This was not a 2-3 min encounter this lasted 15-20 min. He was determined he was gonna pass. My favorite statement and one that really made me question him was when he told me he grew up in the community on the other side of our clear cut and knew all the land owners. I asked him why he needed my name when I told him I owned all the land up to the timber company’s land and that I lease the timber company property. He did not have a response. I’m just suspicious of anyone on that property due to the amount of trespassing. I knew he wasn’t the local GW because I spoke with him earlier this year on other issues.