FEDERAL COURT BLUES

[B.LONG]

THIS PAST CLOSING DAY OF THE SEASON, MY 3 BUDDIES AND I WERE HUNTING AN OLD MS. RIVER OXBOW SHARED BY LA. AND MS. THE INDEFINITE LAND LINE SPLITS THE LAKE. WE WERE STANDING IN SOME MUCK WHEN A FEDERAL AND LA. WARDEN SHOW UP. THEY TOLD US WE WERE HUNTING WATERFOWL DURING A CLOSED SEASON SINCE THE LA. SEASON HAD CLOSED 7 DAYS PRIOR. WE TOLD THEM THAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE IN MS. WHICH WAS STILL OPEN. THEY WHIP OUT A GPS AND SAY NO YOUR IN LA. BY 100 YDS OR SO. THEY CHECKED HUNTING LICENSE,PLUGS,SHELL BAGS,LIFE VEST AND BOAT REGIST. WE DID NOT EVEN HAVE A DUCK DOWN YET. WE EXPECTED A "YA'LL PICK UP THE DEKS BOYS AND GO TO THE HOUSE" WARNING. WRONG! WE WERE GIVEN LITTLE SHEETE OF PAPER THAT SAID WE WOULD BE CONTACTED BY A U.S. ATTORNEY. WELL WE WERE. WE APPEARED IN COURT IN MONROE, LA. ON AUG.7. WE PLEAD GUILTY BECAUSE THE JUDGE WAS GIVING VERY LIGHT FINES. ONE GUY HAD SHOT 6 GEESE OUT OF THE BACK OF A MOVING VEHICLE WITH NO PLUG IN HIS GUN AND WAS ONLY FINED $500. ONE GUY WITH NO DUCK STAMPS $150. WE THINK THE JUDGE IS PREETY FAIR LETS LET HER DECIDE HOW GUILTY WE WERE ON AN IMAGINARY LAND LINE IN THE WATER THAT IS SO CLOSE THEY HAVE TO GPS US. WE WERE EVEN ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BIG RIVER. THE WARDENS HAD TO DRIVE AT LEAST AN HOUR IN MS. THEN UNLOAD THEIR BOAT IN MS. AND MOTOR 2 MINUTES INTO LA. AND WRITE US A TICKET. WELL ANYWAY THE JUDGE FINED US $510 A MAN AND TOLD US THE NEXT TIME WE WERE IN LA. TO ABIDE BY THE LA. GAME LAWS. I THINK THE JUDGEMENT WAS BIASED DUE TO THE FACT THAT LA. AND MS. ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LICENSE WAR. I THINK IT WAS A VERY UNFAIR TICKET AND IT IS WARDENS LIKE THEM THAT MAKE THE HUNTERS DESPISE THEM SO MUCH. I WILL NEVER GIVE ANOTHER DOLLAR TO THE LA. DEPT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES AGAIN BY BUYING ONE OF THEIR LICENSE. LET ME KNOW WHAT OTHER DUCK HUNTERS THINK.

[Jeff]

I think that really sucks, 100 yds, and there aint no signs marking the state line? I think you all got screwd royally. However at the same time 100 yds. with a GPS is not totally true. Those things can be off by 30 yds, then that puts you 10 ft. with in the line if you use that argument, that makes it pretty hard to stand up in court if you ask me, however I guess it's too late for that. SOrry to hear about your troubles and the LA/MS battel is crap, at first I thought it was fair, but I read more into it and it just sucks from both sides.

[goosebruce]

Man, the only thing I can tell you (besides turn the caps lock off, yur killin me), is that in a situtation where one season is closed, and another is open, you shudda erred WAYYYYYYY on the side of caution. We've got several lakes here that are Ar/MS, or Tn/MS, or Tn/AR, including a big river right smack through all of it. Anytime you can be ticketed for confusion, you probably will be. Wouldnt even get close to a state line when one was open and the other wasnt. Yeah, you mighta gotten a rawer than normal deal, but really for hunting out of season, yur lucky you didnt lose all yo stuff, and pay 4 times that much. travis

[RLJames]

Sorry to hear about your ticket...My son and I are going to hunt Albemarle Lake some this year....even though I have been warned by this forum...about Tara guides harrassin, and fed wardens...just waitin for a chance to write you up....Shame to use law to pester workin folks tryin to have a little fun...not the intent of the laws...We have just started huntin ducks last two years. After two years of public land huntin..get up an 1:30 to be at refuge at 3:30 and battle the crowds we feel like old hands. You just don't see the intesity in any other shooting sport like waterfowlin...You couldn't stop duck hunters with a bulldozer..but I'll have to say all the Feds and WMA wardens we met last year were real helpful. Sounds like the ones you met had a corn cob in the wrong place jus like lady Judges. Good luck this year.

[Model12]

That will really piss you off! I've bow-hunted (before they sold it) the North Island at Willow point several times, and allways felt kind of strange whe they told me that I was in Louisiana when I was on the EAST bank of the Big Muddy looking west. As far as I'm concerned, your not in LA until you cross the bridge, or at least get to the middle of it!!! I'm just glad it wasn't me in court with you, I'd of been tempted to tell the nice warden to kiss my rebel booty!!!! [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]

[Swamp Rat]

My friends and I used to spend a good deal of time in the Miss river . My friend has logs of huntible places at various water levels and also logs of the many river hazards. On this evening hunt I was not able to be there. My friend went 20 + miles up the river to a hole on an island that he knew about but had not yet hunted. The three of them set up about 2Pm and during this time until prime time the USWS chopper buzzed them a couple of times. They shot 7 times had 2 ducks. The bad thing is that one of them shot late(a few min.)
While walking back to their boat and still in the brush the dogs started acting up and the wardens(3) told them to call off the dogs or they would shoot them(dogs) They made them empty their pockets into thier hats. and checked everything top to bottom. Even tried to send the dogs for the ducks( He went to the bucket with 2 ducks in it.) They each in turn questioned them one at a time and warning them to come clean or it would be extra rough for them. Well at 9:10 they cited the boy who shot late and let them go. When they got to the boat someone had ransacked all of the water tight containers and two of their winter parka coats are in the water on the boat floor. Apparantly they took the plug out of the boat to let it take on some water so that a run for it would be fruitless. Now out in the river at night and not able to go with so much water and then to find that the fuse had been taken out of the auto bilge but spare were installed. and they have 20 miles to go in the winter with wet coats. The mans wife had called me worried because they were late but a cell phone calmed her fears.
This seems to be unthinkable yet they had helicopter surviellence for several hours at hunreds of dollor per hour. The pilot and 3 wardens and 2 22 foot boston whaler boats with 4 wheelers on the front , all of this expense and nothing to show. The STING that was Not. I told him to write the officials but he declined saying then they would Hawk him. Are these wardens and someothers a little to overzealous.

[mississippi]

that is some b.s. i would be so mad i would be seeing red. love to see one of those guys on the side of the road with a flat and no spare!!!! [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]

[RedEyed Duck]

Sorry to hear that B.L. but if you gotta go to court on something as confusing as your situation you should have brought along a lawyer friend for help. Better luck next time.