Sainthood

It was in the spring of the year when I was helping warden Jeff Violett check shore fishermen along the Missouri River. The bite was on and everyone was out taking advantage of the good fishing and camping. We had checked a few fishermen when we came upon a campsite along the cut bank above the water’s edge.  We didn’t see anyone around and there were two poles in the water. Walking up I checked a vehicle while Jeff looked at the tent. The vehicle was an older sedan that looked like someone was living out of the back seat. The tent was a small two-man tent. Both poles had small ‘cow bells’ attached to the lines. Jeff motioned me over to the tent and inside was a young male in his 20s apparently sleeping. Standing outside the tent, Jeff called out “game warden.” No response, no movement, no answer. Jeff again called out, same response, nothing. It was my turn then, so I called out “game warden, wake up,” and came up with the same response, no movement, no answer.

Ok, this was a new one to us, so now what to do. We stood there deciding what to do next, wondering if this guy is sleeping, did he OD, is he dead, because he is not moving at all. We decide to move on to step two and yell a little louder. Again, it didn’t work, no movement, no answer. The next question was who’s going in there to find out why. I told Jeff it’s your area you go get him. Jeff went to the tent flap again and yelled out once again and this time shook the tent. Still no response. I had walked over to the fishing poles during the lull, and looking at the cow bells on the lines, flicked one. What you would have heard was a very light ‘tinkle, tinkle.’ Hearing this, this guy bolts up to a sitting position in the tent and looks out to see his lines, where he sees two not very happy game wardens who are telling him to come out to have a little talk.

When all was said and done everything turned out ok. The young man told us that he had just gotten off the evening shift at the power plant, drove down to the river, set up his camp and poles and was dead tired and went to sleep. He didn’t have any fish, but he did have his fishing license, so everything was fine.

Leaving the area Jeff said that tapping the bells brought that guy back to life, raised him from the dead so to speak. So, I performed my first (and only) miracle.  Is it going to get me my sainthood? Not by a long shot but Jeff did call me Saint Butch for the rest of the day.

- District Game Warden Art Cox