Slow Learners
Slow Learners
District Game Warden Jerad Bluem
It was early September mid-morning, and I was just leaving town to patrol for the day.
At the four-way stop sign sat a vehicle with out of state plates and two individuals dressed in camouflage.
They gave a small wave and continued on.
It was a wave that seemed odd, almost as though they hoped it didn’t draw attention.
I changed plans for the day and followed the vehicle through town.
They made their way to the only open establishment in town.
I pulled up beside them in the parking lot and started a casual conversation.
The individuals stated they had been out for a morning goose hunt but hadn’t been successful.
While speaking to the passenger I noticed with the door open there was an uncased shotgun resting alongside the passenger seat.
A check of the shotgun revealed it was still loaded from the morning hunt.
A check of the driver’s shotgun in the back seat indicated it was also still loaded.
The violations were explained, and I informed both individuals they would be receiving citations for the loaded guns in the motor vehicle.
I collected their ID’s and allowed them to go inside to get something to eat and advised I would follow up with them inside.
After filling out the non-criminal citations I met them inside.
Over their beer and a burger, promise to appears were signed and I was off to my day as planned.
Fast forward a little over a month later.
It was mid-October and neighboring Warden Corey Erck and I were working our joint border together.
It was an area of high concentrations of waterfowl, sure to draw the attention of hunters.
While observing the area Warden Erck received a call from a local landowner stating he had just witnessed a black jeep shoot at a flock of snow geese out the window of a vehicle.
Warden Erck got the vehicle stopped and I arrived shortly thereafter.
Sure enough, same vehicle, same driver, and same passenger as the individuals cited at the bar in early September!
The driver admitted to driving into the flock of snow geese while the passenger shot out the window at the geese.
This time the driver was cited for a criminal violation for harassment of wildlife and the passenger was cited criminally for shooting from a motor vehicle.
Neither individual has purchased a license in North Dakota since that year of back-to-back months of violations.