Behind the Badge - Tall Tales and Knuckleheaded Miscreants

Tall Tales and Knuckleheaded Miscreants

District Game Warden Keenan Snyder

All North Dakota state game wardens are certified law enforcement officers. This means we enforce not only game and fish laws, but all state laws while on patrol. A lot of times we not only find fish and wildlife violations, but other state violations as well.

Several winters ago, I observed a portable hub-style fish house on the small body of water just south of Williston, known as Skunk Hollow. By law, any unoccupied fish house must have an equipment registration number (issued by the Game and Fish Department) or the owner’s name, along with either address or telephone number. This must be displayed on the outside in readily distinguishable characters of at least 3 inches high.

After inspecting this fish house, I was unable to find any type of identification, so I tagged the fish house with a warning tag. These tags are tied to the fish house and are VERY bright fluorescent orange. My plan was to check on this fish house in a few days to see if the fish house was removed or properly marked by law.

A few days later Warden Sperling called me to see if I was in the Skunk Hollow area – he was observing something with the fish house I had tagged, and two individuals that wasn’t adding up. In fact, I was in the area and met up with him for some assistance.

Upon arrival Warden Sperling was talking to a young woman and young man. I was able to see that there was a hub-style fish house on the shore that someone had attempted to fold up. Several of the poles had been broken telling me that the person folding it up did not know what they were doing. I also could see the very visible orange tag that I placed on the fish house several days earlier.

Something was not right with the situation, and we investigated it further.

Warden Sperling interviewed the young woman. The first story she told was that it was her boyfriend’s birthday, so she bought this fish house then drove down to Skunk Hollow to set it up. She then brought him to the spot it was set up and surprised him with her “gift.” Warden Sperling and I both knew this was a big lie pointing out that I tagged the fish house several days earlier and even showed it to her still attached to the fish house. Warden Sperling also pointed out that someone who buys and uses this type of fish house knows how to fold it up without breaking poles.

She finally broke down and told us what was really going on. She and her boyfriend saw that this fish house was just left on the ice and decided to take it. Well, taking property that was not hers landed her a trip to the county jail in handcuffs.

Fast forward to paddlefish snagging season the next spring. Warden Burud and I were “plain clothes” fishing on the Yellowstone River. Plain clothes fishing is where wardens dress like any normal anglers and fish among everyone else, taking notes of the activities legal or illegal.

Paddlefishing is a great time to work in plain clothes because paddlefish is a highly sought-after species and is also highly regulated, which can bring in a lot of people trying to take advantage of our season.

Warden Burud and I completed our plain clothes operation on the Yellowstone River and met up with Warden Sperling, who was in full patrol duty uniform, several miles away. While discussing the evening activities, most of which were legal, a dark colored sedan drove past us on the dirt road. Warden Burud and I instantly made eye contact with each other as a very distinct smell omitted from the passing vehicle. That smell was marijuana.