Long arm of game law strikes
Couch deer, beer surrender and an illegal tortoise highlight 2021 edition
With 2022 just around the corner, it’s time for a look back over the last year at some of the more unusual encounters of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game wardens as they worked day and night to help ensure the public can continue to enjoy the state’s natural resources.
While game wardens aid in border security, swift-water rescues and chase sometimes violent suspects trying to evade arrest for illegal drugs or other crimes, they also get a few laughs when people do foolish things that get them in trouble.
The following are some incidents culled from TPWD’S 2021 Game Warden Field Notes, which have been condensed for space.
For some reason, there are a few more from San Antonio and Bexar County than usual.
Mama’s got your back: Two Harris County wardens investigating a poaching complaint discovered a suspect harvested a whitetailed doe without landowner consent.
The suspect confessed. When asked to collect the meat, he was surprised to find his mom had hidden it under the couch while the wardens questioned him outside.
Multiple charges and restitution are pending.
Turtle-y illegal: A warden heard that a San Antonio pet store had a tortoise for sale. He ended up seizing a Texas tortoise — a threatened species — that was “given” to the store.
The shop also was selling Mississippi map turtles and river cooter turtles without a non-game dealers license. The tortoise was released into the wild. Charges are pending.
Not-so happy hour: Coryell County and Falls County wardens were patrolling the Lake Waco area of Mclennan County when they saw a truck driving on the wrong side of the road.
During the traffic stop, the driver was unable to turn down the music on the radio. When asked what he was doing, the driver said with slurred speech, “I was just trying to…”
Then he picked up his beer and handed it to the wardens. He was booked for DWI at the Mclennan County Jail. The case is pending.
Dude, where’s my car? A Bexar County warden patrolling Calaveras Creek by boat saw a person who was trespassing hide in mesquite brush. He called for backup. Two more wardens and a K-9 officer arrived.
After a long search, a warden spotted someone walking on the other side of the creek who said he didn’t have any fish or fishing gear and that he was going back to the road where his van was parked and a friend was waiting.
The warden found an ice chest with six tilapia, one black bass and a cast net. The K-9 handler radioed to say the other suspect and van were gone.
The man said, “How am I supposed to get home?”
He said his phone, wallet and money were in the van and his friend was supposed take him home. The warden arrested the man for criminal trespass and gave him a ride to the Bexar County Jail. The case is pending.
Dumb thief: A Harris County warden answered a call about an abandoned boat on the San Jacinto
River and ran the HIN to find the owner’s information. The owner in Alvin did not know his boat was missing.
His son kept it in a storage unit and was surprised to find the boat was not in its stall. The son searched social media and found two 225 horsepower Yamaha motors for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Two other wardens arrived at the sale location and identified the stolen motors and a center console. The recovered items were returned to the original owner in one afternoon. Cases are pending.
Whoops: A Bexar County warden patrolling San Antonio’s South Side saw tire tracks entering a water treatment facility.
The warden drove in and saw a man in a kayak on the private lake catch a 5-pound bass, weigh it, take a picture with his cell phone and put the fish in the boat. The man saw the warden’s truck and said, “Hi.”
Water treatment security arrived to sign a non-consent form. The suspect was arrested for trespassing and booked. The case is pending.
Honesty not enough: A Newton County warden saw an ATV being illegally operated on a public road while the occupants were holding rifles and a spotlight.
They said they were riding around looking for animals to shoot, but they hadn’t killed anything yet. Cases are pending.
Good shot, bad dove: A Bexar County warden answering a call about dove hunters peppering residences with shotgun pellets saw two men hunting.
As he drove up, one stood and shot a bird that fell a few yards away. The warden asked him if he knew what kind of bird he just shot. The hunter did not know.
The warden informed him that it was an American kestrel, a protected bird of prey that cannot be hunted or harvested.
A citation was issued. The case and civil restitution are pending.
Deep in the weeds: Jackson County wardens observed two individuals sitting in a truck at a boat ramp at Carancahua Bay.
There were kayaks in the bed and fish in a trash bag. The man on the driver’s side appeared nervous so one warden asked numerous times if there was anything illegal in the vehicle.
The man changed the topic each time. Eventually, he said there was a little bit of weed in the vehicle.
A search uncovered numerous drugs including 17 grams of methamphetamine, a THC vape pen and 30 pills of hydrocodone and amphetamine.
The man was arrested on four narcotics charges and a parole warrant.
Advertising crime: Bexar County wardens received information about an individual selling deer meat on Craigslist.
The wardens went to a residence in south Bexar County where the suspect admitted to attempting to sell the meat. He received a citation.