His memory was still clear and he gave a great description of the two poachers and what they were driving. I know he was still mad about the situation because of the poacher’s blatant disregard for the rules and greed because he was so focused and articulate in his descriptions. He just kept saying “Brook, you’ve got to get these guys.” As soon as he gave me the poacher’s descriptions and what they were driving, it immediately put a smile on my face. I told him, I know who exactly you are talking about. I just cited them last night poaching on Walnut Creek.

There were a group of people (5) fishing, so we thought. DWCO Donor and I approached the individuals, 2 females and 3 males and 4 fishing rods. An older gentleman and a female were actively fishing; we checked their license and asked the others if they were fishing. The 2 males responded “no” and the other female was reading a book. The fishing rods were next to the two males, but we did not see them fishing, “we screwed up, too much talking,” The 2 males were in their 20’s and I said don’t fish without a license.

The older gentlemen asked what the fine is for fishing without a license. I responded, well sometimes I just let you go get a license and sometimes I don’t. The fine isn’t too bad and I turned and walked away. When we got to the truck I said get in we’re out of here. I drove around the lake and parked, pulled out the spotting scope and watched the group.

It took about 5 minutes and both of the males picked up their rods and began fishing. We gave them a little time and drove back over and when they saw us they did the old drop the rod routine. Both men were cited for fishing without a license because I warned them not to fish without a license. On Monday the Region Office received a number of calls that 2 Officers trapped our friends and cited them for fishing without a license. I look at it as righting a wrong.

As I patrolled along the stream, I came across the men who were described and all the pieces of the puzzle were adding up, I had everything figured out except where they had placed the extra fish. As the conversation progressed, I learned they lived at the nearby farm. After a short walk, the suspect and I approached some cows in the pasture. The cows were investigating their water trough with caution. Thanks to the cows, I had found the fish. There, swimming happily in the cow’s water trough, were the men’s morning catch!

I admit, that as far as graffiti/minor vandalism goes, this is pretty tame. The author neither used obscenities nor did he/she rip off the sign and toss it to the ground in defiance, as so often happens. It is; however, obvious that the property in question is not owned by the one puzzling out the sign’s intended purpose.

Now, I will tell you that the privately held ground behind this sign consists of over 230 acres and includes a native brook trout stream; all of which is open to public recreation through the owner’s gracious enrollment in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s cooperative access program.

In this time of increasing prohibition towards public usage of private property, I submit to my unknown author that if you have to ask ‘Why”; well, then, you are one of the primary reasons why the conservation officers’ profession is so important to the future of public recreation.

When I gave him his copy of his citation he informed me that he is making his wife pay the fine since it’s all her fault.

"Oh?" I replied.

"You're losing money!" he said. I smiled, knowing where he was going with this.

"I've had mine 20 years!" he grinned.

That would make him eighty five years old. And he carried buckets at every stop.

Common

• I left it at home, the car, tackle box, on fishing vest, hunting coat...etc.
• I'm really only 15 (actually 22).

Honorable mention (3 stars)

• But I bought one last year?
• It must have blown out of the boat.
• It was on my hat, and drifted away.
• I was just practicing.
• Just visiting.
• First time.
• Just got off work.
• I'm sure I have one, wait I'll call my wife.
• This rod? I don't even own it?
• There's no fish in this lake.
• I didn't catch anything.
• We don't need a license in (fill in state/country of choice).
• I'm just fishing with a stick (with hook and bait attached).
• Isn't a (fill in state) fishing license good here?
• You mean it's only good for a year?
• We never see you guys?

Award Winners (5 stars)

• The outdoors should be free!
• I'm fishing with my kid, wait 'till I find him.
• I have one, I'm letting my friend use it.
• I'm fishing on historic property.
• I'm fishing for the excitement.
• I'm waiting until December.
• I don't even like fishing.
• When did they start that?
• I know the law!
• It fell down my ice hole.
• I gave the money for my license to my brother, it's my license, but he put his name on it.

I have yet to hear "the dog ate it", or "it was taken by someone from another planet", but there's still some time before I retire.

One sunny day in October I was with my neighboring officer (name withheld) and we were serving one of my warrants. It was a nice day but chilly and about 50 degrees. We were able to track down the individual at work. After talking to the individual he agreed to go to the bank and pay off the warrant in full but needed a ride.

We agreed to transport the individual. As I was clearing the back seat for transport, my partner performed the search on the individual. Having a job in a factory, the fellow had a button down shirt with breast pockets. Staying tuned to my partner and what was being said, I suddenly turned my attention to my partner and the individual when I heard “what is this”?

When I looked up I saw that my partner had his hand on the individual’s breast pocket. The look on the individuals face was priceless as he muttered “It’s my nipple, I’m cold”. As the shock left my partners face, we all began to laugh at the situation including the individual. After which we took care of the warrant and took the individual to the bank and then back to work.

Sometimes things happen that even though are embarrassing are still too good to keep to yourself.

After several attempts to snag a steelhead the poacher finally snagged a steelhead by the dorsal fin and pulled it in sideways from the north bank of the privately posted side of Manchester Hole. Then as the poacher moved further upstream towards the chutes and continued attempting to snag, I made my approach and intervened before any more steelhead would be snagged. As I lighted him up with my flashlight from the opposite bank and gave him specific instructions as to not touch his tackle, which he promptly ignored and after several repeated commands, the poacher snapped off his self made snagging hook and tossed it deep into the woods before he came across Walnut Creek to my location.

When I asked the poacher why he had just completely ignored my instructions and tossed the snagging hook in to the woods, he said “I had to change hooks” I politely responded “That’s going to cost you some money.” Consequently, WCO Smolko and I escorted him back to his vehicle in the parking lot at Walnut Creek Access. Shortly after seizing his fishing tackle and one illegal steelhead, I issued this poacher six citation’s totaling eight hundred and eighty dollars. After issuing the citations, the poacher indicated that his wife is going to be mad because she told him not to come up here tonight, plus he just got a citation from the State Police on the interstate driving up to Erie.

Before we arrived, other boaters assisted the captain in trouble and had extinguished the fire. After the investigation was complete, it was learned that the captain did not notice that he had a small leak in his fuel line, and also did not notice fuel accumulating in the bilge of his small open fishing vessel. As he reached for something in the front of the boat, his foot knocked the unsecured and uncovered battery over, causing the terminals to contact the aluminum hull. This obviously caused an electrical short, which causes sparks, and the fuel in the bottom of the boat ignited. Within seconds, the seat cushions and life jackets were on fire.

Thankfully, some other boaters nearby assisted the captain, and serious injury was averted. Boat batteries in vessels should be housed in a battery box and secured to hull to avoid these dangerous situations. If anything good came out of this situation, it was that other boaters in the area all learned how fast a lazy day of fishing can change into a life or death situation.

Secure and cover your batteries!

There are 4 individuals that will set traps in this spring and they will clean out each other’s traps. I have been called by each one of the individuals complaining about the others. I have cited each one of them for minnow trap tagging violations. At one point last year there were 12 minnow traps set in the spring. The citations I issued were in hopes of calming things down, if not, this may be the next series on the Geographic Channel (The Minnow Wars). it will rank right up there with Swamp Loggers and Hillbilly Hand Fishing.

He stated he bought a license but didn’t have one to display. After looking at him quizzically, he explained he just purchased his license minutes earlier on his smart phone, while sitting in the parking lot, but couldn’t print it out. With a few touches of the screen, he showed me a PDF file on his phone, with the complete license displayed. I told him to go fish, but be careful not to drop his phone in the water while displaying his license.

The first day’s temptation to start prior to 8:00 AM was too much for one fisherman. At 6:00 AM he was fishing, to the dismay of the other fisherman waiting patiently until the start of the season. As I approached, he put down his pole and carefully tucked it out of view, as though he was not fishing.

After a short conversation I asked him to gather his fishing pole. He dropped his head and said, “I guess I cannot deny fishing” as his line was still snagged on the bottom of the stream!

A friend who is an avid sportsman and hunter was having difficulty in getting out from under his chores long enough to hunt during archery season. He explained to his family, his young son included, that he was going to have to make some time to get into his tree stand out behind the house. The rut would soon be approaching and, with his limited hunting opportunities, that time would afford the best chance to not only see deer but harvest one as well.

Several days later he made a trek out to that ever present stand and was utterly perplexed to find apples littering the ground around it. The apple tree, you see, was quite some distance away in the home’s yard. Returning to the house he asked if anyone knew how the apples came to be at his tree stand. His proud young son explained that he had done it so his hardworking dad would have a better chance of seeing deer during those few times that he had to hunt. His wife then remarked that she had seen the boy earlier in the week using his little red wagon to haul countless apples down into the woods, but had absolutely no idea what he was doing with them. He was, however, happy, contented, and occupied; “let sleeping dogs lie”, was the thought.

Anyhow, the apples were cleaned up and removed from the area of the stand. However, archery season would be over by the time the 30 day baiting window lapsed; so, our hardworking hunter had no opportunities to escape on a “quick behind the house hunt” during the 2011 season.

As a result of his experience, we are reminded of a couple constants that shouldn’t be forgotten…

1. It’s ALWAYS a good idea to discreetly follow up on the activities of a young child who has been way too quiet for way too long…
2. Any plan should ALWAYS include a back-up; because if you don’t have a back-up, you don’t have a plan.

As we drove down PA Rt. 32 in Bucks County along the Delaware River, I could see through the trees that a boat on the river was on fire. I immediately pulled over and removed my hidden cell phone from the glove box as I got an agitated look from my wife. That same look got a little more sincere when I removed a pair of stashed binoculars from under the back seat. I explained that this was a real emergency, as boat fires can be a very serious situation.

I watched in disbelief as a man on a jon boat was actually throwing split firewood into a fire pit mounted on the front of his vessel. The man sat back, opened a can of soda, and then held a stick with two hot dogs stuck on the end over the fire. Building an open fire that close to the portable gas tank is obviously a very bad idea.

As I got back to the car, she asked if she should call 911 for a rescue boat so we could go to dinner. When I explained what was going on, she agreed that this captain was taking a very big risk, and got a chuckle out of his foolishness. Balance was returned!

NOTE – The Commission recommends 4 inches as the minimum ice thickness for one person. (Ice thickness chart)

The other two guys said that they didn’t have a chance to get it yet. I told them they will have to put their equipment away because they can’t fish. Both guys said okay and that they would just watch their friend fish who had a license.

I left the area knowing that I would return shortly just to see if they were telling the truth. I drove back about 15 minutes later seeing all three guys fishing. While I was issuing the two citations I overheard one guy say to the other, “This was not very smart of you to take me fishing today”.