What's In A Name?
by SGW Brek Henry

Many of the stories you read in this magazine are stories that have been passed down from one generation of Game Warden to the next. There are hundreds of stories for Game Wardens to tell of the things they have encountered during their careers. The stories that are told the most often are usually referred to as "Classics." When a new incident happens that is especially funny or unusual, we as Game Wardens will say, "That is a classic." We are happy to share these stories with you not only for their entertainment value but for education as well. We want people to know what we deal with on a daily basis and we want people to learn what happens in the back woods and what to watch for so we can, with your help, catch the next poacher. The following story was referred to as an instant "classic" and after reading it I think you will see why.

With only 120 Game Wardens in this state to say we are spread thin is an understatement. We greatly appreciate the help we receive from the public by calling in suspected poachers. A case we made in October of 2003 is a great example of how the public has helped us. However, we do not suggest trying to apprehend a suspected poacher on your own. The individuals that helped with this case have had problems with subjects roadhunting and spotlighting in the past and decided to set one night and watch their property. They called Warden Supervisor Keith Green and told him where they would be and that they would call if they had any problems. Warden Green called me and let me know that these guys would be there.

It was not long before things paid off. At around 10:00 p.m. we were called and notified that a vehicle had stopped along the county road and fired shots at a deer. One of the guys that had been watching the area was following the vehicle. Using cell phones (that didn't work very well in this area) we were able to keep in contact with the guys following the suspected poachers. After a period of time Warden Green was able to catch up with them and get them stopped. Myself and Warden Jeff Brown arrived just soon after the stop. The suspects were detained and a search of their vehicle resulted in no gun or spotlight. We figured they must have thrown it out during the chase. They suspects denied any wrongdoing so it was up to us to prove otherwise. We had witnesses but we wanted more. We went back to the location where the incident took place and after some searching we did find a freshly killed deer. After finding the deer we searched for other evidence. We quickly realized that searching for a gun and spotlight in the dark would be difficult so we put it off until daylight. Warden Green stayed out in the area in case someone related to the suspects came and tried to pick up the evidence. The suspects knew exactly where it was and we had no clue. We had over ten miles of county road ditch to search.

This may to some sound like any other spotlight case but the next morning is when it got real interesting. Myself and Warden Brown went back and started looking in the area where we found the dead deer. In the daylight we immediately found some empty 22 caliber casings in the road right where the suspects had been. Now things were getting better for us. What happened next however, was something we just didn't expect. We began traveling the county roads searching for the gun and light. We drove at a somewhat slow speed and looked in obvious places and found nothing. A lot of the roads had high grass along them. We went to where the suspects had been stopped and began going back down the route looking a little closer in these high grass areas. At the second place we stopped Warden Brown got out and nearly stepped on the gun. I had nearly parked on top of it. We were very happy that we had found the possible gun used by our suspects. I took photos of the gun and put on rubber gloves to pick it up. Hopefully we could get fingerprints off the gun to connect it back to our suspects. Warden Brown had walked a few steps away as I picked up the gun. As I looked at it to see the brand and caliber I noticed something else on the gun. No! It couldn't be! Yes it was! The suspects name was stamped on the gun! I yelled at Warden Brown, "His `#&%#&^*' name is on the gun!" We left and went to Warden Green's house. He was trying to get some rest after being out all night. So much for rest we had to wake him up and tell him what we had found. When we arrived Warden Green agreed with us. This was definitely a "Classic."

A few days later Warden Green went to the suspect's house to return a cell phone that the suspect had left in Warden Green's truck. He gave the phone to the suspect and asked him if he was sure he didn't want to change his story about what happened. The suspect said he was staying with his story. As Warden Green was leaving he stopped and yelled to the suspect and said "Hey, next time you go out spotlighting I wouldn't take a gun with my name on it!" Warden Green said the look on the guys face was, yes you guessed it, "Classic." I just wish I could have been there for that.

"Note: The suspects came in and pied guilty and paid several hundreds of dollars in fines and costs. They also had their hunting license suspended.