Angi Bruce's Resignation As Game and Fish Director Catches Sportsmen By Surprise
A good article getting at some of the things that I've wondered about:
This article notes the influx of out of staters into the Game and Fish. I've really noticed it. This has been going on before Bruce was installed, but her installation really emphasized it, and it's not a good thing at all.
We've noted that here before.
We used to really think highly of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, but it's really dimmed over the years. I still do, but it's not what it once was. I've noted that a bit here:
Indeed, I was recently stopped by a warden and frankly he wasn't very nice. That's a new trend as well. I don't like it. But not only was he not nice, he was extremely intimidating carrying a government issued handgun on a government issued gunbelt and wearing a government issued flak jacket.I've really hated the militarization of the policy and this is all part of it. Everytime I see a policeman anymore, including a game warden, they're dressed like they're going into Hue in 1968. All policemen of every type are civilians. They're simply deputized civilians. They shouldn't look like an occupying army. And if the treat people rudely, and many do, and are standing their armed treating you like you are a detained Vietnamese villager, it's scary.
I've mentioned such encounters a number of times on this blog. The first time was when I went to great efforts to Jeep into an area all while on public land. I'd done it before, and received a compliment from the warden then serving that area. On this latter occasion, which was only about a year or two later, the warden basically flat out called me a liar and followed me out in his pickup truck, which he was lucky not to roll. He apologized. He was from California. The year after that, I did the same and was outright harassed in a very hostile manner by a different game warden. It was so bad I called to complain about it. I received an apology from the District Warden on that occasion. This past year I had the encounter above, which was scary to a degree.
On that one, it had a bit of a happy, sort of, ending. I called to complain but couldn't get in touch with anyone. Somebody I knew, however, who has a different sort of relationship with the Game & Fish called and it had a huge reaction from the warden himself, who is now my best buddy in the field when I encounter him.
He, at least, is from Colorado.
Anyhow, every time I look up a new warden, they're from somewhere else, and in the case of the Director, she was.
I didn't follow her service much. I do know, however, a man and his son in which the son had a live desire to be a Game Warden. He pursued it in college. He didn't get on. It's very difficult to get on, but he attributed it to a sort of agenda. I don't know if it's really the case that the agenda exists or not, but I sure liked the wardens better when they were mostly locals.
I don't want an out of state head of the Game and Fish.
Related threads:
