Quote:
Originally Posted by Seahawk
Here in Maryland, the NRP ( What We Do) and other State Agencies have wide ranging "no knock" authority on hunting blinds, deer stands, hunters in general on private property.
I only allow a few people to hunt my farm and only after they prove to me they know the law(s), which can be confusing, since I can be liable for their mistakes.
Click on the "Report a Violation" tab.
I get it, but the second time an NPR pulled up to my house after coming on my property without my permission (he didn't need it) to "investigate" folks I allowed on the farm to hunt, enough was enough. |
I have a very, very hard time with this. You have guests on your property. Some fish cop
thinks they might be hunting, and that gives him the legal authority to trespass? I can see where they would have the legal authority to check tree stands, blinds, and whatnot
on public property, sure. I would expect that. They can absolutely check any "hunters" leaving your property, but to use the notion that someone on your property
might be hunting as justification for trespassing should be patently illegal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gtc
Anyone with a pair of binoculars can easily identify the people on a lake that need to be stopped. The ones i see the most are: people who think that being on a boat allows them to get trashed and do whatever they like (dangerous to themselves and others) and people with poorly maintained and/or leaky vessels, which is bad for the environment and potentially dangerous for themselves or others if their crappy old boat loses power out in open water.
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Yup, I get all that. The fact of the matter is, however, they can check
anyone they damn well please, at any time, with absolutely
no probable cause. Right here in America. That simply should not be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gtc
How about the DFW people that inspect your catch when you get back to the dock?
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Yup, I've been on boats that have been quite thoroughly searched by overzealous fish cops. They have looked places that one could never hide a fish, all under the auspices of "game enforcement". I've seen my hunting partner's camper darn near completely disassembled at a game check station (I'm surprised they didn't demand he jack it up and drive the truck out from under it). This was with dead game clearly visible tied to the rack on the back of it, with all tags and licenses in order. Pure, unadulterated harassment. Because they can.
So, yeah, it seems most agree that this enforcement is needed, and very seldom abused. That's fine. We have all seen, however, what authorities do with authority. There is good reason we have so dramatically limited just what they can do with it. That is why it surprises me so that we still allow this level of invasion into our private space merely because we are on the water. When hunting or fishing, I can understand it a bit more. We acknowledge that we are giving up certain rights in exchange for the state granted "privilege" of hunting or fishing. I'm just not comfortable with my new found knowledge that boating apparently requires the relinquishment of our rights in a very similar fashion.