Montana Game Wardens: High-Stakes Law Enforcement in the Wild

Patrols and Initial Calls

• 🌲 Montana's vast wilderness is patrolled by dedicated State Game Wardens who protect its natural resources.
• 🦆 Warden Joe Kambic responds to a call about duck hunters trespassing on private land and being cited for being off the high water mark.
• 🦌 Kambic also receives a report of a wounded elk and calls another warden, Kyle Miller, to help intercept the trespassing suspect.

Wildlife Law Enforcement and Checks

• 🦫 At the Bonner Check Station, Wardens Ezra Schwalm and Aaron Berg conduct mandatory checks on hunters to ensure compliance with game laws.
• ⚠️ Hunters are checked for proper licenses and identification of harvested game, with one hunter receiving a written warning for transporting gutted ducks without legs and spurs attached.
• 멧 A passerby reports a potential poaching case of a wounded elk shot before legal shooting time, leading to an investigation.

Complex Hunting Violations and Resolutions

• 🦌 Two hunters admit to shooting two elk and accidentally wounding a third before legal hunting hours, leading to wardens confiscating their two elk.
• 🤝 Wardens facilitate a gentleman's agreement for the two hunters to split the third elk, resolving a complex poaching case.
• 🦌 Another hunter is cited for illegally harvesting a doe in a district where only bucks are permitted, receiving a citation and losing the deer.

Trespassing and Unsafe Hunting Practices

• 🏞️ Warden Nick Taylor investigates a trespass call on a block management area, where hunters are accused of repeatedly entering private property without permission.
• 🦌 Taylor also responds to a call about hunters allegedly trespassing and illegally killing a mule deer, with signs of hunting activity found on the property.
• 🦆 In Region 5, Warden Lee Burrows investigates a complaint about duck hunters taking unsafe shots near local businesses and residents.

Poaching Investigations and Legal Consequences

• 🦌 Warden Lee Burrows investigates a possible poaching violation where a hunter is accused of shooting an elk before legal hunting hours.
• ⚖️ Burrows issues a citation for shooting before legal hours and a written warning for shooting from the roadway, confiscating the harvested animal.
• 🦌 Wardens Taylor and Holland investigate a tip about hunters harassing elk and potentially illegally harvesting two bulls, but lack concrete evidence to prove wrongdoing.
• 🦆 Warden Taylor investigates duck hunters on the Bighorn River, issuing a citation for hunting migratory birds without a federal waterfowl stamp.
• 🦌 Warden Brian Goley responds to a complaint about hunters on the Beartooth game range, suspecting a hunter accidentally killed two elk with one shot.
• 🤝 The hunter is allowed to keep the bull he aimed at, but the state confiscates the second elk, with the meat to be donated to a food bank.