Home Texas Game Wardens Blotter from Lone Star Outdoor News

Texas Game Wardens Blotter from Lone Star Outdoor News

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Tales from Texas Game Wardens about “hunters” gone bad and “anglers” with a few too many fish in the bag are all too common — but never the same. Each one has its own wrinkles and its own unique bit of stupidity or ignorance.

TEXAS WARDEN NAMED OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Texas Game Warden Timothy Walker was recognized as the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Officer of the Year award recipient during January’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. After graduating from the academy in 2001, he has since served the communities of Van Zandt and Angelina counties. Walker is a certified master peace officer, a physical training coordinator and participates in simunitions trainings. He also is an active member of the Law Enforcement Division’s Forensic Reconstruction and Mapping (STORM) team. In addition to the current honor, Walker has received a Director’s Life Saving Award and a Director’s Citation for his teamwork and rescues conducted during flooding incidents on the Trinity River and Sabine River. Over the course of his 23-year career, Walker has pursued many wildlife cases resulting in felony arrests that were initially deemed unachievable by fellow officers. Some of his more notable work during the 2023 fiscal year includes: apprehending a poacher who illegally harvested a 150-inch white-tailed deer after a year-long investigation; assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with an investigation that resulted in the apprehension and prosecution of an individual who illegally took a 13-foot alligator from the Neches River; and apprehending a group of waterfowl hunters for hunting over bait after a 5-year investigation. Walker also patrolled 37,814 miles, wrote 248 citations and conducted 14 public programs throughout the year.

TEEN DROWNS AFTER FALLING OFF KAYAK ON CONROE

A 17-year-old male drowned Feb. 4 on Lake Conroe. According to a Montgomery County game warden, the teen was kayaking in rough water near the FM 1374 bridge when a witness on the bank observed him struggling and heard him call for help. The teen had fallen from his kayak and was holding onto the side of it trying to get back in, the warden told The Courier in Montgomery County. Strong winds and rough water were a factor, and water temperatures were 54.6 degrees. The teen was separated from the kayak and went under. He was not wearing a personal flotation device. After an 8-hour search, rescue crews with the North Montgomery County Fire Department recovered the body.

PUBLIC HUNT INCLUDES TEACHER ASSISTED BY WARDEN

Central Texas Game Warden Wei-Wei Lin assisted as a mentor with a public land drawn hunt. The event focused on providing the community with an opportunity to hunt on public land while also teaching hunting basics. Lin partnered with a local junior high school teacher who grew up in a hunting family but missed out on many of the hunting opportunities. She had joined Becoming an Outdoors Woman and learned of the Public Drawn Hunts Program. While Lin’s mentee harvested a buck and a hog, the rest of the class harvested five bucks with the assistance of Inks Lake State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife staff, Texas State Park Police and other TPWD volunteers.

KIDS FISHING WITH WARDENS

On Jan. 27, Limestone County game wardens took part in a kid’s fishing event at Fort Parker State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife. During the two-day event, wardens instructed kids of all ages on angler basics. Freshly stocked by the Inland Fisheries Division, the lake provided plenty of rainbow trout for local kids to take home.

DEER POACHED FROM TRUCK IN ROCKPORT

On Jan. 2 around 8:47 a.m., witnesses observed a gold pickup truck slowing down on Park Road 13 (Main St.) in the Lamar peninsula of Rockport. An individual from the vehicle discharged a firearm, killing a nearby white-tailed buck. The gold Ford F-150, suspected to be involved, fled towards Highway 35 at a high speed. The vehicle is believed to be a 2000’s model, with no front license plate, and exhibits damage to the rear driver’s side corner. A reward is offered for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) involved. Please call Operation Game Thief with any information.

RED STAG SHOT FROM ROAD

On Jan. 11, Texas game wardens received a call about a red stag that was shot on private property from the roadway. The incident occurred sometime between the evening hours of January 10 and the early morning hours of January 11 on SH-222, 1 mile west of the Knox and King County Line on the south side of the highway. A reward is offered for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) involved. Please call Operation Game Thief with any information.

WARDENS ASSIST DURING BLIZZARD

Amarillo area game wardens assisted various state and local agencies in response to a severe winter storm that impacted the northwestern Panhandle. The storm brought blizzard conditions including severe winds exceeding 70 mph and freezing temperatures, causing hazardous roadway conditions. Working alongside the Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Transportation and numerous other local and state agency partners, wardens responded to numerous vehicle accidents, blocked frozen highways, drove stranded individuals to local hotels and ensured the wellbeing of stranded motorists along the roadways.

THREE DEER DUMPED, TWO LEFT TO WASTE

On Jan. 11, a Kerr County game warden received a call about several animals illegally dumped on FM 1340, approximately a quarter mile west of Rock Bottom Road and the Mo Ranch entrance in western Kerr County. Upon arrival, the warden located two white-tailed doe carcasses that had been shot, dumped and left to waste. There was also a buck carcass located with the edible meat portions removed. All animals are believed to have been dumped on the night of Jan. 10 or in the early morning hours of Jan. 11. Please call Operation Game Thief with any information.

COMMERCIAL FISHING CREW MEMBER LOST AT SEA

The Coast Guard, along with local partner agencies, searched for a missing crew member from a commercial fishing vessel near Bolivar Peninsula. Missing is a Nicaraguan man last seen wearing black windbreaker pants and a blue sweater. The Coast Guard received notification from the captain of the commercial fishing vessel St. Joseph VII stating the crew member was last seen at midnight. Two response boats and a helicopter crew participated in the search, along with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. The search was suspended after crews searched approximately 115 square miles for a combined 13 search hours.

TURTLE RESCUES DURING COLD SNAP

Texas game wardens along the entire coast patrolled the coastal waters of the state this week after a few days of freezing temperatures. Wardens in total, recovered 336 live sea turtles and located 104 deceased sea turtles that suffered from cold stunning. Cold stunning is a phenomenon where sea turtles experience low body temperature and reduced activity due to cold water. This makes them weak and unable to swim.

Updated: 2/16/2024

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