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.
You can run, but it won’t help
It was a busy weekend for Texas Game Warden K9s in East Texas.
What started as a routine fishing license check on the Sulphur River in Bowie County on Saturday, May 9, quickly turned into a foot pursuit.
A game warden contacted a man fishing from a kayak and discovered he did not have a life jacket, which is required by law on paddle craft.
While checking the man’s information, the warden learned he was wanted on an outstanding probation violation warrant on a class A misdemeanor warrant for theft.
Before the warden could take him into custody, the man fled on foot.
K9 Jake and his handler, who were patrolling nearby, responded to assist. Jake tracked the suspect for approximately 1.5 miles before wardens spotted him along the riverbank. When ordered to stop, the man jumped into the river and attempted to swim to the opposite shore. Additional Texas Game Wardens were waiting on the other side and took him into custody without further incident.
Finding the suspects
Texas Game Wardens, including K9 Roux, her handler and an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program pilot, were called to assist in the search for two, armed robbery suspects in Van Zandt County.
The suspects were involved in an armed robbery in Heath, a city east of Dallas. One suspect was apprehended while the other two fled into a wooded area following a vehicle pursuit.
K9 Roux and the UAS tracked the two suspects for nearly five miles, pushing them toward a roadway where Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were waiting.
Through the coordinated efforts of all agencies involved, all three suspects were taken into custody.
Two caught with four
Opening morning of spring turkey season in Gray County didn’t go as planned for two out-of-state hunters.
Texas Game Wardens were patrolling along the North Fork of the Red River when they heard multiple gunshots about a mile downstream. Moving into the area, they spotted a pickup in the river bottom with two individuals in full camouflage.
When contacted, both hunters claimed they were only patterning their shotguns and not yet hunting. During the conversation, a warden noticed blood on one hunter’s hand.
After separating the hunters and continuing the investigation, one hunter admitted they had been shooting birds and eventually acknowledged they were turkeys.
Further investigation revealed the two non-resident hunters from Arkansas had killed four Rio Grande turkey gobblers and concealed them near a pond in the river bottom. Neither possessed a valid Texas hunting license.
Wardens located all four birds along with spent shotgun hulls matching the firearms in the hunters’ possession.
Both individuals were cited for:
• Hunting without a valid license
• Possession of untagged Rio Grande turkeys (4 birds)
Civil restitution charges were also filed for all four turkeys.
From the Texas Game Warden Facebook page
Updated: 5/26/26