re: Is Game Warden activity Constitutional

Was duck hunting in the swamp near Sandy Hook, MS with a fraternity brother of mine from years ago. The game warden HATED him - personally. The feeling, was obviously mutual.

Anyway, we're set up on one side of a slough waiting for the ducks to come in when the warden spots us and hollers at us to show him we have plugs in our guns. I show him my 16GA pump with three rounds and a plug. John, however, hollers back, "I ain't showin' you my gun. you can **** off!"

Warden hollers back for us to come over to him and show him that damned gun. And John, of course, tells him he can stick it up his arse. If he wants to see his guns so bad, then HE can wade through the slop over to us!

This is exactly what the game warden does. And when he gets to us, covered to mid-thigh in muck, he glares at John and tells him his gun had better have a plug in it.

John sasses him again and tells him to his face that he hasn't got a plug in it and he's not GOING to put a plug in it. And furthermore, there ain't no way in hell that game warden is gonna make him put a plug in it. And even STILL furthermore he DARED him to write a citation.

You can imagine how pissed the LEO was with John's attitude. But, when he started to write him up, John lifted up his shotgun and showed him.

"Single shot, bitch. Only holds one round."

That was the end of it, but probably because both of them knew better than to push it any further. All I know is that I wasn't particularly pleased to have been party to such an exchange. It's funny as hell in retrospect, but I was more than a tad nervous at the time. And, I believe those two are still sworn enemies to this day. I have never seen anything like it. That game warden is the only person I think John ever disliked or couldn't get along with.