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.
GROUP CAN’T HANDLE THE INFLUX OF DUCKS
During the last weekend of duck season, Hamilton and Bosque County game wardens patrolled the Brazos River and found a group that exceeded their daily bag limit threefold. As the wardens were launching their boat, they heard several volleys of gunfire nearby. Navigating icy sloughs, they tried to locate the hunters. Along the way, the wardens encountered a few boats and checked one duck hunter, finding no violations. Later that morning as they were loading their boat, wardens heard a volley of shots from the same area. Using a satellite mapping program, they were able to pinpoint several private lakes in the vicinity that could be potential hunting locations. Near the entrance to one of the locations, they encountered a man in camouflage exiting an equipment shed. He appeared evasive and was urgently texting someone. After a brief conversation, the man directed the wardens to a nearby duck blind, where three nervous hunters were packing up their gear and offered conflicting details about their group size. Initially claiming there were eight hunters — then seven — none of the remaining hunters could name the hunters who had allegedly left.
As one warden interviewed the hunters, the other went to inspect a pile of ducks on the opposite bank. As he was checking the ducks, the warden discovered a fourth individual behind the dam, dressed in camouflage with a stringer of ducks he was attempting to hide. The hunter lacked a valid hunting license and had crossed two fences to conceal the 16 birds. When confronted, the group falsely claimed he was retrieving a lost bird. Near the blind, wardens found additional ducks and roughly 250 shotgun shells and hulls containing prohibited lead shot. The hunters admitted to using leftover shot from dove season, knowing it was illegal for waterfowl hunting. Ultimately, the wardens determined only four individuals were hunting — three of whom had valid hunting licenses. The group had used four shotguns, some still loaded with lead shot, and had illegally harvested 54 ducks — three times the legal daily bag limit. Three of the hunters, residents of Louisiana, admitted to knowing they had exceeded their daily bag limit but didn’t want to stop shooting as they claimed this was more ducks than they had seen all season in both Texas and Louisiana. The fines and restitution total for the group was more than $7,000.
ILLEGAL EXOTIC HUNT GROUP BUSTED
Texas game wardens arrested a local hunting outfitter and two others for illegally guiding nilgai hunts on private property. The suspects used airboats and thermal optics to take clients on hunts for the exotic animals, operating a sophisticated scheme. The individuals have been charged with hunting exotic animals without landowner consent, theft of exotic livestock and engaging in organized criminal activity. The arrests were the result of a nearly year-long investigation in the Rio Grande Valley area. Warrants were served on multiple properties simultaneously and were executed with the support of multiple game wardens, including the Texas Game Warden Rural Operations Group, as well as Homeland Security Investigations, due to the organized criminal activity aspect of the case.
CLENDENING NAMED SEAFWA TEXAS OFFICER OF THE YEAR
Rusk County Game Warden Kirk Clendening was named the 2024 Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Texas Officer of the Year. Clendening began his tenure in 2011, with his first duty station in Val Verde County. From there, he served as a game warden in Smith County and was a full-time member of the Marine Tactical Operations Group in Corpus Christi. Clendening then moved to Rusk County and has served there for more than 7 years. Clendening consistently excels in marine patrol operations, investigations and public outreach.
ALLEN NAMED SHIKAR-SAFARI CLUB TEXAS OFFICER OF THE YEAR
Jefferson County Game Warden Jamal Allen was named the Shikar-Safari Club International 2025 Texas Officer of the Year. Allen graduated from the 63rd Texas Game Warden Academy in 2020 and began his service in Jefferson County. As a certified Texas Commission on Law Enforcement instructor, Allen was invited to teach saltwater law, defensive tactics and simunitions to game warden cadets. He is also a certified Intoxilyzer operator, field training officer, armorer and defensive tactics instructor. In 2022, he was named the Coastal Conservation Association’s Texas Officer of the Year for his enforcement efforts in the commercial shrimping and crabbing industry. Additionally, he was honored by the Southeast Texas Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving as Officer of the Year for his BWI enforcement in both 2022 and 2024.
MORE THAN 200 POUNDS OF SNAPPER SEIZED
The Coast Guard interdicted a lancha and seized 200 pounds of illegally caught fish in federal waters off southern Texas. A South Padre Island boat crew and aircrews located and stopped three Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line. After interdicting the lanchas, Coast Guard personnel seized 200 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear and highflyers on board the vessels. Coast Guard crews detained the men, brought them ashore and transferred the detainees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing. The seized fish were donated to the Harte Institute to support Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing research and Sea Turtle Inc. to help feed and rehabilitate turtles.
Updated: 2/20/2025
