A walk down game warden memory lane

The leaves were clinging to their branches in defiance of the upcoming autumn, trying to prolong their time swaying to the melody of summer's last breaths. The last year's fallen crop was still scattered below and the dry weather had left a few able to crunch underfoot as I tried to shuffle silently behind my dad. "Pick up your feet and step easy," he explained. I began to quietly march like a slow-motion soldier in a parade. This squirrel hunting safari was my very first-time hunting and I was trying to figure things out. The adventure had started with an interest in going hunting, something that came naturally to a rural upbringing and with a father who enjoyed the field as much as his easy chair. After tagging along on long walks and getting to shoot a little out back, dad declared I was ready to attend a hunter safety class. "A class about hunting? Could there be an entire school like that?" I'd wondered. The course was led by a volunteer instructor at a scout camp near New Waterford, Ohio. He wore a felt fedora which today would inspire thoughts of the yet unknown Indiana Jones. Back then, it was the increasingly famous archer Fred Bear that came to my mind. He also sported a jacket with a protective shooting patch on the shoulder with "safe hunter" embroidered above a pocket. I'd never listened to any teacher more intently as I scribbled copious notations in my work book. I circled gun part names, animal tracks and safety hints and glared at any kid trying to look over my shoulder. My plan — get the best grade in the class. Dad, who had volunteered to sit in and "keep an eye on the kids," sat in a corner nursing his pipe; the cherry blend tobacco mixing with the musty old cabin's smell and that of the gun oil and solvent infused guns setting on display — an aroma I'll bet even Daniel Boone would've recognized. The class was to last most of the day and at about midpoint, a local club hosted an outdoor picnic of hotdogs, Wise potato chips and cider donated from a nearby orchard. As we were munching down the best-tasting hotdogs ever, another car pulled into the lot. A man dressed in green and tan climbed out and all chomping stopped. It was the game warden! I'd never seen one before but I'd heard the stories. I couldn't remember his name but I did recall a few of the descriptive adjectives. My dad looked at him and said, "That's how you bait a game warden … free food." I was mortified. To my surprise, he went straight to my dad and the course instructor and shook their hands — then he got the free hot dog. Soon, we were back in class. I learned that the proper name for an Ohio game warden was "game protector." He carefully walked us through the ideas of being an ethical hunter. He told us that while part of his job was to catch bad guys, his most important task was to keep people out of trouble. I remember that he held up the rules pamphlet and said that "Anybody can make a mistake, but don't make it because you're lazy. Read your laws every year because they change. And don't be crooked, either. You may not get caught right away, but people will know. Eventually, I'll come knocking." I believed him! He then took us outside for a shooting demonstration before returning to take the final test. The Game Protector and the instructor walked around the room glancing over shoulders. At one point, I felt the uniformed sleeve brush my arm as he reached down to tap on one of the questions. "Think a little more on that one," he said quietly then walked on to stop at another bowed head. In the end, I'd passed the test — just not at the top of the class, but that was OK. The Game Protector took his place at the front of the room and handed out an iron-on patch and our hunter safety card, shaking each of our hands. One lone boy sat by himself, silent tears rolling down his face. He hadn't made the grade but the game protector and the teacher called him up front and gave him a safety patch and a study book. They announced that this kid had worked the hardest of all and would easily pass the test "next time." I remember the boy smiled wide as they took a group photo with him in the center beside the kneeling officer whose hand rested on his shoulder — a photo destined for the sportsmen's club bulletin board. The next morning, dad took me to buy my hunting license. He told me to remember the number in case I lost it so I could get a new copy. Then it was to the mushroom hunting woods which had magically transformed into a squirrel woods. That's how this young marching soldier ended up following along to look for fox squirrels on a waning summer day during a long-ago September. Two squirrels later, we were done and I was happily exhausted. "Next time we'll bring Cricket," he said as he stoked up his old briar and began our drive home. As I leaned back and daydreams drifted, I thought about the little black spaniel – and of schools that teach hunting and what it might be like to be a game protector. While that old hunting license is long gone, the number was BZ1484. Dad told me to remember it — and I always will. I also found out a lot more about being a game protector — and even eaten my fair share of free hot dogs. Hunter and Trapper Education Class information and registration is found online at www.wildohio.gov or call 1-800-WILDLIFE. Locally, contact 419-424-5000. "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." — Christopher Reeve Along the way In July, Ohio Wildlife Officer Brad Turner, assigned to Preble County, received a Turn-In-a-Poacher report regarding turtles being sold in Cincinnati. Turner and Wildlife Officer Andrew Dowdell, assigned to Butler County, went to check out the information. They found two men selling red-eared sliders without the required propagation permit. During the encounter, one of the suspects, Alonso Oliver-Tucker, 37, of Philadelphia, PA, ignored the officers' commands and fled in his vehicle, striking Turner as he accelerated. Turner was treated at The Christ Hospital and released the same evening. Cincinnati Police Department filed three arrest warrants for Oliver-Tucker, who was arrested several days later in Pennsylvania. He's now been indicted by a grand jury in Hamilton County on two felony counts: assault on a police officer and failure to comply with an order of a police officer. The Wildlife Officers seized more than 100 red-eared sliders and an investigation into wildlife violations for both suspects is pending. Potential violations include failure to obtain a propagation permit, failure to keep record of sales, failure to attach Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags to turtles used in commercial sale, and deterrence of a wildlife officer. The Division of Wildlife has received assistance in the proceedings of this case from the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft nature center at Hueston Woods State Park, as well as the Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles. Step outside •Today: Black Swamp Bucks Unlimited Fall Classic, 3-8 p.m. Hancock County Fairgrounds, Legacy Pavilion. Fundraiser includes live music, food, drink, games, raffles, and outdoor packages. Proceeds will benefit the conservation programs of the organization. $10 tickets can be purchased early at blackswampbucks.com/raffles or at the door. •Tomorrow: 75-Bird Trap Shoot, practice opens 11:30 a.m., program begins 12:30 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. Public welcome. Contact: Sandy Thomas, sandthm@aol.com •Thursday: Trap and Skeet Practice, open to the public. 4 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. •Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10: Morning Trap League. 50-bird shoot, traps open 9 a.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Public welcome. Contact Denny Snyder: 419-722-7846. •Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11: Evening Trap League. 50-bird shoot, traps open 6 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Public welcome. Contact Jackie Schnapp: 419-957-0459. •Sept. 24: Nostalgia 50-Bird Trap Shoot for Vintage Shotguns. Traps open at 12:30 p.m., program at 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Eligible shotguns include Ithaca Model 37; Winchester Models 12, 97, 101, Super X1; Remington Models 10, 11, 17, 31, 32, 3200, 870, 1100; Browning Superposed, A-5, Double-Auto, B-2000; Ithaca, Parker and LC Smith Single Barrel trap guns and any side-by-side shotgun. •Oct. 3: Free Youth Clays Shoot, 5-6 p.m. Sandusky River Coon Hunters Club, sponsored by Seneca Co. Pheasants Forever. 7575 S. Township Road 131, Tiffin. Open to the public for kids 17 and under. Kids and adults bringing a participating youth may shoot for free. 12- and 20-gauge shot shells will be provided. If bringing your own ammunition, no shot sizes larger than 7 ½. Information: Don, 567-278-1551. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com