One fellow, name of Joe, invited me on a number of his field trips, most of which were educational and sometimes funny. Like the day Joe invited me to hike up to a mountain lake to catch some photos of a airplane planting small trout on the fly. It was a grueling hike to reach the lake and we got there in time to get our cameras ready. Joe warned that the plane would drop in quickly over the trees on the west side of the little lake, release its load of fingerlings and buzz off at the east end to clear the trees. "It will happen quickly", he said, "so give him plenty of lead to catch it all." The plane came in as quick as advised and our cameras clicked. We moved in close to the shallows of the lake and could see those little guys scooting for cover to protect themselves from predators. The stocking was successful. Later, as we had our film developed (long before digital cameras) we found that I got a good shot of the airplane motor and Joe shot most of the tail above flume spraying out the fingerlings.
Another time Joe invited me to go with him to stock small trout using a special float boat in a lake atop the Santiam Pass in the Cascade mountains. The boat was a small 12-footer that looked conventional except it had a float ring to keep it from sinking when full of water. In the transom was a gate plate to pull up to let the water in the boat flow out. With the boat on the water at the shoreline a fish stocking truck showed up and filled the little craft with small trout. Off we went rowing and when far enough from shore, Joe pulled the gate plug and started rowing to encourage the little fish to swim out. It worked except Joe did have to scoop out a reluctant few with a bucket. A couple of boats saw us "desperately sinking" and motored over to offer help. It was nice of them but not needed.
I didn't actually take a field trip with game officers but often saw one who was always willing to tell me when he was about to "bust" someone for a violation. I saw him one day standing on the side of the highway looking down at a small fishing boat with an adult male and two small boys headed for a nearby marina. He said, "See that guy", he pointed, "I have seen them catch way more than an allowable limit of trout." I watched the officer walk up to the guy with the kids and start searching their gear. He found the extra loot of fish in their lunch box. The officer was quite ticked off. "What kind of an example did that father set for those little boys", he growled later.
I came across that same game warden alongside a small lake next to the Santiam highway one day while he watched a fellow out on the lake blatantly casting spinner and worms to some eager trout. The officer remarked as I watched, "he has earned a ticket, also,"! The officer was standing next to a very visible sign that read, FLY FISHING ONLY.
Deer hunting is a period when game violations can occur--some of which can make a law-abiding citizen shake his head. Hoping for some material to write about I stood by at a check-out station Opening Day one year at a restricted hunting site and much of it was dull watching until one hunter and his young son pulled up in a pickup truck to the gate. "Any luck, see anything?" the officer asked. "Naw, nothing," came the reply". "Oh, how about this?" the officer snarled as he reached in under some coats behind the seat and pulled out a deer fawn! He must have seen some blood or fur to get a clue. Another father teaching his son that crime doesn't pay.
So beware when out enjoying some outdoor sport, you just might come across one of those officers whom I have heard about that will arrest even their mother if they catch her violating game laws.
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