Bump for Tony’s memory

OutdoorWriter · Dec 23, 2021

This is a residual per Blue's request in the One Photo Per Day thread in the Photography section.

The local game warden, the late Gene Basset, and I were heading up the Pine R. trail to ride a routine patrol loop and come down the Vallecito Trail, with an overnight at Rock Lake. It started raining so we donned our long yellow rain slickers. As we got to the bridge where the Emerald Lake trail comes in to the Pine River trail, we met two backpackers. So we stopped to chat a bit.

They both had fishing rods sticking out of their packs, so Gene asked them how the fishing had been. They were ecstatic to tell us they had caught a ton of fish and had trout for dinner every night.

Sooo..Gene leaned over, stuck out his hand as if to shake and said,"I'm Gene Basset with the Colo. Div. of Wildife. Can I see your fishing licenses please?"

Duh!

Of course, had he not had on his slicker, they would have seen his CDOW patch on his shirt.

Neither of them had licenses, so he cited them and confiscated their fishing tackle with the caveat,"You can pick this stuff up at the CDOW office in Durango when you come in to pay your fines."

There Blue, now you know the rest of the story.

Bluehair · Dec 23, 2021

I’m surprised at the number of people who get in trouble fishing, it doesn’t seem that tricky. Of course the DOW would prefer driving up to a parking lot over getting out of their truck any day, so fisherpeople are more likely to get checked.

I got a ticket for sticking an axe in a tree 40 years ago. Still on the run from the man.

OutdoorWriter · Dec 23, 2021

Bluehair said:
I’m surprised at the number of people who get in trouble fishing, it doesn’t seem that tricky. Of course the DOW would prefer driving up to a parking lot over getting out of their truck any day, so fisherpeople are more likely to get checked.

I got a ticket for sticking an axe in a tree 40 years ago. Still on the run from the man.

I forgot one thing from that story: I recall the one kid, about 18, saying something like, "We didn't think we needed a state license to fish on federal land," but Basset wasn't having any of that.

Not all of the officers stay in their trucks. That was especially true of Gene, who was pretty much old school. He usually rode the high country twice a month in summer and was on the lake every weekend during the summer months.

He once cited a personal friend of mine for fishing on the lake without a license.

Two friends had come from PHX to fish for pike. So I told them to make sure they buy their licenses that night. The next day, I had one with me and the other was in a boat with my youngest son. We were fishing about a 1/2 mile apart when I saw Basset's boat heading up the lake toward us. I told the guy with me to get his license ready to show him.

He then says, "Ohh, Ray didn't buy one, figuring he could get away with it."

Next thing we see Basset stop next to my son's boat, and few minutes later, Ray is getting in Gene's boat and heading off to jail because he said he didn't have the money on him to pay the fine.

About 1/2 way to the ramp, Basset turns the boat around and heads back toward us. He pulls alongside me and says, "Tony, this guy claims he's a friend of yours." He then explains the jail bit. By now, I'm fuming. I told Gene that I would vouch for the fine if he doesn't pay it.

When he left, I really laced into Ray, of course, and immediately ended the day of fishing for everyone. And yes, Ray paid the fine.

Captain_coues · Dec 23, 2021

Good story Tony. It would have sucked if he came up with another way he could make his fine go away. In other words, he could trade favors for the fine.

OutdoorWriter · Dec 23, 2021

Captain_coues said:
Good story Tony. It would have sucked if he came up with another way he could make his fine go away. In other words, he could trade favors for the fine.

Agree. I always used to tell people that Gene would cite his mother if she broke the law & he found out about it. BUT...the "found out" part was the key.

Everyone in our area, including Gene, had an inkling that a certain large family subsisted on venison year round. On one of our rides in the high country, I asked him about it. He said he just stays away, thus had no direct knowledge of the violations.

eelgrass · Dec 23, 2021

OutdoorWriter said:
I always used to tell people that Gene would cite his mother if she broke the law & he found out about it

Gene must be related to RELH.

OutdoorWriter · Dec 23, 2021

One last tale about Basset that I don't tell often, but I think the statute of limitations has been in play for a long time.

It was fall, 1978. I had arrived home a day earlier after guiding other hunters on a 7-day hunt at Hermosa Creek near the Purgatory ski area and decided to try and fill my own deer or elk tag the next day -- the last of the season. So I went to an area near Bayfield where Gene & I released a bear that we had captured at my place the previous spring.

I arrived shortly after sun-up, parked my truck and took off with my pack and rifle. The country there is mostly rolling hills with lots of cedar/juniper growing. So I meandered about, often stopping to glass from a hilltop in search of an elusive buck or bull. After one such stop, I started down the opposite side of the hill when I came across a fresh blood trail. It was quite heavy, so I followed it. I went about 300 yards and spotted a bedded cow elk. She saw me about the same time, jumped up and tried to run off, heading up a hill. About every 20 yards she would fall, get up and take off again. I could see her right rear leg was flopping about, barely hanging on with a piece of hide about six inches above the knee. When she stopped broadside, I shot her to put her out of her misery.

I field dressed and quartered her. By the time I was done, it was starting to get dark, and my truck was at least a mile away. I dragged the meat under a tree and covered it as best I could with a poncho I had in my pack.

When I arrived home, the first thing I did was call Gene. I told him I had just shot a wounded cow elk and didn't have tag.

I had known Basset for a while and served as the chief hunter safety instructor in his district for two years. Yet I knew our friendship would mean little if he felt I was guilty of an intentional violation. He never questioned me about it and simply said, "Meet me in town at eight and we'll take the horses to pack out the meat and bring it to the school.

When we got back to where I had parked my truck, Gene reached into the back of his truck and pulled out the plastic bag that we had put the loins in. He handed it to me and said, "Here, take this for your troubles."

elkassassin · Dec 23, 2021

Wait Just a F'N Minute Here!

What If The BackPackers/Hikers Would'of Starved To Death Trying To Get Out of the Mountains With No Way To Survive Without Their Fishing Poles/Gear?

Asking for SS!