CHP refused to validate my deer tag???

[VaderSpade]

Coming home with a buck on Monday I stopped into a Gas station/subway sandwich shop for a snack. Sitting out front was a CHP cruiser. Cool I thought I can get my tag validated.
I approached the officer who was having a snack himself. He looked at me and said nothing. I said "I have a buck I was wondering if you could validate the tag?" He looked bewildered and still said nothing. Thinking he didn't hear me I repeated myself. Still nothing but I could tell he had no idea what I was talking about. I slowed down and explained "It's deer season, I got a buck And was wondering if you could validate my tag?" He then figured out what I was asking and told me "Only a fish and Game officer could validate a tag."
I have been killing bucks for 38 years and I know better (Unless they changed the rules?), but I could tell I was getting no where, so I told him "Any officer can do it, but I can see your on a break so I'll leave you alone", and I walked away?????
This all took place along I-5 up near Mt Shasta, so it's not like I was in a big city.

[retired]

So what is your question.

[Tenamaxtle]

You were in Dunsmuir?

[VaderSpade]

So what is your question.

Why?

You were in Dunsmuir?

Just south of.

[Fire in the Hole]

Why?

Either you were bothering him during his mental health half-hour, and he didn't want do deal with you right then,

Was there a sign on the edge of the table that said, "Please do not bother the Officers during feeding time, they might mistake you as food"? The manager at Denny's use to put one on the edge of our table whenever we came in.

OR,

He was new to a rural assignment, not a hunter, had never signed off a deer tag, and uninformed as to his authority to do so.

The list of people authorized to sign off deer tags seems almost endless. Even Notry Publics can do so.

The only harvested animal that has to be signed off exclusively by a F&G Warden is bear. That is because the warden has to extract the 3rd molar, and send it off to UC Davis for examination.

[Shane916]

That's a lot of people that can validate.

The following persons are authorized to validate or countersign deer and elk tags:


(A) State:


1. Fish and Game Commissioners


2. Employees of the Department of Fish and Game


3. Deputy Foresters


4. Assistant Deputy Foresters


5. Forest Rangers


6. Park Rangers--Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4


7. Supervising Plant Quarantine Inspectors


8. Junior, Intermediate and Senior Plant Quarantine Inspectors


9. Foresters


10. Fire Prevention Officers--Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4


11. Fire Captains


12. Fire Apparatus Engineers


(B) Federal: (FS = U.S. Forest Service, FWS = U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, BLM = Bureau of Land Management)


1. Range Technicians (BLM)


2. Forest Supervisors (FS)


3. Assistant Forest Supervisors (FS)


4. District Forest Rangers (FS)


5. Foresters (FS, BLM)


6. Range Conservationists (FS, BLM)


7. Forest Engineers (FS, BLM)


8. Forestry Aides (FS)


9. Fire Control Officers or Aides (FS, BLM)


10. Clerks (FS, FWS, BLM) while on duty at their headquarters


11. Game Management Agents (FWS)


12. Wildlife Management Biologists (FS, FWS, BLM)


13. District Managers (BLM)


14. Information Specialists (BLM)


15. Area Managers (BLM)


16. Realty Specialists (BLM)


17. Natural Resource Specialists (BLM)


18. Engineers (BLM)


19. Engineering Technicians (BLM)


20. Recreation Resource Specialists (BLM)


21. Geologists (BLM)


22. Recreation Aides (BLM)


23. All Uniformed Personnel of the National Park Service


24. Commanding officers of any United States military installation or their designated personnel for deer taken on their reservation.


25. Postmasters


26. Post Office Station or Branch Manager for deer brought to their post office.


(C) Miscellaneous:


1. County firemen at and above the class of foreman for deer brought into their station.


2. Judges or Justices of all state and United States courts.


3. Notaries Public


4. Peace Officers


5. Nonsalaried police officers or deputy sheriffs while on scheduled duty in a city or county of appointment for deer brought to a police station or sheriff's office


6. Officers authorized to administer oaths


7. Owners, corporate officers, managers or operators of lockers or cold storage plants for deer brought to their place of busines

[paintballergb]

I have had a similar experience. Some officers I think just don't know about the rules and such.

[Fire in the Hole]

Well on top of that you have to consider that different zones have different harvest criteria. In D6 where I live it must be male, with 3 prongs, the third prong being within the upper 1/3 of an antler, and at a minimum length to hang a ring from.

Very few peace officers in CA are ever educated on this, no nothing about it, and don't want the liability of making a mistake, then being held to answer.

Can you imagine a hunter driving into downtown San Francisco, with a legal buck in the bed of his pickup truck, going into SF Superior Court, and asking the female judge to come out to the parking lot to sign off a deer tag during her next break?

[vlsgmc]

26. Post Office Station or Branch Manager for deer brought to their post office.

[Shane916]

26. Post Office Station or Branch Manager for deer brought to their post office.

Haha, I'd pay to see a video of that.

[Fire in the Hole]

I've only gotten out 3 times this season. Seen NOTHING. But if I do harvest a buck, you can so bet you bippy that driving directly to my nearest Staples Store, since they have a Notry Public on duty. I'll get my hands all bloody first then walk in with my tag, the manual that states that a Notry Public is authorized to sign the tag, whith that part highlighted, and ask her to come out and do it. If I have no luck there, I'm off to the Post Office. Anybody want to dare me? I think all us hunters should at least try it.

[fullrearview]

I've only gotten out 3 times this season. Seen NOTHING. But if I do harvest a buck, you can so bet you bippy that driving directly to my nearest Staples Store, since they have a Notry Public on duty. I'll get my hands all bloody first then walk in with my tag, the manual that states that a Notry Public is authorized to sign the tag, whith that part highlighted, and ask her to come out and do it. If I have no luck there, I'm off to the Post Office. Anybody want to dare me? I think all us hunters should at least try it.

I dare you!!!!

[Fire in the Hole]

Dare accepted! (You must not know me very well). If I get a buck, I'll be on this like a fat kid on a fudgesickle.

[BigDogatPlay]

Back to the OP... my guess is that the officer didn't know and didn't have his thinking cap on. Break time will do that to you.

I was sitting out report writing one afternoon near dusk in a fairly rural place and a truckload of guys pulled up with a decent sized forked horn. I was the first uniform they found coming down out of the hills, and I was happy to validate their tag.

Only time I ever got asked, and I knew because I'm a hunter.

Staples or the UPS store.... either one should be a riot. And pics or it didn't happen.

[Shane916]

Dare accepted! (You must not know me very well). If I get a buck, I'll be on this like a fat kid on a fudgesickle.

Seems like quite the excitement over a dollar