Worst instance of a CO overstepping their authority up here has to go to a female who was very in-your-face at every interaction. Over by the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station in Chatham is a State owned field. As part of the Autrain Basin Waterfowl Refuge complex system the State pays share-cropper farmers to plant and manage, but not harvest all of the crops on the plots they lease. This particular location has three ponds in a rough triangle in the southeastern corn, with the fields to the north comprising just under 100acres, annually planted in in alfalfa. One year the leasing farmer was also paid to plant sixty fallow acres east of the ponds in corn. He was allowed to harvest forty acres, then instructed to drive his tractor down the standing corn rows left and knock them down and leave them for deer and waterfowl to feed on the cobs. A group of folks from Munising traditionally hunt the goose opener on this field complex, driving in on a two-track from the north to the gate, and setting-up on the perimeter along the tree line, usually on the north side where the field forms a rather flat expanse for sixty acres or so. From this spot in the field you couldn't actually see the cornfield over by the ponds since it is at about a 30 foot higher elevation. We cart in our gear from the gate on the perimeter of the farm from the south side if we see no lights along the tree line, hiding our carts and decoy bags in a shallow valley just off the two track that dissects the field. Occasionally, we hunt together but they have no layout blinds, so we would rotate hunters through them.
Ms. Dunn ticketed all of these hunters for hunting over bait on opening day as well as some other folks, despite the fact that the harvested cornfield was about a quarter of a mile away, and the harvest interval was well over two weeks prior the goose opener. I was in the Regional MDNR Office when two of them came in to talk to the Law Enforcement Supervisor, listened to their recount of events and told them to contact an attorney who hunts waterfowl that I knew. They requested a hearing before a judge and presented the evidence I just cited in the overview. The judge threw the case out, citing entrapment. The telling piece of evidence was the farmer's testimony that he was instructed to knock the corn down with his tractor and leave it. '
The only personal incident that I have faced that I felt was harassment was one night I was walking out of a clear-cut to my truck in the pouring rain. I had misse a turn and walked well out of my way prior looking at my compass and determinin I was headed in the wrong direction. I back tracked and found the right skidder road but my head lamp had nearly died, so I rummaged through my pack and found an old alumunim cased pen light I used to wear around my neck, prior headlamps. I turned it on and finished the hike out, arriving at my 4-Runner thoroughly soaked. I laid my wet rifle on my hunting coat parallel the lift gate in the back of the cargo bay because I had no intention of putting a soaking wet gun in a leather gun case. My clip and shells were already in my fanny pack which got placed next to my gun. I fired-up the 4-Runner ( In this era you could actually buy them without mid-seats, carpeting,, and the cargo bay was all rubber mat lined with no carpeting; great for hauling deer. I started down the muddy two-track to drive back to our tent camp. A vehicle's lights popped on as I passed and began to follow my out. The vehicle began riding my back bumper as I drove slowly out. When I hit an intersection with another main woods road, I pulled-over to the right to let the tailgaters by. Instead, the vehicle pulled past me and then parked in front of me and on came the floodlights. Then the interrogation started: What were you doing in the woods so late? Do you know it is a ticket-able offence to have an uncased gun in a vehicle? Gun is soaking wet. Case is leather. I can't possibly reach it from where I am driving and it is unloaded. Where are the bullets and clip? Somewhere inside that fanny pack next to the gun. You were driving erratically, have you been drinking? No, but I am driving out on a muddy rutted road in 4WD where others have gotten stuck prior my passage, with two COs tailgating me the entire way! They checked my license and finally backed out of my way...and then continued to follow me back to our tent camp to inspect our site and make sure we had a camping permit posted for State land and check my two hunting partners out. I was told they did not like my "attitude".
One of the very few times I have ever wanted to punch a C.O.
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