It’s Not a Game
Mark Jeter, a state Fish and Game warden, patrols the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Baldy. His job includes everything from searching for poachers to taking butchered deer meat--nabbed from poachers--to Sisters of the Poor charity in Long Beach. Here are some bits and pieces from a game warden’s life:
What others in law enforcement call wardens: Critter cops.
How fishermen who exceed the state limit react when they see him: They stuff wriggling fish into their boots or pockets.
What people dressed in hunter orange say when Jeter asks for their hunting license: “I’m just shooting at rocks”; “I’m just trying to protect my buddy from bears.”
What people try to steal from the forest: Jeter caught one man with an 8-week-old mountain lion stuffed under his car seat, a rope around its neck.
Why wardens don’t like dove season, which starts in the fall: Hunters shoot wildly at the sky, and pellets rain down, peppering wardens and others. Last year, a hunter in the Angeles took a shot at a low-flying dove, accidentally shooting a warden in the face.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
