Truth can be stranger than fiction, and if you ever need proof, spend a little time reading game warden reports.

Out in the field, wardens see the sort of things no one could make up if they tried. Some cases are serious, some are foolish, and some would be funny if they did not carry consequences for fish, game, and the folks charged with protecting them. The following are drawn from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law-enforcement reports, and together they offer a plain reminder that when it comes to poaching and wildlife violations, somebody is usually watching.

All in a Night’s Work

A Calhoun County game warden recently put in a full night’s work in the Port O’Connor area, starting one evening and not wrapping up until the following morning. By the time the shift was over, citations had been issued to six individuals, including a commercial finfisherman.

The violations covered a wide stretch of the rule book: taking undersize flounder, undersize redfish, taking redfish by illegal means through gigging, taking spotted sea trout by illegal means through gigging, and exceeding the bag limit for flounder. In all, 28 fish were seized, including 20 flounder, seven redfish, and one 23-inch speckled trout.

Criminal cases and civil restitution were still pending.

That is a long night for a warden, and an even longer one for the folks who thought they might get away with it.

All He Saw Were the Red and Blue Lights

A Lamb County game warden was recently parked at a county road intersection in Cochran County when two vehicles pulled up. The lead vehicle slowed to within about 30 feet of the warden without the driver apparently realizing who was sitting there.

Then things got interesting in a hurry.

The passenger stuck a shotgun out the window and fired at doves sitting on a fence. The driver eased forward a few more feet, likely to check for traffic before pulling out.

Instead of a clear road, all he saw were flashing red and blue lights.

Charges are pending, but it is safe to say that was one road sign they were not expecting.

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now

Earlier this month, a game warden in Grimes County spotted a fresh deer hide lying along a county road near Singleton. Several miles farther down the road, he came upon a residence where four men were seated in a circle out front, deep into what could only be described as a serious 2 p.m. drinking session.

As the warden approached, he noticed blood on the rear of a vehicle parked nearby.

Asked about the deer hide up the road, all four men assured the warden they knew nothing about it and had killed absolutely nothing. When the blood on the vehicle was mentioned, memories began stirring. Suddenly, they recalled killing a few hogs. They still firmly denied killing any deer.

That story did not hold up for long.

Within minutes, the warden located an ice chest containing a six-point buck. At that point, one of the men suddenly remembered killing the deer with a bow and simply forgetting to tag it. But an inspection of the deer raised another problem.

It had eight legs.

A short search later turned up an eight-point buck head hidden in a nearby tree. The investigation is continuing, and cases are pending.

It is remarkable how quickly a man’s memory can improve when a game warden starts opening coolers and looking around the yard.

Game warden reports are often entertaining to read, but they also tell a more serious story. Texas wildlife belongs to all of us, and it takes law enforcement, common sense, and a healthy respect for the law to protect it. The men and women wearing the badge spend long hours in the dark, on back roads, at boat ramps, and in lonely stretches of country so the resource is still there for honest outdoorsmen tomorrow.

And judging by these reports, they earn their pay every step of the way.