Muddy-- I run into the CPW officers every year I hunt public land-- none of them have ever given me any grief and I have made just about every dumb mistake in the books
I forgot to sign my license one year, they just asked me to sign it right there in front of them,
My "tag" became detached and fell off in my wallet one year and I just taped it back on-- got my license checked and the officer didn't say a thing about it being "detached"
--same thing goes for the filling out the kill tag part-- got "caught" once with the tag still in my bag and I had not filled it out yet-- I was just getting back to my atv with the 1st quarter and the officer just said to fill it out now and attach it to the carcass before I transported it anywhere in my truck "off site" (of course he had lots of questions for me before he made his decision)
-- meat/head transporting-- I was checked once while bringing my kill back to camp on my ATV, had the head/rack, but also had a quarter of the meat-- after checking my tag the officer didn't say anything except "you need any help getting the rest of the kill out?" (told him " nope, Im going right back to get the rest"-
- never made the mistake of not keeping "evidence of sex" so I can't comment on that one ...
I actually signed the bottom portion of my tag this year, and not the license part-- it was the "sign here after kill" part that I signed-- got checked by cpw this year too without a kill and he didn't say a thing about signing the wrong part of the license ( I didn't even realize it until I got home)
every CPW officer I have run into in the field has been nice, but then again I am there legally hunting just made some dumb mistakes--- was hunting with my daughter one year and they even sat down to talk to her and teach her a few things to help out her hunt, really nice guys if you ask me-- and they are human too-- but remember, they do watch you, had several tell me that they sit in "special spots" up high and glass the hunters all day-- they know where you are and where you have been when they come to "meet" you and check your tag
I have never made the mistake of having a loaded rifle on my atv or in my truck though, but every single officer I have met that is usually their 2nd question, after "can I see you hunting tag" then -- "is your rifle loaded?" -- "show me"
I feel that they know that people make mistakes and they are there to help, as long as its not a blatant violation they seem to be lenient-- at least the ones that I have met
I have never met one when I was out walking, they always meet me at my atv or truck-- I think they would rather stay near the road by their truck than hoof it out to meet you miles off the road-- even had a few just come down the main road and checked all the camps-- asked every person for their hunting tag even if they weren't hunting, seemed kinda weird but when my wife told them she wasnt hunting they just said "ok, thanks for your time, hope you are having a good time" ( I wasn't even there, I was up on the hill)