Sorry Phil, I need the Beaver!

We always see Phil & Si busting up beaver dams and trying to kill those 'varmints' on Duck Dynasty but the other day the BEAVER saved us a hefty fine!

See me and my hunting mentor  (read that as the guy who is responsible for feeding my hunting addiction)  went hunting on Labor Day morning.  Not a big deal right?  We went hunting wild boar!  Yeah you read it right wild boar!   The thing is you can always hint boar as long as there is another open season but, you can only use the weapons allowed for that season.   So...if it's deer season you can use a deer rifle, but if it's squirrel season it's a slingshot!  Just kidding it's a .22 (not too much difference).  So it turns out it's BEAVER season in our neck of the woods.   

WOODS= not an area where beaver are primarily found!

Well we hunted the river bottom and the hardwoods and the clear cut...........and shot nary a pig! Shot! Strike that, Saw nary a pig!

As we are headed back to the truck we hear "hey you guys!"

Lo and behold it is our friendly neighborhood Green Pants, the tree police, Ranger Smith and the boys, the GAME WARDEN...!!!

  'What 'cha boys hunting?'
     "Pig".
"Pigs?"
    "Yep. Pigs."
"You guys got a couple of problems. Fellas this is running season not pig season. You can't have firearms with you."
     "Umm...it's Beaver season! Small game, so we can have the appropriate firearms to hunt beaver / pigs and we do."
"I've been doing this for 6 years...IT IS RUNNING SEASON!   BEAVER IS NOT SMALL GAME!..."
    "Sir, can you please show me your regulation book I will show you it is beaver season."
"I'LL SHOW YOU THE REGS!"

Now we have a long pause while ol' green pants reads his reg book and calls his supervisor.

"Umm ok fellas you go right ahead and keep on hunting seems like your right. Must be a misprint or something..but you're good."
   "Ok thanks but we're done for the day anyhow..oh by the way what would it have been a $25 fine?"
"No! Hunting out of season is a $180.00 fine plus points on your license."

I love that flat tailed, buck toothed rodent!

That is not word for word how the conversation went but close enough for you to get the point. We were asked for licenses, our guns were taken, my pack and the truck searched...I was getting worried that they were gonna pull a TSA on us!