Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2022 - 12

NOTES
Good timing
I was assisting Deputy State Game
Warden Jeremy Elliot with a deer
poaching complaint in Bedford
County. We were looking for
individuals hunting in a safety zone,
attempting to take game after legal
hunting hours, and failing to meet
fluorescent orange requirements
while firearms deer hunting. The
investigation appeared to be going
nowhere. We spoke with several
neighbors in the area and got the
description of the offender's vehicle.
As if on cue, the violator's vehicle
drove past the house where we
were standing. One of the witnesses
yelled, " That's the truck, just like
I described. That's the truck! " We
quickly stopped the vehicle, and the
two violators were inside. Sometimes,
a successful day of law enforcement
just comes down to good timing.-
WCO Brendan J. Ryan, Bedford and
Western Fulton counties.
The " Slow No Wake "
buoy at the end of
the rainbow
A large portion of the work
of a Waterways Conservation
Officer (WCO) is that of law
enforcement. For that reason, on
the water, we are often viewed as
a floating headache or potential
fine. The best parts of my day
are when we connect with the
boating community and show
them that we are out on the water
to do more than just write a ticket.
These opportunities are not as
common as I would like. People
who are recreational boating do
not often get to talk to us as they
boat around the lakes and rivers
of Pennsylvania unless we are
checking for a violation.
12
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2022
One day, a rainstorm unexpectedly
rolled through the Youghiogheny
River Lake, Somerset County. Every
boat in sight, including my boat,
headed to the Route 40 bridge for
cover. Packed like sardines, we
maneuvered to make room for as
many boats as possible under the
bridge. We had a great time with
the stack of boats that surrounded
us and had the opportunity to
interact with a lot of boaters. For
many, rainstorms may be off-putting
during a day of boating, but I now
look forward to them.
We also solved the age-old
question of what is at the end of
the rainbow. Not a pot of gold, but
rather a " Slow No Wake " buoy.-
WCO Tyler M. Crooks, Northern
Somerset County.
Flashing signs
I heard many stories stemming
from trout season, and I was not
quite sure what to expect. My
first experience as a WCO during
trout season had ups, downs, and
everything in between. While
stocking thousands of trout brought
about many memories, one memory
I will never forget occurred during
the closed season on a Stocked
Trout Water.
While on patrol, I routinely
ensure signs are posted to warn
anglers of closed waters. This
includes trying to anticipate every
possible direction an angler can
access a stream and attempting to
have a sign posted within eyesight of
these access points. One morning,
I observed a male actively fishing
in closed stocked trout waters. This
particular area was along a bend in
the road, so naturally the stream
had some bends as well. Due to
the bends, I placed four signs at
different angles in a small area to
let anglers know that the area was
closed fishing waters. During my
interaction with the angler, I asked
illustration-Andrea Feeney
fishandboat.com
http://www.fishandboat.com
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2022

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