Sta you don't know how lucky you have been but most of that is because you have hunted in a state without ten game wardens for every county. When I lived in Maryland I got checked five to ten times every year. Both upland, waterfowl and deer season. It was like a second hunting buddy that went where ever you went. And it got worse as time went on. Some days you could get checked two or even three times by the same or different wardens.
I own a very, very small island in the Chesapeake bay that was a tremendous spot for canvas back, red head and blue bills when weather got fowl and the wind came out of one certain direction. Problem was that it was almost worth you life to hunt it. I bought a old Chris Craft cabin cruiser to use as a hunting base and spend the night on. After spending three days there, due to extremely bad weather I was coming back to my side of the bay one evening with three full limits. I had been checked on the island and to me the Wardens were insane just to venture out into the bay in their Boston Whaler.
About two miles from the docks I came across two Wardens in their Whaler which was broken down. I bet that they were coming to check me again as their plane had checked to see if I was still on the island that morning. The law of the bay demanded that I give them a tow. You just don't leave anyone behind in a broken down boat, night approaching, wind blowing them off shore and tide carrying them out as well. So I tossed them a line. But about 200 yards from the dock I realized that I had three days bag limit of ducks and was allowed to only have two days in possession. Funny little technical thing in the law at the time, might still be there for all I know. So I cut the engines and asked them if they intended to check me when we got to the docks. Yes was the response. What a A-hole I said. Saved you from possible death, certain hairy night or at least few hours adrift at dark. So after five minutes the older one decided he did not care what I had in my boat but did warn me that they would pass the word that if any game warden ever came across me again that they would check me with a fine toothed comb. Fair enough I thought. But it would have made me mad as heck if after rescuing them they had written me up for that minor technical violation. They kept their word in both respects and every time after that that I was checked they went over me and my equipment with no limit of attention. Never caught me with anything but they sure did try.
So count your blessings if you have not been checked. Worse to me is that the Wardens later took the proactive position that if duck hunting and there was bait within a mile of your spot, that in their opinion altered the ducks flight path you could be written up for it. Even if it was three blinds away from you and you had no knowledge of it. A completely unreasonable standard I thought.
