Bill Moulton
Bill was in my first LE training class when I came down to Nashville and took over the officer training. He was a great officer and an even better person!
Great story. My oldest daughter wanted to be a game warden and even went to UT Knoxville with intentions of pursuing that goal, she was in their wildlife management program. She decided that she didn't really want that life after her first couple semesters. That said, I could have seen her doing the same with your daughter.My daughter has had her lifetime license since right after she was born.
A few years ago, several of us went squirrel hunting. I had ask my daughter if she had her license, she said yes. I guess because we were already there, and she had forgotten it, she didn't want to mess things up...so she lied about having it.
After the hunt, we were back at the vehicles. We were backed into a logging road into the property. This property is at the end of a small dead end road (pig path). Only on rare occasions do you ever see another vehicle back there. The guys we were with were parked between us and the road.
As we were loading our stuff into the vehicle, I hear a vehicle coming down the road...very slowly. There is a curve just above where we are parked, so you can't see anything. In just a minute, I see the front of a dark green truck easing around the curve...it's the GW.
I make the comment...we about to get checked. Daughter, who is with me behind the CRV, with the back hatch open, suddenly gets very concerned. It looks like she's about to cry. I say to her..."you don't have your license...do you?". She says no.
By this time the GW is already checking those with us. I walk around our vehicle, and start talking to the GW. Daughter is hiding behind car about to chit herself. GW asks...who is that hiding behind the car? I tell her what's going on, figuring she's about to throw the book at daughter. She has her license...she just forgot it. She tells me to have her come over to us...and I did. I'm thinking we about to get our butts chewed out...and cited. Instead...she asks the daughter...do you have your phone with you? Dumb question...what teenage girl doesn't.... Daughter says yes, so the GW helps her load the app on her phone and pull it up electronically. Never even fussed about it. Was just being helpful.
Ironically...daughter has never forgotten her license again...
True story. Back in '75 my cousin and I were going deer hunting on my family property in Weakley county. There was a hunting club across the road from us and when I pulled up to our gate the GW (I believe his name was Ellis) was talking to 4 or 5 of the hunting club members. Well, my cousin didn't have an orange cap and as we started to open the gate the GW stopped us. Said my cousin couldn't hunt without orange on his head. I opened my trunk and got a fluorescent orange frisbee, punched two holes in it and tied it to my cousin's head. The GW just shook his head and laughed. Of course as soon as we got out of sight he took it off. Put it back on when we came out.Haven't had many encounters but the couple I have were good. A few years ago I was back at camp after the morning hunt and I hear somebody pull in. It was the game warden along with the guy that was taking his place. A members dad was in a golf cart that had stopped down the road and they were letting me know. They offered to bring him to camp but he told them he'd wait for his son. Well we chatted a few minutes and they left so I was getting my stuff together to go see what was wrong with the golf cart when he came pulling in. He didn't have an orange hat on and I asked if they had said anything to him and he said "yeah they told me to make sure I put one on".
It's what they say.. truth is Stranger Than fiction!
