I got detained by the feds in SW Louisiana for allegedly hunting a baited field. Opening day of south region dove season. It was back when ex-NFL linebacker Terry Schaunessy owned Hackberry Rod and Gun club, and he seeded the areas with goat weed 91 days before Sept 1 to avoid violating migratory bird laws. We were told in advance, even. “The feds got it out for me. Make sure you don’t shoot more than your limit; make sure your coolers have Gatorade only. Make sure your license looks right and keep it handy.” We shot over 400 of our 500 bird limit, and then a dozen federal game wardens appear. They rose from the field in ghillie suits, swooping from their ambush positions on four-wheelers. Then a helicopter landed, and even more agents stepped off the skids: all tactical, AR-15s, the whole show. Terry was pissed, and he wanted to kill the agent in command, and his client, VP of Trinity Industries (who had financed this weekend junket) wanted to kill him. They lined us up, took our birds, and sat there smirking with satisfaction until they began reading IDs. . . TX State senators, representatives, state judges, and a federal judge. Oh, and a bunch of us who happened to be loyal transit mix/Trinity industries customers. Mixing business with politics. They seemed confused, like they expected us to be contrite and guilty, not defiant and righteous. I was the youngest, so they picked me out and tried to get me to admit that I was told to admit I was hunting a baited field and that everyone else was guilty of the same. My reply was “hell man, we was waiting on you fuckers to show up.” It was getting close to dark thirty, but those guys had been hiding motionlessly in that Sept 1st heat since 5 am, daydreaming about a huge bust. 34 years later, the State representative’s son named his firstborn after my daddy. Dad had recently passed on, so it was very touching. I can’t wait til that kid gets older so I can tell him some stories about his own grandfather. I miss the way politics used to be. Back when the Texas dems had the power.