The Game Warden Checkpoint
When I got out of the Texas Game Warden Academy in 1991, a few counties in the southernmost area of Texas were the only places white-winged dove could be legally hunted during the Special White-winged Dove Season.
For many years prior, going down to the Lower Rio Grande Valley to hunt that brief season had been a family tradition for people from all around. By “family”, I mean a bunch of dudes, mostly, who liked to hunt dove and party.
The best white-wing hunting had always been along the Rio Grande River in Cameron, Hidalgo and Starr Counties.
The season was short; it ran from 12 noon to sunset on the Saturday and Sunday before Labor Day. Back then, I believe the daily bag limit was 12 doves in the aggregate, to include no more than two mourning doves and one whitetipped or white-fronted dove.
People that travelled down to hunt would generally get in on Friday, hunt Saturday and Sunday, and then return home on Labor Day.
With that in mind, the Parks and Wildlife powers that be came up with a plan to use two Border Patrol (BP) Checkpoints – one on Hwy 77 near Sarita and the other on Hwy 281 near Falfurrias - as “game warden checkpoints”.
To my knowledge, this was only done (officially) for a few years around the late 80s-early 90s.
Back then as it is now, all northbound traffic on Hwy 281 and Hwy 77 in South Texas, was diverted off the highway to be, well, checked.
As each vehicle passing through came to a stop, a BP agent would ascertain if they were U.S. citizens or not, and then ask, “Have y’all been hunting?” If they said yes, they would be motioned over to a covey of game wardens in a different area to be checked for possible game violations.
On Labor Day of 1990 at the Falfurrias Check Point, a couple of game wardens got more than they bargained for.
When the BP agent approached a vehicle, the driver nervously reported that the guy in the truck behind him had pointed a shotgun at him a few miles back.
Armed with that information, Game Wardens Marvin Tamez and Jason McFall approached the suspect vehicle.
The driver, a burly older dude, who henceforth will be called “Burly Dude”, was alone in the vehicle. When he came to a stop, Jason walked to the driver’s side, and Marvin went to the passenger’s.
When Marvin peered in, he saw a single-shot shotgun, with barrel-end to the floorboard, next to the guy’s right leg. As Jason talked to the man, Marvin opened the door and attempted to secure the shotgun.
Well, Burly Dude didn’t like that. He grabbed the grip on the stock and didn’t let go. Marvin grabbed the barrel, and a tussle ensued with said barrel precariously positioned between Marvin’s legs.
Jason reached through the window and put the guy in a headlock, but it turned out that Burly Dude was country-boy strong and wasn’t about to let go of his gun. It was touch and go for longer than either of the two wardens cared for it to be. Marvin fought hard to keep the end of the barrel away from himself.
Then, SNAP! Marvin fell back with the business end of what he could then see was a loaded shotgun in his hands, and Burly Dude, still in a headlock, was left holding the splintered stock.
Burly Dude was then, with the help of other officers, summarily removed from his truck and planted on the pavement. He was handcuffed, placed under arrest, and taken to the Brooks County Jail.
South Zone Special White-winged Dove Days for 2025 are Sept. 5-7 and Sept. 12-13. And, just in case you’re wondering, if happen to be headed for a hunt in the Valley, there won’t be any “game warden checkpoints” when you come back north.
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