So tired of this crap. I read the second article down pertaining to Idaho and small suction dredges. If the EPA shows up where I'm dredging and starts asking for papers I'm sticking to the fourth amendment of the constitution and backing that up with my second amendment. You do not have to provide papers proving that you are complying with the law when the act itself is not in violation of the law. I was high banking this year and fish and game pulled up. I said hi and gave him every courtesy of conversation until he asked for my papers proving water rights to the tributary I was working. To which I looked bewildered, then took a long look around at my surroundings then took a big sigh (audible to the F&G officer) and said "phew! Thought I'd fallen into Nazi Germany there". That's when he looked bewildered. And I said "Officer, is the action that I'm performing here illegal?" He coyly responded "without the proper paperwork, yes" I asked "do you know that this is the United States and in the United States we do not have to show license unless the action is illegal or that the officer has probable cause to believe that the person is committing a crime?" Then I quickly asked him "do you have probable cause to believe that I'm performing a violation of the law here" and he curtly said "if you don't have the proper paperwork" I said "that's not what I asked, let me rephrase, am I being detained?" He said "no" I said "good day then" and walked over and fired my pump back up. He watched for a while and walked around a bit and then got in his truck and left. He was even nice enough to wave. Now if I didn't have my pistol on my hip I don't believe that it would have gone that way. But then again maybe he understood that I'm not one to just bend....
