North Dakota
Behind the Badge – Strange Encounters
Strange Encounters
District Game Warden Riley Gerding
One day during the deer hunting season I was patrolling dirt roads in the middle of nowhere, keeping an eye out for potential hunting violations. At this time of year, it’s pretty common to see trucks parked along section lines or tucked along field approaches as hunters head out on foot. Most of the time it’s nothing unusual, but occasionally something catches your attention.
As I drove down a gravel road, I noticed a pickup sitting in the middle of a field near a slough. That immediately stood out to me. There was one individual outside the vehicle wearing high-visibility orange, which at least told me he was aware of the hunting season.
I stopped for a moment and watched from a distance. At first, I figured he had shot a deer and was tracking it into the slough, which wouldn’t be uncommon as hunters sometimes have to follow a trail into thick cover to find their deer.
After a few minutes, though, I noticed he kept moving around in one specific area. From where I was sitting, it looked like he might be bent over working on something. My next thought was that maybe he had already recovered the deer and was gutting it out in the field.
What really caught my attention was that the back door of his pickup was open. Then, in one quick motion, I saw him hurry over and place something in the back seat. That’s when it started to look a little suspicious.
It wasn’t clear what he had just put in the vehicle, but the way he moved made me curious enough to go take a closer look.
When I pulled alongside his vehicle, I rolled down my window and introduced myself, and asked what he was doing out there.
He casually replied, “Getting my bird.”
For a second, I assumed he meant he had been pheasant hunting. That would have made sense for the area, and sometimes hunters will combine deer hunting with a little bird hunting if the opportunity comes up.
“What do you mean, your bird?”
He turned and pointed to the back seat of his pickup and said again, “I was getting my bird.”
At first, all I could see was a dark shape sitting there. For a moment, I thought maybe it was a big black dog.
Then it shifted a little. That’s when I realized it definitely wasn’t a dog. It was an emu.
The man went on to explain that the emu had gotten out of its pen earlier and had wandered off. He told me he had three emus at home that he kept as pets, and this one had decided to go exploring.
So, instead of a hunting violation or a deer being processed in the field, what I had actually come across was a man chasing down his runaway emu during the middle of deer season.
As a game warden, you never know what you’re going to run into while out on patrol. Some days it’s chasing poachers, and other days it’s watching someone round up a wandering emu in the middle of a field.
It’s just another reminder that no two days in this line of work are ever quite the same.
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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