Any Game Wardens here?

[wildenout]

Hey guys!
I'd love to pick your brains if anyone on here is a Game Warden. I have applied to a few places, but would love some more information from some people in the field.
Thanks all!

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

Feel free to PM

 

[Step N. Mud]

and ya get to drive around in a Ford Raptor

 

[Texas Star]

Do you watch the shows about Maine and Washington (state) wardens on Animal Planet? Those are informative, to a degree.

They seem to be pretty sharp, articulate cops.

Anyone know which sidearms those agencies issue? Can't see them drawn often.

 

[wuluf]

I'm not a game warden, but I have read all the Joe Pickett novels...

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

WDFW issues Glock 21s

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Down her in the coastal area, the wardens drive Dodge 3/4 ton diesels and pull 24' Whalers. Pretty sweet if ya ask me. My 19' Whaler is an old Wildlife & Fisheries boat I bought at the auction. People leave when they see it coming

 

[Grayfox]

Many years ago as a young man I gave some serious thought to becoming a Wildlife Officer. After checking into it, I soon found that a college degree was required and even then they had a 5-6 year backlog of applicants. Officers I talked to said you had to either know somebody or be at the top of the class just to be considered.
Kinda hard to commit to four years of college when the odds of getting the job are that slim.
I suggest you have a sit down with the local officer before making any plans.

 

[muddocktor]

Down her in the coastal area, the wardens drive Dodge 3/4 ton diesels and pull 24' Whalers. Pretty sweet if ya ask me. My 19' Whaler is an old Wildlife & Fisheries boat I bought at the auction. People leave when they see it coming

I bet the outlaws scatter like a covey of quail when you are riding around. Have you gotten shot at by some of the Levee Rats?

 

[PA Reb]

All states differ - some easier to get in than others. Here in PA, one must take and pass a civil service test where veteran points are automatically added to the applicant's score. If selected, they must successfully pass through several different verbal and psychological interviews. If selected there, they then must attend and complete the training academy in Harrisburg. There usually aren't very many openings. A college degree is not mandatory but certainly helps ones chances. It's actually considered harder to get in the PA Game Commission than it is the PA State Police.

 

[wildenout]

Already have the college part down, thanks for all the info! I am chasing a position in AZ, WA, and here in NV.

 

[WR Moore]

My 19' Whaler is an old Wildlife & Fisheries boat I bought at the auction. People leave when they see it coming

I won't ask if that's why you bought it. When I saw the thread title I was wondering if someone figured if the warden was online, they weren't in the woods or waters.

 

[Frank237]

Look into Montana. You can have your own area of several hundred square miles...all to yourself. Be run ragged from September to February between; Bow, Big game, Waterfowl, Trapping, upland birds and wolves.

Then just get caught up and fishing starts.

FN in MT

 

[Texas Star]

I'm not a game warden, but I have read all the Joe Pickett novels...

Me, too, and the author told me that his gun wisdom is derived from talking to a real Wyoming game warden. C.J. Box personally said that he has only a Remington M-870 like Joe's hunting shotgun. He isn't into guns as a hobby.

He seems a very nice fellow, whose books have improved a lot since the early ones where Joe seemed too naïve.

BTW, on both those reality TV shows, I've yet to see a warden, male or female, with eyeglasses. That's probably a clue to their vision requirements.

 

[cussedemgun]

Go north, young man

FYI check out this site;

Alaska Trooper Recruitment Home

 

[wildenout]

FYI check out this site;

Alaska Trooper Recruitment Home

Um, I am going to have to pass on this one on account of the extreme cold

 

[mc5aw]

The job may seem romantic, but there's no way I would want to be patrolling solo out in the wilderness and have to deal with sundry meth labbers, poachers, or generic two-legged predators. God speed to those who do the job with pride and commitment.

 

[EQGuy]

My career choice was to be a wildlife biologist or game warden. I attended Humblodt State College starting in 1965 with my major as Game Management. After getting out of the Army in 1970 I took a civil service test for Physical Science Aid and scored a perfect score of 100. I also had 5 points as a veteran. Long story short I was offered and accepted a job with USGS as a GS-3 Physical Science Aid on a temporary full time appointment not to exceed 11 months. My thought was to work the 11 months and then look for a job in the wildlife field.

I was in working in Nevada that summer and got to talking to a hunter while gassing up the 4X4 DOI pickup. It turned he was a geologist and he was going hunting for desert bighorn sheep. He told me all of his friends had become game wardens and while he was out enjoying himself hunting they were all working overtime with very little time spent hunting.

That 11 months stretched out to several decades and five years ago I retired from USGS and I always took my annual leave during hunting season. Had I become a game warden I would have been hunting other hunters other that wild animals. This is just something to think about.

I edited this to add that I would recommend that you buy a copy of Wildlife Wars by Terry Grosz. His books are available on Amazon. He spent a career as a game warden with CDF&G and USF&WS. He has written many books on his experiences and I believe this is the first one. He was a grad student at Humboldt when I started in 1965. I remember hearing of some of his hair raising experiences as a young warden and last year I discovered his books.

 

[redhawk]

California DF&W requirements can be found here;
DFG Warden Career - Qualifications

In addition the written exam is heavy on composition .

 

[Old Corp]

It was my aspiration early on also. Majored in Fish & Wildlife Management, when I got out of school, started the application process. At the time (late 70's), the state budget was in bad shape and they were concentrating on trying to hire guys that were already state-certified as LEO's. Of course, I was not.
Started doing research, and found that the salary was not even as good as small podunk little PD's.
They were also not included in the State LE Retirement package, considered 'general employees'. (That has changed since.)

I had idealized one of the NC Wildlife Officers I'd grown to be friends with, enamored with the Plymouth Fury, Dodge Ramcharger, two boats and a ATV in his yard. He reminded me that none of them helped his family's grocery bill. He resigned later, mainly due to financial issues.

Distant Plan B was a growing municipal agency, and that where I was for 3 decades. Turned out to be the best plan.