“You know, I always wanted to become a game warden. That’s gotta be a neat job.”
I get variations of this comment frequently when the topic of my occupation comes up in conversations with hunters and anglers. While I’m no longer a game warden, that’s how I started my career with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, and I had those same thoughts, too ... that’s gotta be a neat job.
And it is. But wanting to be a game warden, and becoming one, are two different things. The Game and Fish Department has only 32 game wardens. That’s about one-fourth as many licensed officers as the Fargo Police Department. With such a small number, job openings are few and far between. So while I always dreamed about a game warden’s career, I had to be realistic about my chances.
I have fond memories of my work as a game warden, but invariably, people ask why I ever changed jobs? Sometimes, new opportunities just materialize.
Are there days I miss being a warden? You bet.
I still vividly recall the last day of deer season in 1997. I received a call from snowmobilers had found three freshly killed deer along the Sheyenne River in Cass County. As I kicked into high gear to expedite the trip from Steele County, I had plenty of time to imagine what I’d find.
Amazingly enough, the snowmobilers we’re still in the area and able to direct me to the location. What I found made my blood boil. Four deer in all, shot and left scattered across a fallow field. As I surveyed the scene, I recalled riding along with state game warden Ken Skuza early in my career, and remembered his frequent advice: “Just have patience and good things will happen.”
Conventional wisdom would indicate, “Collect what evidence you have and hope for the best.” You see, poaching crimes often have no witnesses, it’s impossible to interview the next of kin, and consequently, without the benefit of any tips, solving the case is difficult.
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District Game Warden Ken Skuza of Garrison, ND surveying Lake Sakakawea area for furbearer hunters.
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So I took a chance and backed my truck into the nearby woods, borrowing another lesson from warden Skuza – I poured a cup of lukewarm coffee. Within the first few sips, as luck (skill?) would have it, a small pickup came down the road, hesitated, and then turned into the field and began driving toward the deer. They stopped and loaded one deer, then another, and when the animals were all loaded the poachers began to drive away.
I hit the adrenaline button in my gut and the red lights on my truck. To this day I can hardly imagine what went through the poachers’ minds as the lights and sirens broke the still of the night.
It was a good case, and one of many that left me with a deep sense of satisfaction that I was doing my small part to help preserve North Dakota’s resources and hunting and fishing tradition.
While game warden jobs are few and far between, when an opening does occur, Game and Fish schedules a test to identify potential candidates. One of those tests is right around the corner, on March 5 at the Department’s Bismarck office.
To become a game warden, candidates must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid driver’s license, be in good physical condition and hold a four-year college degree. Many wardens have degrees in biology, criminal justice or related disciplines, but this is not required.
Following the test, the top scorers are typically selected for comprehensive interviews, with positions filled from those final candidates.
Game wardens are licensed peace officers. If the successful applicant is already licensed, they head straight to field training in various parts of the state, learning the craft from veteran wardens.
If the prospective warden is not a licensed peace officer, they go through the Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck before moving on to field training.
North Dakota has thousands of men and women with the interest in hunting, fishing and conservation, plus the right qualifications, to take the game warden test. The odds might seem long, but every time the test is given, eventually someone gets to realize their dream.
Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Dept. He can be reached via email: dleier@state.nd.us
Photo credits to the ND Game and Fish Department
