Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Becoming A Fish and Game Warden
What the job really pays, how to actually get hired, and whether you have what it takes to wear the badge
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Fish and Game Warden Actually Do?
Let's start by clearing away the postcard image. The fish and game warden standing waist-deep in a cold river at sunrise, checking a fisherman's catch - that's real, and it's part of the job. But so is the spreadsheet of citation numbers you'll be expected to fill out before lunch. So is the phone call at 2 a.m. from a homeowner whose porch is being demolished by a bear. So is the sixty-mile drive on a dirt road to a complaint that turns out to be nothing - and the hour of paperwork that still has to be filed because the dispatch record needs closing.
Fish and game wardens - also called conservation officers, wildlife officers, or game wardens, depending on the state - are state-licensed law enforcement officers whose jurisdiction is wildlife and the land they live on. Your primary job is to enforce hunting, fishing, and boating laws, and to protect wildlife habitat. But the word "enforce" hides a much broader job description. You are part police officer, part educator, part wildlife biologist's field assistant, and part public relations representative for your agency.
Let's break down what that actually means by time spent, because the picture is probably different from what you imagine. On a typical month, fewer than half your working hours will be spent on direct law enforcement contacts - writing citations, making arrests, running checkpoints. A significant portion - easily twenty to thirty percent