Warden&#039;s Watch

Here’s what we discuss:

Captain to Colonel
Remembering Maj. Gregg Sanborn
Choosing quality leaders
Every day was an education
We all started in the same place
Empowering people through Operation Game Thief (OGT)
The wall of shame
Fundraising to offer larger rewards
International Wildlife Crimestoppers provided fresh ideas
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact
OGT trailers manned at all times; “we have to tell the stories.”
Blazing the North Woods Law trail
Turned down the original request
What are our fears? What are our goals?
It had to be authentic without being disrespectful
A gentlemen’s agreement
Popularity brought some unexpected situations
Ending the Maine story in the best way possible
Didn’t want to be seen as making money
The diversity educated the public
Inspiring kids to become game wardens
Passing the torch to New Hampshire
The North Woods Throwdown
Back Woods Law?!?
Bluefin tuna fishing takes more than skill
You have to do a lot of little things right
It’s all about respect for the animal
Confidence comes with experience
Plan to be successful
The abundance mentality
Life after retirement

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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92 Col. Joel Wilkinson (Ret.) – Maine – Part I

Posted on September 25, 2022October 6, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Joel Wilkinson spent 28 years serving the state of Maine, including twelve years as Colonel of the Maine Warden Service. Now retired, Col. Wilkinson sits down with Wayne to reflect on an extraordinary career that began when he was just a teen. In this episode, we discuss his early years as a game warden, including an intense turn in covert operations that resulted in some of the agency’s most significant prosecutions of the time.

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Here’s what we discuss:

Maine has used the term ‘game warden’ since 1880
No time to hunt or fish.
Learned about the outdoors from a girlfriend’s father
Started riding with game wardens at 16
Became a deputy warden at 19
Tried to sneak in a little early
“This is all I wanted to do.”
2000 applicants, few positions
Tried appealing to the Colonel
Joined a local police department to gain experience
Trained with many Maine wardens at the academy
Finally hired by Maine Warden Service at 22
No warden in his area for 11 years
Caught first night hunter eight days after graduating
Moving to a new area, population: 4
Chris Simmons becomes the boss… and moves in across the road
A memorable Thanksgiving night
Shifting into covert investigations
A big case, but some unnerving moments
Targets often under the influence of alcohol and drugs
Seeing the other side
“It changed how we did business.”
Making Captain at 32
Learned many administrative skills
The Maine whitewater rafting industry
Many companies offer rafting, hiking, and rock climbing

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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91 Sean Spencer – Utah

Posted on September 8, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Sean Spencer is a Sergeant with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. After 14 years patrolling in some of the most remote and most populous areas of the Beehive State, he’s dealt with a wide variety of people, wildlife, and problems. In this episode from the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association conference (NAWEOA) in Tennessee, he and our hosts discuss planning for next year’s conference, some of his memorable experiences, and much more!

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Here’s what we discuss:

Busy organizing NAWEOA 2023
Plan extra time to see the state
The “Mighty Five” national parks
First encounter with a game warden
Discovered the outdoors as a teen in Texas
Importance of balancing home and work life
Moving from a remote district to an urban one
Prime hunting only 30 minutes from home
Public safety vs. preservation
A memorable baiting case
Not every case results in a conviction
Growing population numbers create new challenges

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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W08 MooseMan Nature Photography

Posted on August 29, 2022 by nhfishcop10

When Rick Libbey saw his first moose in 1981, he was hooked for life. An entirely self-taught photographer, Rick and his wife Libby travel between New England and Alaska to capture stunningly beautiful and rare photos and videos of loons, bear, lynx, raccoons, wolves – and of course, moose – all of which they showcase on their YouTube channel and website, MooseMan Nature Photos. Often rising at 3am, they launch their kayaks before sunrise and wait silently for that perfect moment when a mighty bull moose emerges into a marsh, or a pair of loons appears in the morning fog. Taking great care never to intrude, they have spent years gaining the trust of some of these animals, frequently naming and photographing the same individuals year after year. The end result is not only spectacular, but conveys a profound sense of respect for wildlife, and the majesty and wonder of the great outdoors.

Our Sponsor:

The Village Gun Store

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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90 Josh Landrum – Tennessee

Posted on August 11, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Josh Landrum is a Nashville-based Boating Officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Besides receiving multiple honors for his tireless efforts to combat impaired boating, he has also served on the board of the Tennessee Wildlife Officers Association for the past decade, and most recently as president. This year, Josh and his fellow officers hosted the annual North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NAWEOA) conference, where Wayne and John caught up with him for a chat.

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Here’s what we discuss:

Hosting NAWEOA 2022
Learning, training, and networking at NAWEOA
Encouraging the younger generation of game wardens to attend
A love of fishing led to a career in wildlife management
An urban game warden
Some of the largest deer in the state
Working to eliminate impaired boating
You never know who you’ll meet
Enjoying all that Nashville has to offer
NAWEOA 2023: Utah

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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89 Ty Runyan – Oklahoma

Posted on July 24, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Ty Runyan is a state game warden with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Besides being a rancher, driving instructor, former K9 handler and sometimes-snake wrangler, he may be best known for his TikTok presence. Ty’s lighthearted, interesting, and educational short videos have attracted more than 175,000 followers. In this episode, he and Wayne discuss the value of social media as an outreach and recruitment tool, and share some exciting stories from the field.

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Here’s what we discuss:

Ty gives a passerby some advice
Everyone knows where the game warden lives
A bit about Ty’s background
Social media as an outreach tool
An accidental TikTokker
Getting Departmental approval
Taking the bad with the good
Recruitment and legal questions from everywhere
Using the platform to change perceptions
Comedy helps to defuse situations
Ty’s rodeo adventures
Few game wardens employing TikTok – so far
“It’s amazing what people will put on social media”
Helping other states make cases
Conservation efforts have helped restore declining populations
Snakes!
A family of teachers
Spotlighting poachers: right place, right time
Larger platform has helped engage future game wardens

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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W07 Winter Ticks with Alexej Sirén

Posted on July 7, 2022 by nhfishcop10

The winter tick is a small, external parasite which, like all ticks, survives on the blood of its host. Although winter ticks are not dangerous to human health, they can pose a significant threat to wildlife – moose calves in particular. In this episode, wildlife biologist Dr. Alexej Sirén describes the relationship between winter ticks and the eastern moose, how ticks spread, and efforts underway to help mitigate damage to the moose population.

Our Sponsor:

The Village Gun Store

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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88 Terry Hodges – Warden Force

Posted on June 24, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Award winning author Terry Hodges is the creator of the popular Warden Force series of short stories, the true adventures of game wardens and the wildlife-destroying outlaws they pursue. Having been a California Fish & Game warden himself for over three decades, Terry writes with the special authority found only among those who have worn a badge on behalf of wildlife. In this episode, he shares some compelling – and often comical – stories of the legendary game warden who would become not only a mentor, but also the inspiration for the book that would launch a surprising new career.

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Here’s what we discuss:

Documenting history
The many tales of Ol’ Sabertooth
The first book
Learning to self-publish
Inventing an alter ego
Staying in the field after promotion
Frenchy’s last ride
Goose poaching in rice country
Snake gets sapped
Surprising a poacher deep in the woods
Sometimes moonshiners made good allies
Poacher escapes, but leaves Mercer a gift
Nine collections of short stories
From the latest collection: Death on Snake Mountain
Where to find the Warden Force series
In the works: two new books of Sabertooth stories

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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W06 Moose with Lee Kantar

Posted on June 16, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Lee Kantar is man with moose on his mind. Whether he’s conducting aerial population surveys by helicopter, attaching specially adapted tracking collars, or racing to the scene of a mortality to conduct a field necropsy, Maine’s official state moose biologist is dedicated to the health and survival of the largest herbivore in the North Woods. Throughout the last decade, he has been integral to building a moose management program that’s been described as one of the most modern and comprehensive in the US.

Our Sponsor:

The Village Gun Store

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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87 Eric & Ash Hannett – GypSeaLegs

Posted on June 2, 2022 by nhfishcop10

Eric and Ashley Hannett are embarking on an adventure like no other – sailing the world while promoting conservation and sustainable living on their new YouTube channel, GypSeaLegs. In this episode, they share some triumphs – and some trials – they’ve faced while preparing for the first leg of their journey; sailing to the beautiful Bahamas, where they will begin repairs on a hurricane-damaged catamaran that will soon become their home.

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