Abigail Serra – Warden's Watch

What starts as a conversation about being a Vermont game warden quickly evolves into a fascinating deep dive into venison donation programs, wildlife necropsies, butchering skills, bear fat, roadkill recovery, and the detective work behind wildlife law enforcement. Vermont Game Warden Abigail Serra shares how she turns roadkill and illegally taken wildlife into meals for families in need while also using her butchering expertise to solve wildlife crimes.

Our Sponsors:

Thin Green Line Podcast

Don Noyes Chevrolet

North American Game Warden Museum

“A Cowboy in the Woods” Book

Iron Skillet Seasonings

Maine Operation Game Thief

New Hampshire Operation Game Thief

Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania

North East Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association

International Wildlife Crimestoppers

North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association

Here’s what we discuss:

Life on a small Vermont farm
Never realizing game warden was a career option
A college focus on ticks and Lyme disease
The rabbit hunter encounter that changed Abigail’s career path
Farms for City Kids and outdoor education
Professional butcher shops as an unexpected training ground
The origins of Venison for Vermonters
Roadkill and seized wildlife becoming meals for families
Thousands of pounds of donated venison distributed across Vermont
Making wild game accessible to people who cannot process whole deer
The logistics of wildlife donation programs
Venison for Vermonters and other Hunt for the Hungry initiatives
Seniors reconnecting with venison through donated food
“A lot of times when I hear back from those food shelves, it’s the older people… they’re coming in and just so grateful to have venison again.”
Losing touch with food sources in the modern world
Passing along traditional butchering skills
Community workshops and hands-on demonstrations
Why wild game dominates her family’s menu
Keeping venison burgers together without added fat
How diet influences the flavor of wild game
Chokecherry-fed bears and surprisingly sweet meat
Bear fat as one of the most useful resources in the woods
Cooking oil, leather treatments, salves, and even candles
“It literally burns exactly like a beeswax candle.”
Preventing waste through full utilization of harvested animals
Why bears require quick processing and cooling
Deer fat vs. bear fat
Moose hides, dull knives, and favorite butchering tools
Why affordable Victorinox knives are hard to beat
Wildlife necropsies as an investigative tool
Bullets, shooting angles, and crime-scene reconstruction
Hair, blood trails, and hidden evidence
Cases where the evidence changed the entire investigation
“The evidence really never lies.”
Building expertise through repetition and hands-on experience
Training the next generation of game wardens
Archery wounds versus gunshot wounds
Vermont’s first documented EHD case
A game warden’s role as a conservation Swiss Army knife
Moose recoveries and the realities of roadside wildlife work
Why moose have a smell unlike any other animal
Comparing moose, deer, bear, and other wild game meats
Tick research and changing Lyme disease concerns
Deer ticks versus winter ticks
The truth about opossums and tick control
Why bird feeders become bear feeders
Vermont Wild Kitchen and public outreach
Helping people reconnect with their food
Hunting, food, and conservation working together
Affordable grinders for processing wild game at home
Westin and LEM equipment recommendations
The underrated value of deer shanks
“My favorite cut on the deer was the shank.”
Slow-cooking techniques for tougher cuts of meat
Stewardship through full use of wildlife resources
“People care about what’s close to them.”
Connecting communities to conservation through food