111 Ethan Justinger – Utah

Originally from Western New York, Ethan Justinger packed up and moved to Utah at just 22 to pursue his dream of being a game warden in the West. Now on the job with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for 5 years, Ethan sits down with Wayne to share his passion for elk hunting, conservation law, and the spectacular beauty surrounding them.

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • The elk hunt that changed everything
  • Elevation sickness and bull elk bugling
  • Hunters are conservationists
  • A fitness test at altitude – during a forest fire
  • “One of the greatest jobs on earth.”
  • Driving from New York to Utah
  • Adventuring every day
  • A late-night tip after a long day
  • Elk poacher was on private property
  • Carcass covered in sticks and logs
  • Evidence on a GoPro™
  • More evidence on a cell phone
  • A false blood trail
  • Case resulted in a felony conviction and a 14-year suspension
  • Mistakes happen, but it’s important to learn and share to help others
  • Mountain snow in July
  • Tough winters result in healthier populations in the long term
  • Utah scenery stuns visitors and locals alike

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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110 – Ethan Justinger (Utah) and Chris Gilkey (Ohio) talk NAWEOA

After a short summer break, Warden’s Watch picks things up with a look back at NAWEOA 2023 with Ohio Wildlife Officer Chris Gilkey, and Utah’s Ethan Justinger. Now called the International Game Warden Association, this year’s conference was held in beautiful Provo, Utah in early July, with a jam-packed schedule of activities that included a wide variety of training, speakers, and fun for the whole family.  

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • Game wardens watch – but it’s rough on binoculars
  • The value of conferences
  • “Everybody is on the same page.”
  • Utah conference provided activities for the entire family
  • What is VirTra training?
  • “All it takes is one” visit to NAWEOA
  • Awards are a humbling experience
  • Youth Room kept kids safe and entertained
  • Speakers were both interesting and inspirational
  • Keynote speaker Brody Young
  • Mindfulness training with Jeff Jones
  • “You are not alone.”
  • Scenarios can be recreated, but there’s no substitute for sharing lived experience
  • Bill Livezey, author of Let’s Go For A Ride
  • Tracking migration patterns through collaring
  • * Apache touch and go interlude *
  • K9 training demonstration
  • The annual Torch Run supporting the North American Game Warden Museum
  • Mickey Mouse pancakes
  • Game Warden skills competition; antler toss, fish drop, trivia, and fun
  • The ‘Warden Spawn’ youth team
  • NAWEOA 2023 in one word
  • Train hard, play hard, work hard
  • See you next year in British Columbia, Canada!

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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107 Randy Nelson – British Columbia

Randy Nelson is a retired 35-year veteran of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), where he became the most decorated fisheries officer in the history of British Columbia. Two years after leaving his post as director of the DFO’s Conservation and Protection Branch in BC, he was ready to write about his extraordinary and sometimes life-threatening experiences, resulting in Poachers, Polluters and Politics: A Fishery Officer’s Career. Now he joins us to discuss his second release, The Wildest Hunt – a collection of tales ranging from horrifying to hilarious from hundreds of wildlife officers across North America.

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • Writing the book was like doing several investigations
  • Growing up in Saskatchewan
  • Started running to help train
  • Foot chases became common – poachers run!
  • Book features at least one story from every state, province and territory
  • Spoke to hundreds of officers to learn as much detail as possible
  • Oklahoma: Busted on Bumble
  • Alberta: When your hunting dog is a little too good
  • First book was more biographical
  • The Wildest Hunt was written to shine a light on domestic poaching and encourage involvement
  • People often think of poaching in terms of large African animals
  • “If you see something, say something”
  • What is cactus poaching?
  • 75x more police officers than game wardens in North America
  • Ethical hunters are the best conservationists
  • A poacher is not a hunter
  • Poachers are often involved in other crimes
  • Operation Thunderstorm
  • Game wardens have a far higher chance of dying on the job than other law enforcement
  • Biologists, game wardens, and management need to work together
  • The economic impact and long-term effects of poaching
  • A portion of the profits from The Wildest Hunt will be donated to the Game Warden Museum
  • First book was never intended to be published
  • Every officer has stories
  • A picnic gone wrong…
  • Always ready to address stakeholder groups: contact Randy
  • One voice can make a difference

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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104 Chris Johnson – Alaska – Part II

Picking up from our last episode, Wayne continues his conversation with Alaska Wildlife Trooper Chris Johnson. Come along as Chris shares more stories from his years patrolling the vast and sometimes unforgiving Kenai Peninsula as a US Fish and Wildlife officer, and looks forward to many more years of service to the people and wildlife of America’s true “Last Frontier.”

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • Chasing illegal baiters
  • Truck through the ice!
  • Recovering vehicles from water
  • A lifetime of physical fitness
  • Teaching HIIT classes as co-owner of Tides Yoga Studio
  • Small injuries can cause big problems
  • Exceed expectations when training
  • Consistency is paramount
  • An uneasy encounter in a remote village
  • The balance between enforcing wildlife laws and respecting indigenous lifestyles
  • Treaties have since changed subsistence living rules
  • A significant bear snaring case
  • Evidence showed it had been going on for years
  • Multiple scenes were discovered
  • Poachers were taking only the gall bladders
  • The illegal gall bladder trade
  • Alaska State Troopers are currently recruiting
  • Survivor Island
  • Your most important survival tool is your brain

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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101 Audrey Hunter – Arkansas Game & Fish

Audrey Hunter grew up in a home where hunting is a family affair. Through her father, grandfather, and uncles, she and her and four brothers were taught to respect the resources, the impact of conservation, and the importance of sharing the outdoors. This led to a natural career with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, where after only five short years she’s proven herself an outstanding officer – and now she has the hardware to back it up! Join us as Wayne sits down with the first female to win the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Officer of the Year award, AGFC Wildlife Officer 1st Class Audrey Hunter!

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • Winning NWTF Officer of the Year at the national conference – surprise!
  • Drove home with trophy in the front seat
  • Focused on illegal bait sites
  • A memorable baiting case; educating the next generation
  • Violator had multiple bait sites
  • Hunting and wildlife is a family tradition
  • Experience has taught patience
  • Tough cases can be the most rewarding
  • The pros and cons of patrolling in your hometown
  • Getting involved in the local chapter of NWTF
  • What’s a Jakes Day?
  • The diversity of Arkansas wildlife
  • Surprising a field full of baiters

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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100 CJ Box – Joe Pickett Series

CJ Box is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the enormously popular Joe Pickett series, now a small-screen sensation streaming on Paramount Plus. An avid outdoorsman, the Wyoming native’s hit novels capture the vast, unspoiled beauty of the American West, the conflict between new and old ideas, and feature authentically believable (and sometimes heinous) characters, lightning-quick plots, and truly gruesome crimes. We are thrilled to welcome CJ to the show for a chat about the inspiration for Joe Pickett’s character, two successful TV shows, and much more!

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • 100th episode introduction – thank you!
  • Game wardens are all collectively Joe Pickett
  • Making Joe as authentic as possible
  • The inspiration for the first Pickett novel – the Endangered Species Act
  • Never intended to be a series
  • Wanted to introduce the element of family
  • Game wardens can be called on for any number of situations
  • Local wardens are integral to a rural community
  • Joe Pickett show runners are fans of the book series
  • Second season incorporates parts of three books
  • Wasn’t the first offer for a Pickett-inspired television series
  • A peek at Season Two
  • The show was an immediate success on Paramount Plus
  • Filming in Alberta, Canada
  • Capturing the family dynamic has helped broaden the audience
  • Making sure Joe wasn’t perfect; “he screws up.”
  • Joe’s character has grown and changed, but he still can’t shoot
  • Finding experts on every topic to seek different points of view
  • Joe arrests the governor – based on a true story!
  • Tackling socially relevant and contemporary issues
  • Consulting with game wardens to ensure accuracy

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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94 Wild Tech – with Steve Beltran & Eric Richey

Steve Beltran is an award-winning Conservation Police Officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources who combines his passion for both technology and the outdoors through his Timber-Tech column, a regular feature in International Game Warden Magazine. Eric Richey is the founder and CEO of Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3), an industry leader in customized electronic license and permitting innovations throughout North America. Join us as they discuss recent outdoor technology developments, and some exciting possibilities for the future.   

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Here’s what we discuss:

  • “Probably the largest, most unknown tech company in the industry”
  • Systems are built and branded to the specific state’s requirements
  • Mobile platforms allow officers access to real-time information
  • S3 developed the first mobile solution for conservation officers
  • Technology has typically been marketed to large law enforcement agencies
  • Access to data in the field increases efficiency – no need to go to the office for info
  • QR codes allow access even when offline
  • RFID advancements could allow coastal officers to gather all license info from a nearby vessel without having to board
  • Tech and the outdoors don’t need to be mutually exclusive
  • Electronic data can allow officers to quickly get a complete picture
  • Potential for faster access to license revocations under the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact
  • Each state currently uses its own format
  • A standardized system could identify violators on the spot
  • Violations in one state can result in different restrictions in different states
  • Timber-Tech column helps bridge the technical gap
  • Taking the tech into the field to determine exact needs
  • Why not use every tool that we have?

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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W08 MooseMan Nature Photography

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. 

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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

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.

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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

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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