Tag: Wildlife

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

Posted on August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 by nhfishcop10

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

Posted on June 2, 2023 by nhfishcop10

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

Posted on April 13, 2023April 13, 2023 by nhfishcop10

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

Posted on March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 by nhfishcop10

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

Posted on January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 by nhfishcop10

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:

100^th 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

Posted on October 27, 2022 by nhfishcop10

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

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.

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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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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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