A love of wildlife isn't enough to make it as a conservation officer.
Bob Hamilton, who works as a conservation officer, says you also need to be
tough.
"You have to be a special person to do it. Not everyone is a policeman.
You have to be able to take the pressure, deal with criticism, work independently
and be thick-skinned," he says.
The hardest part of the job, in Hamilton's opinion, is dealing with
animals that come into conflict with people. That is, animals who become a
threat to people -- like bears in a garbage dump.
"A lot of the job deals with problem wildlife. You have to be tough because
you are putting a lot of animals down."
Being a conservation officer is anything but a 9-to-5 job. If you happen
to be posted in an area with a relatively small population, you can expect
to be called by local residents at all hours of the night.
Although Hamilton is paid for 35 hours a week, unpaid overtime can amount
to as much as 50 hours per month! But the strain of the extra work is balanced
by enjoyment of the job.
"It's an interesting job, an 'outdoorsy' job with interesting
technology that you get to play with," he says.
One thing a game warden cannot be afraid of is the dark!
It's 2 a.m. and you're struggling to make your way along the
narrow, rocky forest path. The only thing guiding you is the spotlight a mile
off in the distance. This is your destination. You're a conservation
officer preparing to arrest spotlight hunters who are illegally poaching animals.
"It can be a scary situation," says conservation officer George Allerby
of Missouri. "Spotlighters are hunters, so they have guns and knives and a
lot of them are intoxicated. You don't know who you're going to
run into."
Spotlighters use bright lights on the front of their vehicles to find and
illegally hunt wild animals at night. Dealing with the danger of catching
spotlighters is a regular part of the job.
In spite of a healthy fear of walking into a group of armed, possibly intoxicated
hunters, this part of the job is one of the most exciting challenges for Nebraska
conservation officer Dina Hopper Lincon.
"I think most conservation officers enjoy catching spotlighters," says
Lincon. "It is some of the most adrenaline-srushing work we do."
Lincon admits most people would probably call her crazy for enjoying a
situation this dangerous, but risk is a factor of her job. As a conservation
officer, Lincon is responsible for wildlife resource management and law enforcement.
"Like any other law enforcement officer, conservation officers may have
to deal with dangerous situations," says Lincon.
Lincon has dealt with a number of such situations. On one occasion she
was instrumental in catching a criminal from her county's most wanted
list.
"One night I had to chase a drunk driver who nearly ran over several people
in their campground. He jumped in the lake and tried to swim away from me,
so I chased him down in the boat and caught him. It turns out he was wanted
for a number of assault charges," says Lincon.
Yet high-speed boat chases or covert nighttime arrests of poachers aren't
the norm in the day-to-day life of conservation officers. People in this field
spend most of their workday assisting responsible citizens with legitimate
questions or checking licenses and park passes.
"You deal with people who have questions about the park, about fish stocking
and about hunting regulations. You have to be knowledgeable about every aspect
of game and parks to answer those questions," says Allerby.
Dealing with the public is one of the biggest components of a conservation
officer's job. Allerby believes many people get involved in this career
because they'd rather be working with wildlife than people, but ironically
end up working mostly with people.
"One of the big myths about this job is that you can shut yourself off
from the human world and live like a wildlife hermit," says Allerby. "Nothing
could be further from the truth."
Lincon agrees with Allerby, saying an ability to communicate effectively
with other people is a must for conservation officers. "Contrary to popular
belief, if you're not a people person, you can't do this job."
Yet conservation officers also must have a deep interest in the outdoors.
For example, Allerby, like most conservation officers, is interested in hunting,
fishing and outdoor sports. "Keeping track of what campers, hunters or fishermen
are doing gives me the opportunity to meet like-minded people," he says.
While Allerby admits being a conservation officer is hard work, he says
the job involves so many appealing elements that he occasionally forgets he's
getting paid for it.
"I get to work outdoors, meet new people and catch bad guys. On top of
that, they pay me for it!" says Allerby.