Stories From the Old-Timer

Recently, the enforcement division hosted 26 individuals who were taking the game warden exam. Upon completion of testing, 13 had passed. Our expectations are that 2 or 3 will be hired from that class. Now what…

First, are they post certified or licensed? If not, they are sent to basic law enforcement training to become licensed. If they are, they are sent to field training within our department.

Field training? Well, it is experienced game wardens teaching the new wardens how we do things within the enforcement division and Game and Fish Department. Now, overall, I can attest that field training is a good thing. When I started in 1987 there wasn’t such a thing. I remember the chief warden and my supervisor giving me my uniform, badge, gun and a ticket book and saying go do your job and don’t get in any trouble! And remember, in 1987 there was no cell phone. You lived with the decision you made in that short period of time – right, wrong or otherwise.

In basic law enforcement training they taught us how to write a traffic citation. No one showed me that our citation book was different. A couple of days into the job I get a radio call from the Wahpeton Police Department. They received a report of an individual fishing for game fish on the Red River in town and hiding the fish in a vehicle. Back in those days the fishing season was not open year-round. The police responded and caught the guy hiding northern pike under the seat of his car. All I had to do was drive to Wahpeton and write the citation. I was extremely thankful that John Violett had left me his citation book with a couple of copies of citations he had issued. I believe it took me about 25 minutes to issue my first citation, sweat beads dotted my forehead and the suspect wondered where this newbie came from. But I got the job done without getting in trouble.

I remember in the field live training with my supervisor like it was yesterday. Live training, no scenario, we are going to work shiners east of Oakes. It was just getting dark outside, and we see a vehicle driving west on a section line trail when it turns south and heads our way. My supervisor says we are going to stop them. I’m thinking we are going to use the red light on the pickup. At the last minute my supervisor bails out and disappears in their headlights. I was sure he was run over. When the dust settled everyone was fine. The guys in the other vehicle were going home from a card game and were a little shook up. My supervisor was a little startled and told me not to do what he just showed me. Really, jump out in front of a moving vehicle in the dark driven by two older gentlemen? Hey, we all survived, and no one got in trouble.

There were good reasons to begin a field training program. I was part of that inaugural program in the early 1990s that was pushed hard by then game wardens Charles Pulver and Floyd Chrest. I think they would be proud of the progress made over time. Good luck to those new officers headed into field training and thank you to the game wardens who currently provide their time to benefit these newcomers.

- District Game Warden Tim Phalen