Behind the Badge - Connections
Connections
District Game Warden Courtney Sprenger
A common perception of a game warden is someone who works alone, a jack-of-all trades handling complex investigations from start to finish with no assistance.
At times, this impression is accurate.
We frequently patrol alone; backup is often miles away.
We conduct our own investigations, handling everything from the necropsy of a carcass in the field to interviewing suspects and logging evidence.
Although it is a common practice to work alone, we also regularly work in cooperation with others.
Game wardens frequently work together both in daily patrol and during investigations.
Operating a decoy requires a minimum of two game wardens, and enforcement of illegal spotlighting involves multiple ground units and probably an airplane.
Boat patrol at a lake or on the river is easier and safer with two officers.
Because every game warden has a unique set of strengths, working together on an investigation increases the chance of successfully prosecuting violators.
A game warden’s work also extends beyond one’s home district, requiring cooperation with wardens from around the state.
Neither legal hunters nor poachers restrict their activities to their hometown, and they may travel to the far corners of the state for hunting or fishing opportunities.
Several years ago, I received a call from a hunter claiming he had accidentally shot a buck and possessed only a doe tag.
This hunter was from the other side of the state but hunting in my area.
A quick check of the Warden Incident Management System revealed that he had been involved in a poaching incident a few years earlier.
I called the warden who had investigated that incident, and he clearly remembered the hunter I was dealing with.
Armed with additional information regarding the hunter, I was able to conduct a more thorough investigation into his harvesting the wrong sex deer, ultimately resulting in a citation.
Poachers not only travel around their home state, some hunt in multiple states; therefore, it is evident that game wardens must also investigate across state lines.
In one of my more memorable investigations, an individual from California traveled to North Dakota and poached a deer, then returned home.
The deer was tagged with a South Dakota tag and taken to a taxidermist in Wyoming.
I already had contacts in South Dakota and Wyoming who were happy to assist me with interviews and with seizing the antlers.
I did not have any contacts in California, but one of my fellow North Dakota wardens did.
A short phone call later, I had an email address for the local warden where my suspect lived.
I wasn’t sure what to expect working with an officer from California.
They have roughly ten times as many game wardens as North Dakota, and my suspect’s home county had a population of nearly half a million people, quite a difference from rural North Dakota.
I had anticipated several questions I might be asked about my report, but the first comment completely shocked me.
Naming one of the individuals in my report, the California officer casually stated that she knew him; it would be easy to get ahold of him to interview! From there, the investigation progressed smoothly.
Thanks to the assistance of multiple game wardens in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and California, I was able to successfully prosecute the individuals involved in poaching the deer.
These are just a few examples of ways in which game wardens work together, within the borders of North Dakota and across the United States.
The next time you encounter the stereotypical solo game warden checking a group of hunters, remember that is not all there is to our job.
Yes, we often work alone, but we also work as part of a team, protecting wildlife resources everywhere.