Behind the Badge - Safety in Numbers and Knowing Your Location
Safety in Numbers and Knowing Your Location
District Game Warden Sam Feldmann
As a game warden, you never really know what the day is going to bring.
On a cool and crisp October morning, in 2021, my phone rang with a call from the local county dispatch.
The dispatcher made me aware that they had received a 911 call from some out-of-state duck hunters, saying their hunting partner had collapsed and was unresponsive.
The dispatcher also said that the caller and other hunters were performing CPR and the local PD officer, as well as EMS had been dispatched and were enroute.
However, the caller was unsure of exactly their location.
He was able to give the description of being between two big sloughs south of the town of Knox but was unable to tell them exactly how to get there.
The local PD officer and EMS asked if I would be able to assist, in hopes of helping locate the hunters.
I immediately had a good idea of their location, as I had been patrolling the area days prior.
I got off the phone with dispatch and within minutes I was heading to the location with EMS and other law enforcement units behind me.
Upon our arrival, the individual was immediately taken by EMS to our local hospital.
I always make sure when speaking to hunters to inform them that knowing your location is always a must, as you will never be able to control the uncontrollable and you never know what may happen when out in the field.