Texas Parks and Wildlife is looking to hire Game Wardens

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Parks & Wildlife is looking to hire more Game Wardens as hunting season begins Texas.

TPWD parked a trailer in front of the Texas State Capitol on Friday. The exhibit included a display of animals killed illegally in Texas, including a turkey shot by three men in Lampasas County and a lead-stuffed largemouth bass from a failed attempt to win a fishing tournament in North Texas.

“I could stand here and talk to people all day, but spending an hour looking at the animals there and learning and reading the stories of how they got here really helps us provide better outreach,” Deputy Commander Stormy King said. With TPWD’s Law Enforcement Division.

Friday’s exhibition and meeting wasn’t just about compliance, it was also a recruiting opportunity. Like other law enforcement agencies, the Game Warden division has difficulty finding qualified candidates.

“We need a four-year degree. People with four-year degrees unfortunately want to make more money than what we’re currently offering,” said Scott Blackburn, president of the Game Warden Peace Officers Association.

There are currently only about 550 game wardens in Texas; this is a small force to cover a large province and more area is added. TPWD recently announced the purchase of 630 acres of land around the Enchanted Rock-State Natural Area. As the region grew, the ranks shrank. Recently some Hunt Wardens have left to take jobs in the DPS, filling the troop shortage.

“Well, the biggest thing we have is, you know, trying to get to plan C with DPS, trying to be at what we call true parity with DPS, because right now, we’re not competitive with the pay they’re charging. So that hurts our recruiting and retention,” Blackburn said.

A new academy class for Game Wardens starts Oct. 1, but the number of students is fewer than 40 and training takes about nine months to complete.

One of the reasons why Friday’s rally was held here at the State Capitol is for recruiting support. Last week, members of the Senate Border Committee heard testimony about how state law enforcement responded to Operation Lone Star. The number of TPWD Game Wardens deployed varies from 20 to 65 at a time, according to Lt. Col. Ron Vanderroest.

‘We logged approximately 580,000 hours of patrol for Operation Lone Star,’ Vanderroest said.

Extra work doesn’t just happen in South Texas. A TPWD team is currently in Florida assisting with hurricane recovery.

“Yes. We’re getting thin. We don’t have enough numbers to go around and we know we’re short 40, 50, 60, 70 game wardens, we work in this kind of police and conservation law so we’re constantly trying to recruit and retain people, but also to keep the numbers we have.” we’re trying to increase it,” Vanderroest said.

When state lawmakers return in January, the focus won’t just be on compensation and benefits. Technology is also needed, as items such as drones have proven successful in search and rescue operations.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation created a special fundraising program seven years ago to shore up the agency’s budget. Last month, the Gear up program for Game Wardens announced that it had surpassed the $5 million fundraising milestone.

The Foundation will host the event starting from October 1 a three-day online auction. Items up for bid will raise funds to purchase more special equipment for Gamekeepers.