|
|
WATERBURY, VT - Late Sunday night the phone rings at Vermont State Game Warden Curtis Smiley's
house. The Washington County officer gets a poaching tip from a Calais resident about a deer
taken out of season. It's big game hunting season in Vermont-a time when the average game warden
can get as many as thirty calls a night.
The caller reports that a suspected poacher has taken off into the woods after being confronted
about a recently killed doe. Smiley arrives on the scene to find a pick-up truck stuck in a
ditch with the doe in the back. With help from a Barre City officer and his tracking dog,
Smiley begins an 8-mile trek into the woods to hunt down the suspect. They track the suspect
to a Hardwick-area home where they believe he's hiding. Unable to locate the suspect, Smiley
has the pick-up towed and stored. Later that day, the suspect is finally located and charged
with possession of a deer out of season.
"October through December is the busiest time of year for me," said Smiley. "Fall means deer
hunting for my district. I get calls at all times of the day and night-everything from
suspected deer jacking to car-wildlife collisions."
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department warden force has 34 officers who each oversee a
district of approximately 300-square miles. A warden's patrol not only includes the marked
roads of his district, but also the backwoods paths that crisscross the area. Officers are
highly trained in compass and map skills and are frequently called in to assist other law
enforcement agencies in search and rescue operations.
"During big game season, there will be thousands of hunters in the woods on any given day,"
explains the Director of Law Enforcement Robert Rooks. "It's not uncommon this time of year
for hunters to be greeted by the local warden miles into the woods. They are actively
patrolling to protect our wild resources and ensure all fish and game laws are observed."
Wardens work out of home offices. Their home phones are state phones and the public is urged
to call officers and report crimes any time of the day or night. While such accessibility can
be stressful for wardens and their families, this system allows wardens to quickly get tips
from area residents that are vital to catching poachers.
"The prime time for poaching is between late night and early morning hours Friday, Saturday or
Sunday," said Rooks. "In the fall, such late night calls are more the rule than the exception.
This time of year, wardens easily can work more than 60 hours a week."
And Smiley has learned that "days off" are no guarantee of relaxation.
"Two years ago, on my day off, I was driving down the road in my personal vehicle when the
car in front of me suddenly stopped and the driver discharged a firearm out the window at
something in a field. I jumped out of my vehicle and ran to the car and grabbed the muzzle
of the weapon from the driver and removed it from the car," explained Smiley. " There were
two other individuals in the car who also had loaded weapons and I eventually had to wrestle
one of the men to the ground to get his weapon from him."
A passerby who knew the warden called police for assistance and Smiley soon had badly needed
backup. The men were later charged with having a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Due to the firearm-related link to game law violations, game wardens are seven times more
likely than other types of law enforcement officers to be seriously injured or killed in an
assault. The only warden fatality in Vermont history was in 1978 when Warden Arnold Magoon
was beaten to death with a flashlight by a deer poacher.
Despite the long hours and dangerous nature of the job, competition for game warden positions
in the state is fierce. Rooks recalls as many as 900 people applying for a single position.
And such openings are rare. There's very little turnover among Vermont game wardens.
"These jobs appeal to people who enjoy wildlife, the outdoors and law enforcement," said
Rooks. "It's not uncommon for officers to tell us that they have wanted to be a game warden
since they were a child."
Such enthusiasm and dedication also helps during the long hours of big game season.
"Poaching can threaten a game population on a localized basis," Rooks said. "Stopping such
offenses means long hours for the wardens this time of year, but we're proud to do it. We're
here to protect the resource."
|
|
|
