Recruitment WY Game and Fish

[mightyhunter]

Game and Fish report highlights recruitment and retention challenges - Powell Tribune

Wyoming game wardens patrolled more than 600,000 miles in 2022, according to the annual Wyoming Game and Fish Department Law Enforcement Report, but the report also reveals the department had fewer …

www.powelltribune.com

Why do you think this is happening?

 

[Bookhead]

No one wants to go to college for 4 years to be a game warden when you can go to school 0 years and make allot more money in wyo. Would be my guess.

 

[elkantlers]

You have to really want to be a Conservation Officer to be a CO, because they don't make anywhere near what they should.

 

[nfh]

I agree with bookhead. Takes a special person to do this job. Need to know horses/mules at least in our parts. If you have a family it really takes a bite out of those activities.

 

[Triple_BB]

Probably high standards on who they hire. The local PD was doing physical testing not long ago. Looked like close to 40 applicants were out on the running track. Heard when it was said and done, like only one or two guys were offered jobs. A friend interviewed for the G&F back in the day. He kept getting passed over by mostly out of state graduates.

 

[elks96]

State of WY in general is really hurting for employees. Not just Wardens, but Snow Plow Drivers/Mechanic has a 40% Vacancy. State Patrol, etc. My wife works in the state in health services and they are constantly 20-30% vacancy rate.

As mentioned pay/compensation is a big deal. On the snow plow Drivers, new CDL requirements are a barrier to new drivers and then when you look at state salary compared to company drivers it is really bad...

 

[jm77]

Almost everyone is saying compensation issue. What do they get paid and what are the perks?

 

[Bookhead]

Almost everyone is saying compensation issue. What do they get paid and what are the perks?

4k a month regular warden 5k a month senior warden says on g and f website im sure thats before taxes. Pretty sure housing is paid though once you're assigned a district

 

[kickerbuck]

Would Non-residents be welcome to apply or only Wyo residents? Asking for a friend

 

[mulecreek]

what are the perks?

Lifetime supply of red shirts and they routinely get told they are full of sh!t at Commission meetings.

 

[elks96]

Lifetime supply of red shirts and they routinely get told they are full of sh!t at Commission meetings.

Yeah I know a couple that get told that from time to time. Usually for me it is when they claim
The one shot hunt has no impact on public hunting or tag allocations…

 

[nfh]

Yeah I know a couple that get told that from time to time. Usually for me it is when they claim
The one shot hunt has no impact on public hunting or tag allocations…

And CWD

 

[elkmo41]

You have to really want to be a Conservation Officer to be a CO, because they don't make anywhere near what they should.

That applies to all LEO’s from coast to coast.

 

[elkantlers]

That applies to all LEO’s from coast to coast.

agreed

 

[blacktailBC]

For some reason people seem to think 50k is still a decent salary for an educated, clean background , decent person . It’s not 1993.

 

[jm77]

For some reason people seem to think 50k is still a decent salary for an educated, clean background , decent person . It’s not 1993.

What's housing and utilities worth? Not to mention 60K for a senior warden and basically the truck full time. I'm not buying it's the compensation. Something has changed administration wise.

 

[Conrad8899]

The back ground and the questioner and the polygraph get most of the candidates

 

[junior]

Yea, you need to be a lawyer, have no common sense, a athlete, and a exceptional ass kisser to get accepted! BS job with BS pay.
Has the minority regs hit Wyoming yet? More BS.

 

[jims]

A warden may not be for you if you like to hunt....pretty busy during hunting seasons!

 

[D_Hoyt]

Game and Fish report highlights recruitment and retention challenges - Powell Tribune

Wyoming game wardens patrolled more than 600,000 miles in 2022, according to the annual Wyoming Game and Fish Department Law Enforcement Report, but the report also reveals the department had fewer …

www.powelltribune.com

Why do you think this is happening?

I interviewed and went through the screening process twice in 2012 and 2016.

In 2012, the polygraph took hours and I came out feeling like a super criminal with no criminal history. I ended up taking a law enforcement park ranger job in Nevada a few months later.

In 2016, my polygraph took 20 minutes ( same polygrapher). Then, they sent a guy to Salt Lake City to meet with my wife. An hour or so later, she came out crying and told me that we were never going to work for them. They basically told her that I'd always be on call, I would never be home, I'd be super tired and angry all the time, people would knock on our door at all hours of the day and night, and that divorce was eminent. The funny thing is that I was already in the on-call, all hours, boat in Nevada and they refused to acknowledge that I had been doing a VERY similar job for a few years without any issues. A few months later, I took a job with Wyoming State Parks and lived 100 feet from the Game and Fish new employee housing at Glendo. Most of the new recruits were ready to quit after a week and they ran out anyone with any empathy.

I respect what Wyoming Game Wardens do to enforce the law and protect wildlife, but they don't have a good culture and don't care about their employees based on my insights. Maybe things have changed since then, but I highly doubt they have based on the 20% vacancy rate.

 

[mightyhunter]

I have thought about this after reading the responses. Many of the wardens have had to work themselves through the ranks before becoming wardens. This might include grizzly bear duty. As a warden, you may be forced to toe the company line and regurgitate what the biologists and bosses tell you to say even if you don’t believe it yourself. Many wardens with wildlife biology degrees may be smarter than the biologists they have to deal with. Some wardens value public opinion and others are told to ignore it. I have been told many interesting things by wardens in private that they won’t repeat in public.

Many wardens do suffer burnout. This is no different than regular law enforcement. Dealing with the public is not easy. In 2017 I had a warden lose it when talking to me. I know a biologist who calls me Mr. A….. instead of by my first name. This is classic passive aggressive behavior by someone who does not like to be challenged. A lot of the burnout could be avoided by moving wardens and biologists to new areas on a regular basis.

Compensation may be only part of it. New hires likely don’t have a defined benefit retirement anymore. Wyoming state health insurance is actually fairly good and may well be better than what you would get in the private sector. The housing they receive is generally above average. No one is living in a shack. I remember running into a couple of USFS employees (women) on horseback in the North Crandall area. They were “checking” on range cows in the backcountry. It was a sunny Friday afternoon. Where else can you ride around doing what you love and get paid for it. Just sayin…mh

 

[marburg]

The government has always wanted top flight people but refuses to pay top flight $. Wyoming is no different.

 

[Moe]

Uhhh, some state governments pay very, very well. With great benifits. Sucks to be tax payers there tho.

 

[hossblur]

The very folks you'd want, outdoors folks, hunters, etc, don't want busy season to be hunting season.

Unfortunately young guys that can do it chase money, until they realize the time off gov jobs offer are more important

 

[fullcry]

With all that,I will add
There ain’t a lot of jobs available and if you don’t know someone in the field your chances ain’t great.so if you ain’t related or sponsored….