Warden's Watch

Our first return guest on the Thin Green Line Podcast, Bill Bodner! Bill Bodner is a recently retired law enforcement official known for his work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the United States. He served as the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Los Angeles Field Division. In this role, Bodner was responsible for leading DEA operations in seven counties of Southern Californi...

The Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is the Canadian equivalent to both the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and like the US agencies, ECCC is responsible for the protection and conservation of both the environment and wildlife for future generations. As a Law Enforcement Specialist and Operations Manager for ECCC, Martin Thabault’s resp...

Warden News 12-23 Headless Poached Deer https://www.wibw.com/2023/11/27/headless-buck-found-over-thanksgiving-weekend-spurs-hunt-poacher/ Bobcat- Mountain Lion hunting ban https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/colorado-mountain-lion-bobcat-hunting-ban/ Duck Hunter Saved  https://jcpost.com/posts/9072b71d-6939-473d-b6f8-96e2c793df91 DEC Deer Poaching  https://www.news10.com/news/greene-county/de...

Mustafa Speaks is an American actor, writer, and producer, known for his roles in the Netflix series "Seven Seconds," the USA Network series "Unsolved," and the Spectrum original series "Joe Pickett." He played Nate Romanowski in "Joe Pickett," a master falconer and special forces officer. In addition to his acting career, Speaks is also known for his work as a producer and writer. He has a backgr...

Roy Brown was a Federal Conservation Law Enforcement officer for over 30 years, most of which he spent as a Special Agent Criminal Investigator with postings in Montana, Tennessee, Alabama, Utah and finally Wyoming. Working with a variety of state, local, and federal agencies to fight wildlife crime, he has been a certified firearms instructor and armorer, criminal investigator, and taught crime s...

Warden’s News November 2023 A hunter in Hanson legally killed Pumpkin the bear, MassWildlife sayshttps://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/pumpkin-bear-hanson-killed-hunter-police/ A $20K reward was offered for information regarding poaching of bull elk in Shannon County, MO https://www.kfvs12.com/2023/11/16/20k-reward-offered-information-regarding-poacher-bull-elk-shannon-county-mo/ The Exotic Wildlife...

Ben Shank is a trailblazer in the world of television production and the Chief Content Officer at Engel Entertainment. With a career highlighted by co-founding York and Wilder Studios and his innovative work on "Casey Anthony’s Parents Speak" for the A&E Network, Ben has been a driving force in the industry. His career spans over 200 hours of content for networks like Discovery and Animal Planet,...

For twenty years, Bill Livezey led a double life rubbing shoulders with some of Maine’s worst wildlife offenders; the kinds of people who not only live by the poacher’s mantra “if it’s brown, it’s down,” but many who were dangerously unstable felons, alcoholics, and drug abusers - his success at putting bad guys out of business stemming largely from his early years as one of them. Since retiring i...

Warden News is a collection of current game warden-related news stories gathered from news sources worldwide. These stories are compiled and read by Warden's Watch podcast producer Jay Scott.  October 2023 Kansas: Game Wardens attempt to identify individuals caught on Kansas City trail camera Vermont: Poacher’s car, crossbow seized from 2020 deer jacking case Texas: GAME WARDEN REPORTS Somerset, E...

In Appalachian Ohio and beyond, ginseng hunting is a centuries-old tradition. Prized for its medicinal value and prestige, American ginseng was one of America’s first exports to the Far East. Today, highly regulated but harvested to near extinction, its value has only increased, setting the stage for a black market that often results in arrests, prison time, and tragedy. Our Sponsors:  Thin Green...

The North American Game Warden Museum could not be in a more perfect spot. Nestled amid the pristine forest, prairie, and floral gardens of the US/Canada International Peace Garden, it is the only space in the world dedicated to educating the public, celebrating natural resource protection, and honoring the fallen heroes who lost their lives in the line of duty. In this episode, we speak with boar...

Kirk Kiefer has been a wildlife investigator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the past 15 years. In this episode, he walks us through Operation “Root of All Evil,” a lengthy and complex investigation into the illegal ginseng trade that spanned multiple states, included unmarked vehicles, extended surveillance, buys and sales by undercover officers, and even a fake business. Our Sp...

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), founded in 1936, stands as a prominent nonprofit conservation organization in the U.S. With a membership exceeding six million, its mission revolves around the conservation of wildlife and their habitats. The NWF actively addresses critical environmental challenges, notably climate change and sustainable wildlife management, and offers educational resources...

In the summer of 2009, Ian Obenshain and Brad Bailey began observing a colossal white-tailed buck feeding in an Ohio field. The friends had permission to hunt the area and immediately started documenting the huge animal’s growth, with the ultimate goal of Brad filming Ian harvesting ‘Big Boy’ during the fall archery season. Anticipation, however, soon turned to disappointment when the trophy buck...

From a cozy front porch in Utah, Wayne talks with Ohio Wildlife Officer and K9 handler Chris Gilkey. Born, raised - and now based - in the Ohio foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Officer Gilkey shares the remarkable story of Big Boy, the largest typical white-tailed buck taken in North America in 2009 – and for one poacher, more ‘bucks’ than he counted on.  Our Sponsors:  Thin Green Line Podc...

Originally from Western New York, Ethan Justinger packed up and moved to Utah at just 22 to pursue his dream of being a game warden in the West. Now on the job with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for 5 years, Ethan sits down with Wayne to share his passion for elk hunting, conservation law, and the spectacular beauty surrounding them. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Don Noyes Chevro...

After a short summer break, Warden’s Watch picks things up with a look back at NAWEOA 2023 with Ohio Wildlife Officer Chris Gilkey, and Utah’s Ethan Justinger. Now called the International Game Warden Association, this year’s conference was held in beautiful Provo, Utah in early July, with a jam- packed schedule of activities that included a wide variety of training, speakers, and fun for the whol...

It’s that time of year again and game wardens from Maine and New Hampshire are ready to hit the field in Portland, Maine on July 28th for the fourth annual North Woods Throwdown softball game! We’re joined by New Hampshire’s Eric Fluette and Kris MacCabe of Maine, taking a look back at previous games, and unveiling an exciting new streaming option so fans can tune in from anywhere and support Oper...

In this episode, we meet Michigan DNR Sgt. Mark Papineau. His official role as Technology Sergeant sees him researching new technology options, implementing software and equipment, and training Law Enforcement Division personnel – but he is also MiDNR’s foremost in-house historian, teaching recruits more than 100 years of the DNR’s storied history. Take a walk through time with Warden’s Watch and...

Shane Bedard is a tactical medical instructor with the Air Force National Guard. Medics are priceless in critical incidents when life is on the line. Shane started out as parachute support and then crossed trained with the medic group. The training consisted of 250 hours in a Huey helicopter and set the stage for additional training as an EMT and firefighter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Katie Gervasi is the Communications Representative for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, and has the significant task of telling the stories COs are often too humble to tell themselves. Whether it’s crafting press releases and news items, maintaining the Department’s web presence, or shooting photos on ride-alongs, she shines a light on the important work of CO...

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Randy Nelson is a retired 35-year veteran of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), where he became the most decorated fisheries officer in the history of British Columbia. Two years after leaving his post as director of the DFO’s Conservation and Protection Branch in BC, he was ready to write about his extraordinary and sometimes life-threatening experiences, resulting in Poachers, Po...

Pennsylvania Wildlife Conservation Officer David Grove was known for his infectious smile, his deep faith, and his professionalism and commitment to the people and wildlife of his home state. On a quiet Veterans Day evening in 2010, Officer Grove was arresting a poacher when the suspect - a convicted felon - pulled a gun from his waistband and began firing. Despite having been shot, Officer Grove...

While patrolling the Florida Panhandle in August 2015, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer David Brady suddenly found himself in the fight of his life; what had seemed a routine stop quickly became an open-water gun battle. Shot twice, weighed down by equipment and treading water with a deflated life jacket, he continued to return fire until the would-be murderer – hims...