Example Career: Fish and Game Wardens

Career Description

Patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data.

What Job Titles Fish and Game Wardens Might Have

• District Wildlife Manager
• Natural Resource Officer
• State Game Warden
• Wildlife Manager

What Fish and Game Wardens Do

• Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.
• Compile and present evidence for court actions.
• Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations.
• Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems.
• Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.
• Serve warrants and make arrests.
• Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required.
• Promote or provide hunter or trapper safety training.
• Participate in search-and-rescue operations.
• Arrange for disposition of fish or game illegally taken or possessed.
• Seize equipment used in fish and game law violations.
• Address schools, civic groups, sporting clubs, or the media to disseminate information concerning wildlife conservation and regulations.
• Recommend revisions in hunting and trapping regulations or in animal management programs so that wildlife balances or habitats can be maintained.
• Inspect commercial operations relating to fish or wildlife, recreation, or protected areas.
• Survey areas and compile figures of bag counts of hunters to determine the effectiveness of control measures.
• Collect and report information on populations or conditions of fish and wildlife in their habitats, availability of game food or cover, or suspected pollution.
• Design or implement control measures to prevent or counteract damage caused by wildlife or people.
• Provide advice or information to park or reserve visitors.
• Investigate crop, property, or habitat damage or destruction or instances of water pollution to determine causes and to advise property owners of preventive measures.
• Issue licenses, permits, or other documentation.
• Document the extent of crop, property, or habitat damage and make financial loss estimates or compensation recommendations.

What Fish and Game Wardens Should Be Good At

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Fish and Game Wardens Should Be Interested In

• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

What Fish and Game Wardens Need to Learn

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.