Texas is serious about wildlife management. The on-going expansion of a state-of-the-art training center and the associated seven-month game warden training course produce a cadre of well-educated, professional and committed game wardens. Their work ensures flourishing wildlife populations.

There is good reason for hosting the longest duration law enforcement academy in the state. As Wood County game warden Lee Hall points out, “We are fully-fledged law enforcement officers and, specifically, game wardens.”   

Hall shares these duties in Wood County with fellow warden Kurt Kelley, a 21-year veteran in the county.  Neighboring Smith County hosts three wardens and Van Zandt County is assigned two. Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains and Upshur counties each have one warden on patrol. 

The concept of game wardenship is replete with misperceptions about their role and authority. Some of that may be due to the origins of the service. Texas created the Fish and Oyster Commission in 1895 to regulate fishing. In 1963, the State Parks Board was merged with the Game and Fish Commission to create the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).  

Today the charter of game wardens is straightforward and fully-founded in law.

Hall highlighted, “We are empowered to enforce all laws of the State of Texas. That includes the criminal statutes as well as TPWD regulations.”

“Yes, I can issue traffic tickets, intervene in disputes, place people under arrest and act to protect people and property,” Hall explained. “However,” he continued, “our primary charter is to protect and preserve the wildlife of the state.” 

A native of Katy, Hall knew at an early age that he wanted to be a game warden. He admitted it was his love of outdoors, love of conservation and the influence of his father, Mike Hall, which nurtured that dream.

A degree in Wildlife Fisheries Science from Texas A&M University followed in 2010. Hall applied to TPWD right out of college, but selection to the program came in his second attempt.

His story refutes one common misconception of the game warden program: it is far from a closed society. Candidates come from all walks of life. As Hall notes, “Although I had a fisheries degree, one of my contemporaries had a history degree. Some get selected in their first attempt, some in their seventh.”  

The Game Warden Training Center is a 200-acre complex in Hamilton – northwest of Austin – which opened in 2009.

Major Jason Bussey, a member of the senior staff at the center, remarked, “This is the birthplace of all Texas game wardens.”

Bussey described how the training center hones those skills needed for game wardens to operate independently and with broad-reaching authority.

The camaraderie developed over the long course of instruction also builds a life-long commitment among all game wardens and pushes each individual to better themselves in all that they undertake. 

Interestingly, although the training center is maintained with state funding, the construction of the complex at Hamilton was almost all funded through private donations, according to Bussey.   

In addition to qualifying cadets as law enforcement officers, the training center puts cadets in many scenarios one may encounter in the field. These scenarios prepare officers for the wide variety of situations they may find themselves in while pursuing hunters or fishermen operating outside the law. 

Often, these interactions occur at night, deep in the Texas countryside, with no immediate support.

“We are allowed significant discretion,” Hall noted, “and we have been trained to both protect ourselves and defuse situations.”

In his short career, Hall has already experienced such circumstances. He related confronting a group of men (not in Wood County) running dogs to hunt feral pigs in a Wildlife Management Area. He noted that a quick radio call brings immediate support from wardens in neighboring counties.

The state supplies wardens with an AR-15 and a Glock sidearm.

“Most of us also carry a shotgun,” Hall added. 

The topography of Wood County yields a reasonably predictable focus of effort. Lake patrols are a big part of Hall’s job, focusing on fisheries enforcement and waterfowl resources. Once hunting season arrives, the wardens head to the woods.

Two unique tools in a warden’s kitbag are the authority to conduct warrantless searches and the authority to access private property. Both authorities are limited in their application. 

Hall explained that the search authority can be applied only after a warden first observes hunting or fishing activity. Once the observation occurs, the warden is authorized to inspect and search any device, any wildlife resource and any container that could be used to store wildlife.   

With respect to access to private property, the authority is similarly based in a game warden’s primary charter. Access is allowed only if the game warden suspects hunting or fishing activity is taking place on the property. 

The vast majority of interactions with hunters and fishermen are mutually supportive. Hall commented on the positive trend he sees as more and more outdoor enthusiasts realize that wildlife resources are limited.

“Most everything we do is education,” stated Hall. Being a member of the community remains the heartwood of a warden’s office. Most investigations stem from referrals in the community of people who saw, or heard of, something which just wasn’t right.

For the hunters or fishermen who are not sure if they may have inadvertently violated regulations, Hall recommends giving a warden a call.

“We have no quotas or pressure from our chain of command to write tickets,” he explained.

He summarized that he works in concert with outdoorsmen to manage the county’s wildlife. 

Hall and his wife Brittany are raising two young sons and are very appreciative of the welcome they have received in the county. Having just arrived to the office in August, Hall is busy building personal relationships which will keep the great outdoors safe and available for all local residents.