The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has an opening for a new Game Warden. Interested job seekers have until August 9th to submit their application.

Recruiter Corporal John MacDonald says it takes a special kind of person to be a game warden. Often when wardens approach someone, it's in the woods or on a lake, and a certain amount of finesse is required.

"You have to be able to talk with them and understand the activity they're involved with. If they're hunting you need to know all aspects of hunting. You need to be able to communicate with these people and have a passion for it. To be 'real' when you talk to them and, at the same time, you have to be a police officer. It's a balance we try to strike."

Passion, MacDonald says, is key. A successful candidate really has to want it.

"After about five months of the hiring process, which is a series of exams, once the successful people are offered a job with us, they have to attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, where they become certified police officers first. That's about eighteen weeks. And Game Wardens also attend, after that academy, the twelve-week warden academy, which focuses on our work skills. When all is said and done, from the time you submit your application, if you're successful, to the time you're standing in warden boots and driving a state vehicle, it's at least a year."

MacDonald says, at this time, a college degree isn’t required but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Most of the state's current Game Wardens have a degree of some kind.

If you're interested in applying or if you want more information, log onto the Maine Game Warden website.

 

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