Warden's Watch

Kate Matrosova was a highly experienced hiker from Southern Siberia, Russia. She came to America on a student visa and successfully graduated with a masters degree in Financial Engineering. Though she worked for many firms on Wall Street, she also had a passion for the outdoors. She had a passion for climbing big mountains such as Kilimanjaro and McKinley, and was an active marathon runner. At 32 years old, she hiked the Presidential Mountain Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire...

Carlos Gomez, a retired Game Warden for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, sits down with Wayne in the continuation of his interview. Though now retired after a 41 year career, Carlos is still an active outdoorsman and a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation. In this episode, they discuss cases Carlos has been involved with and his interactions with other wardens. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's Operation Game Thief NH...

Carlos Gomez spent 41 years as a game warden in the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation - 34 years serving Tulsa County and 7 years serving in Oklahoma County. He is the only game warden in Oklahoma's history to spend his entire career in urban areas. Despite this, his time was filled with hunting and fishing interactions, as well as education of the public. In his retirement, he actively enjoys the outdoors and regularly attends meetings with conservation clubs. Our...

After 28 years, Capt. Brian Albert has retired, but that doesn’t mean he’s done working. Brian spent time in the Air Force and then became a Ranger with Maryland's Eastern Shore. He also worked as a Public Information Officer and was in charge of a criminal investigations division during his career. Despite retirement, Brian is heavily involved with Maryland's International Wildlife Crimestoppers and other conservation organizations. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper...

Wayne and John discuss a warden life across the border in Canada with special guest Sean Cronsberry. Sean is a dog handler and warden with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. He's handled several interesting cases with his K-9 companions Timber and Blaze. Sean covers a large area and has a unique area that involves the commercial fishing industry out of the great lakes. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's...

John Anderson is a Game Warden with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. John patrols hundreds of acres in some of Nevada's best elk habitat and has seen his fair share of incredible cases over the years. John shares with us 3 of his best poacher cases along with some stories about how he became a game warden under what might be considered an unusual turn of events. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's Operation Game Thief NH...

Scott Fischer is an Officer with Arizona Game and Fish and also the director of the department's Operation Game Thief program. Scott and Wayne discuss the qualification for becoming an Arizona warden, Arizona's outdoor opportunities for big game outdoors men and women, and a few operations that Scott has been on trying to stop illegal drug trafficking. They also discuss how important the community is to assisting with illegal poaching through Operation Game Thief. Our...

Chris Wright is the Assistant Chief with the Idaho Fish and Game Department. Chris began his career in Montana and has had a colorful career involving many cases in Idaho. Chris, Wayne, and John discuss many of the details of Chris's biggest investigations including a case that involved 86 poached deer and a prosecution attempt that ended in political influences. We also discuss CWD, Operation Game Thief, citizen involvement to catch poachers, and creating gene diversity in wildlife...

Matt Holmes, a NH Fish and Game Conservation Officer and regular on North Woods Law, jumps in the pick up truck with Wayne to talk more about Matt's career as a Game Warden. They discuss in detail Matt's OHRV crash that occurred in June 2020 while on radar patrol. Special narration and commentary from Bob Mancini. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's Operation Game Thief NH Wildlife Heritage International Wildlife Crime...

Matt Holmes, a NH Fish and Game Conservation Officer and regular on North Woods Law, jumps in the pick up truck with Wayne this week to talk about Matt's career as a Game Warden. Wayne and Matt go way back and have lots of stories to tell on this episode. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's Operation Game Thief NH Wildlife Heritage International Wildlife Crime Stoppers Here's What We Discuss: Find More Here: Website Apple...

From the Nancy Foley podcast stemmed a conversation with John about a bear poaching case that needed exploration. John and Wayne discuss a case in California that started as a small time investigation of bear poaching that lead to convictions on numerous game and firearm violations. The case expanded into a large scale illegal guiding service and John went undercover to crack the case wide open. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Maine's...

Dennis Amsden was a Lieutenant and Game Warden with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Service. Dennis served with the Vermont F and G for 20 years and was involved in many cases over the years, from the high profile media cases to the everyday poaching incident. He shares with us his journey over his career, shares details about several memorable investigations, and hints on where he'd like to go in retirement. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a...

Chief Nancy Foley spent 25 years in various capacities within the Law Enforcement Division. She was instrumental in raising the profile of California game wardens by securing better and more clearly marked patrol vehicles, developing the K-9 program and helping get National Geographic Channel’s Wild Justice, a show featuring California game wardens, to the airwaves. Foley was selected as the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA) Professional of the Year in 2011. Our...

Jack Bailey joined the Maryland DNR in 1987, assumed responsibilities on a state wide level later in his career, and proposed changes to laws and regulations to protect Maryland’s natural resources. Jack worked closely with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Justice on several cases to prosecute violators. In retirement, Jack serves as the President of the Maryland Wildlife Crime Stoppers, Inc., and is a State Senator for the State of Maryland. Our...

Today’s Maryland Department of Natural Resources has its roots in the Maryland Oyster Police, which began in 1868 to regulate oyster harvesting on the Chesapeake Bay. Greg Bartles spent most of his career protecting Maryland’s parks and open lands as a natural resources police officer. Now retired, he’s using part of his land to share the story of the state’s conservation efforts. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Copper Pig Brewery Hunt of a Lifetime Guidefitter Maine's...

Conservation Canines or "K-9s" are a unique tool to assist Fish and Game Law Enforcement in their investigations, apprehension of violators, and conducting search and rescue missions. Conservation Officers work with their canine partners conducting tracks, area searches, evidence detection, fish and wildlife detection, and search and rescue activities. This is Part 2 of a 2 Part Series. We share stories in this episode with Eric Fluette K-9 Moxie, Ken St.Pierre as a future handler, Bob...

Conservation Canines or "K-9s" are a unique tool to assist Fish and Game Law Enforcement in their investigations, apprehension of violators, and conducting search and rescue missions. Conservation Officers work with their canine partners conducting tracks, area searches, evidence detection, fish and wildlife detection, and search and rescue activities. We discuss different aspects of K-9 training and work in this episode including training with 4-H. This is Part 1 of a 2 part series and is...

Tyler Turnipseed, former Chief Game Warden, served the Nevada Division of Wildlife for more than 20 years. We take a look back at his career with NDOW, the legacy he's leaving behind, and what's in store for his future. He also gives some great advice to those looking to become a game warden. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Presby Steel Wildlife Trash Safe Hunt of a Lifetime Guidefitter Maine's Operation Game Thief NH Wildlife Heritage International Wildlife Crime...

In a memorial podcast dedicated to the fallen, and in honor of police week, we explore some cases where Wardens were lost in the line of duty. We dedicate this show to our brothers and sisters of special outdoor law enforcement that have been lost unexpectedly. This is an episode is dedicated to Retired Badge #36 and the Wardens who sacrificed it all. End of Watch. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Presby Steel Wildlife Trash Safe Hunt of a Lifetime Guidefitter Maine's Operation...

Rick Wilcox, has served as the president of the North Conway-based volunteer Mountain Rescue Service for over 40 years. The organization provides manpower and expertise in environments and terrain beyond the scope of most rescue agencies — from the cliffs of Cathedral, Whitehorse and Cannon ledge to the summits of the Presidential Range in wintertime. MRS has been involved in over 500 rescues, bolstering state Fish and Game and U.S. Forest Service personnel in the most extreme of...