What Happened To Lone Star Law James Cummings Wife?

What Happened To Lone Star Law James Cummings Wife
What Happened To James Cummings Wife On Lone Star Law The wife of a former Texas state judge and his son have been found dead in their home. The woman, who was also the judge’s daughter-in-law, and her son were discovered by police on Monday morning. The lone star law game warden with 4 daughters is a story that has been making headlines.

Who is Justin Eddins?

Eddins is a Jasper native and has spent his entire life in the woods of Deep East Texas, and he knows our local lakes, rivers, and creeks like the back of his hand. Additionally, Eddins and his fellow game wardens are featured on the hit TV show ‘Lone Star Law’ on the Animal Planet network.

Who is the game warden for Taylor County Texas?

Taylor County Wardens & Offices

Game Warden Phone
Cummings, James G 325-668-9939
Tidwell, Amelia 940-329-0678

How many kids does Justin Eddins have?

First fire leaves lasting impression on volunteer By SHARON KERR Staff Writer Justin Eddins first fire as a new volunteer found him driving up to a home fully engulfed in flames; he and every other fireman at the scene already knew that small children were still inside, but it was obvious that the water in Eddins’ relief tanker truck was too late to save them.

Eddins has been a state game warden for five years. He started in San Augustine and moved “back home” only a year ago. He lives in Rayburn Country, two miles from the Glenn Dell subdivision where the fire occurred last Tuesday, July 11. Eddins met other local volunteers accidentally. “It’s kind of embarrassing to admit,” he says, “but I was burning some brush and it got out of control.” One of the logs rolled out of the fire and the wind picked up and caught the blaze.

“I got so hot and tired trying to fight it myself that I fell down three times.” He finally told his wife to call 9-1-1 and within three minutes volunteers arrived. Eddins’ colonel encourages game wardens to become involved with the community; this seemed like a way Eddins could help and he was eager to start.

  1. The biggest need is for people who can respond during normal business hours.
  2. Eddins’ schedule as a game warden gives him flexibility, but it also means there are occasions and even entire seasons when he does not have time because of his job.
  3. The first Monday meeting Eddins promised to attend was the night a prisoner escaped; game wardens spent the night assisting with the hunt.

Eddins persevered and made the next meeting, which covered training issues like how to run the trucks and how to hold a hose. He’d been a volunteer for two-and-half weeks when the call came for Glenn Dell. “We didn’t know what we had at first,” Eddins says.

  • Through pagers, fire radios and scanners, volunteers can track the needs at the fire scene and either go to the station or the fire, as seems best from their location.
  • That’s how the firemen arriving from all directions knew the children were still inside.
  • Eddins says the experience at this fire “really hit home with me.” Eddins has two children about the same ages as the fire victims, 5- year-old Emily and 2-yearold Katelynn, who just had a birthday.

“They mean everything to me,” he says, and adds, “The whole day after I went home, and even now I can’t hardly think about it. You had two little bitty lives that just.” Does that make him want to quit? Eddins says it only makes him more committed to working with the volunteer fire department.

How much do Texas game wardens make a month?

What Kind of Degree Is Needed to Be a Texas State Game Warden? By Chron Contributor Updated February 11, 2021 Becoming a state game warden in Texas is a challenging process. If you apply and you meet the minimum requirements, the state invites you to take a physical readiness test.

  1. If you score high, then you go through interviews and background checks, then get an invitation to attend the Game Warden Academy.
  2. A college degree is essential to get that far.
  3. Indicates that entry-level game warden cadets start out making ​ $3,362.50 ​ per month, which increases to ​ $4,436.83 ​ per month after training and probation.

At four years, game wardens earn ​ $5,409.92 ​ per month. Salary caps out at ​ $6,487.17 ​ after 20 years of service. You can’t become a game warden without a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. Experience in the military or as a cop may be an asset when you apply, but you can’t substitute it for college credit.

  1. You can apply without a degree, but you have to complete it before you start the academy.
  2. The state recommends a major such as Natural Resource Conservation, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, Parks and Recreation, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
  3. Getting the college degree isn’t the end of your education.

Any job offer you get is conditional on attending the Game Warden Training Academy, which takes 30 weeks of course work. Your academy studies include fish and wildlife management, physical training, first aid and water rescue to help prepare you for the duties outlined in the Texas game warden job description.

You also learn law-enforcement tactics, civil defense and homeland security training, and the use of firearms. You have to live at the academy’s training center near Hamilton, Texas, while you attend classes. Training is rigorous and may require wrestling live alligators, according to, You have to turn 21 before you start your academy coursework, and you must be an American citizen with a valid driver’s license.

The state makes a background check and any felonies or major misdemeanors are grounds to drop you from consideration. So is a dishonorable military discharge. You have to undergo a psychiatric examination to confirm that you’re sound enough to work in law enforcement.

Illegal drug use will cost you your shot at the job. Game warden jobs often involve physical effort. Proving you can handle it is part of the requirements. Your eyesight, with glasses or contacts, must be at least 20/30 and you have to meet minimal standards for long distance, directional and conversational hearing.

Physical testing for the academy includes staying afloat for 30 seconds, swimming 100 meters in five minutes and a 1.5 mile run in 21 minutes, 36 seconds. All the physical testing takes place in one day, so the state recommends you prepare for it. : What Kind of Degree Is Needed to Be a Texas State Game Warden?

Can a Texas Game Warden enter your house?

Game Wardens’ Jurisdictions? – But what about a Texas game warden’s jurisdiction? Well, just as wildlife go between city and county lines, so does the jurisdiction of a Texas game warden. Texas game wardens’ jurisdiction is statewide. Also, they can go on to not only public, but also private, property to enforce game and wildlife laws.

  • Texas game wardens are also one of the primary law-enforcement officers for enforcing boating laws in Texas.
  • That means that they can board your vessel to make sure that your water-safety equipment is in compliance.
  • It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re engaged in hunting or fishing.
  • What it comes down to is the wildlife code is complicated, and it can feel arbitrary at times.

What that means is well-intentioned hunters and anglers sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of the law, as the saying goes. The eyes of Texas are upon you, and Texas game wardens will go to great lengths to catch hunters and anglers who are hunting and fishing unlawfully.

Do Texas game wardens have more authority than police?

The big difference between game wardens and almost every other law enforcement agency is that wardens usually have a much larger jurisdiction than police or sheriffs. While most have designated areas they regularly patrol, in states like Pennsylvania and Texas, a game warden’s jurisdiction is statewide.

How much does a Texas Game Warden Captain make?

Average salary

Length of employment Employees Median salary
10-20 years 24 $124,207
20+ years 21 $125,697

Did Benny Richards retire?

Congratulations Mr Benny Richard for your retirement. I want to thank you for your 25 years of service’s.

Is Justin Eddins married?

Jasper County game warden’s wife drowns after lawn mowing accident LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) – A Jasper County game warden’s wife has died following a lawn-mowing accident. According to Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman, first responders were called out to County Road 30 in northwest Jasper County.

Stephanie Eddins, 39, of the Bean community, was found in the Angelina River shortly after 5 p.m. According to Newman, Eddins was mowing a yard with a zero-turn mower. Eddins’ husband told authorities that he left that part of the property for a few minutes, and then he returned and could not find his wife.

Newman said the husband noticed the lawn mower in the water and his wife under the mower. Eddins is the wife of Jasper County Game Warden Justin Eddins. Newman said that CPR was administered on scene, but Eddins was pronounced dead. An autopsy was not ordered.

Is Mike Boone still a Texas game warden?

Mike Boone – Mike Boone has served with the Texas Game Wardens for 28 years. Originally from Magnolia, Texas, Boone earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in 1991 and completed the Texas Game Warden academy in 1992. He has been stationed in Hardin County since 1993.

What state has the highest-paid game warden?

Frequently Asked Questions – A game warden can write tickets and arrest offenders similar to a cop, but game wardens report to a different agency than police officers. Game wardens also focus on conservation laws whereas police officers focus on general state and federal laws. Game wardens, fish and wildlife officers, park wardens, and wildlife control agents fall within the same field.

  • The responsibilities of each role varies state by state.
  • Game warden training can last from 14 to 44 weeks depending on the state.
  • All training programs test candidate’s physical stamina and knowledge of local conservation rules and regulations.
  • According to the BLS, California, New Jersey, and Illinois provide the highest-paying game warden jobs.

Florida, Texas, and New York offer the highest number of jobs for game wardens. Featured Image: Thomas Juul / The Image Bank / Getty Images

How many hours does a Texas game warden work?

Working Conditions – Station Assignment: The applicant must be willing and able to accept an assignment anywhere in the State of Texas upon graduation from academy training and commissioning as a Texas Game Warden. Assignments will be made where vacancies exist statewide and shall be made in the best interest of the department.

Assignments will be made after the successful completion of the academy training period. Work Schedule: The applicant must be willing and able to: work state and federal holidays; work hours other than 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with days off other than Saturday and Sunday; are subject to call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cadets may be required to work over 8 hours per day. Overtime Compensation: Game Wardens are compensated based upon a 40-hour work week in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Work Environment: Cadets and Game Wardens work extensively out-of-doors, during inclement and sometimes hazardous weather conditions, during natural disasters and under other possibly dangerous conditions.

  1. At times, wardens and cadets are required to work in highly stressful situations that may be hazardous to their health and safety, which could include working with people who are injured, violent, emotionally upset or otherwise pose a danger.
  2. Dress Code: Cadets and Game Wardens are required to wear a prescribed uniform and adhere to established dress and grooming standards.
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Uniforms include equipment such as firearms and other defensive equipment. Commissioned personnel on duty and in uniform will maintain a neat and clean appearance according to the Law Enforcement General Orders to include:

Hair for both male and female officers in uniform, must be of natural color and in length and style; No tattoos from the neck and above, to include any part of the head are allowed. Commissioned personnel shall not wear tattoos, if visible or exposed, that are of an offensive manner or nature, while in uniform.

Residence: Cadets will be required to live at the Game Warden Training Center near Hamilton, Texas, for the duration of the training period, approximately 30 weeks. All rules, regulations, policies and procedures of the Academy must be followed while in residence. Emolument: An emolument may be taken from cadets for food services while at the Game Warden Training Center.

Do Texas game wardens carry guns?

Ask a Warden: What Guns Do You Carry? In our series, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, public lands, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from South Dakota, Texas, and Colorado what guns they carry.

  1. Conservation officers have a unique job that’s unlike most other law enforcement.
  2. From to, routine patrols just aren’t all that routine.
  3. For that reason, wardens require a diverse set of tools to make it through a day.
  4. Here are their guns of choice.
  5. Conservation Officer Supervisor Mike Apland | South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks “In South Dakota, each officer has a 12-gauge shotgun and Sig Sauer AR-15, but our everyday carry is a Glock Model 22,40-caliber pistol.

Our guns are primarily for law enforcement use, although they’re commonly needed to put down injured or problem wildlife. In my district, the usual suspects are deer, elk, and mountain lions. “I started 30 years ago, and at that time most everyone had a Smith & Wesson,357 revolver.

Our duty weapons and training have changed drastically over the decades.” Warden Kevin Davis | Texas Parks & Wildlife “Currently, all Texas wardens carry a Glock,40-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Daniel Defense,223 semi-automatic M4 rifle. As state commissioned peace officers, the pistol is used to protect the public and the officer.

The rifle is an officer’s primary weapon and has clear advantages, including greater accuracy at longer ranges. “We are in the process of transitioning our wardens to the Glock 9 mm pistol. This decision was made by considering current ballistics, friendly recoil, and handling for a wide array of shooters.

Historically, Texas wardens carried a revolver until we transitioned to semi-auto pistols. “In the past, the rifles allocated to wardens were the Ruger Mini 14,223 semi-auto carbines and fully automatic,223 M4s (neither are used today). We also previously issued Remington 870 12-gauge shotguns and currently allow our officers to carry them, but they are no longer standard issue.

Additionally, we have other specialty firearms that are used in tactical and investigative situations by specially trained game wardens.” Retired Warden Bill Andree | Colorado Parks & Wildlife “Our duty sidearm is a state-issued Smith & Wesson M&P45 (formerly everyone had,40-caliber Glocks).

  • It’s used as self-defense and for putting down wildlife in areas where other weapons may not be safe.
  • Before semi-auto pistols were common, most officers carried a,357 revolver that they had to supply themselves.
  • We also have Remington 870 12-gauge shotguns, which can be for self-defense, hazing wildlife with rubber pellets, and putting down big game.

Most carry a,308 rifle of some kind. Although there are many models that wardens have, the majority are Remington 700s. Some officers also carry a,223 AR-15 for self-defense.” Feature image via Texas Game Wardens. : Ask a Warden: What Guns Do You Carry?

Can a felon become a Texas game warden?

All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications outlined below for consideration as a Game Warden Cadet with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Age : An applicant must have reached the age of 21 years on or before January 1,2022. There is no maximum age limit for employment.

  • Education : Applicants must have successfully completed and have conferred a bachelor’s level degree from an accredited college or university in any field of study by January 1, 2022.
  • Prior military or law enforcement experience is not a substitute for the education requirements, lateral transfers are not allowed, all applicants must go through the game warden academy,

Citizenship : Must be a citizen of the United States. Work Eligibility : Federal law requires that all new employees present original documents that establish identity and U.S. employment eligibility. These documents must be presented at the time of employment.

denied by final order revoked have a voluntary surrender of a license currently in effect.

Military Service : The applicant must not have been discharged from any military service under less than honorable conditions. Background : Applicants will be subjected to, and must successfully pass, a thorough and comprehensive background investigation prior to appointment to a cadet position.

a conviction for any Felony or Class A Misdemeanor offense at any time. a conviction for any Class B Misdemeanor offense within 10 years prior to the date of application, which includes convictions for DWI (driving while intoxicated), DUID (driving under the influence of drugs) and BWI (boating while intoxicated), never have been convicted of any family violence offense, currently on court-ordered community supervision, and/or probation or parole for any criminal offense above the grade of Class C Misdemeanor.

Salary (Schedule C) : Applicants currently holding Schedule C positions with another state agency in Texas, who meet all minimum qualifications, are selected and complete the Game Warden Academy, will return to their current Schedule C salary position after 1 year of satisfactory performance in the field.

  • This applies only to the similar rank of Game Warden VI or below.
  • Drug Use : Applicant must have no current illegal drug use, within the past 2 years from the start date of the application process.
  • Illegal drug use is the use of a drug that is considered illegal in Texas.
  • For example: Marijuana use in some states is legal, but illegal in Texas.

So if you used marijuana in those states, TPWD will consider that as illegal drug use. This also includes the use of prescribed drugs used in an illegal manner. Psychological Condition : The applicant must be examined by a licensed psychologist and be declared to be in satisfactory psychological and emotional health for law enforcement duty prior to employment and the issuance of a peace officer license.

Physical Condition : The applicant must be examined by a licensed physician and be declared to be able to physically perform the duties of a game warden cadet prior to employment. Hearing : The applicant must meet the minimal standard with or without hearing aids of 35 decibels or better in each of the following four frequencies: 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz; to include long distance, directional and voice conversation hearing.

Vision :

Uncorrected visual acuity must be at least 20/100 (both eyes) for those who wear glasses or hard contact lenses. Wearers of soft contact lenses are exempt from uncorrected visual acuity. If you wear contact lenses, you must wear them during the medical exam Corrected visual acuity should be at least 20/20 (both eyes) and 20/40 (each eye). Applicant must have uninterrupted peripheral vision of 140 degrees or better, have night vision and be able to distinguish red and green colors.

Can you do a ride along with a Texas game warden?

Ask a Game Warden: Citizens Ride Alongs – What Happened To Lone Star Law James Cummings Wife Care to ride along with a Texas Game Warden on one of these? This is Passport to Texas Ask a Game Warden Since the TV show Lone Star Law —which is about Texas Game Wardens—premiered in June on Animal Planet, interest in ride-a-longs has increased. A ride along is when someone from the public that’s not a commissioned peace officer actually rides with a game warden during their patrol—either in a vessel or in a vehicle.

Listener Mason from Southeast Texas sent a question into Ask a Game Warden inquiring whether members of the public are permitted to tag along while they make their rounds. Chief of Special Operations for Texas Game Wardens, Grahame Jones, says the answer is a qualified “yes.” What they would need to do is contact their local Game Warden; they can go to the sheriff’s office or local game warden office.

And you can actually go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, and locate the find a game warden tab—you can actually get the phone number for your game warden that way—and then make contact with them. In general, the ride-a-long can take a while to get approved through the chain of command.

  • So, they’re not always feasible.
  • Ideally, we like to reserve the ride-a-long programs for college students, maybe an internship from a university, or someone from the media that wants a little bit closer look at what we do.
  • Send your question to Ask a Game Warden from the contact us page at passporttotexas.org,

We may answer it on the radio. That’s our showfunding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram For Texas Parks and WildlifeI’m Cecilia Nasti. This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2016 at 12:00 am and is filed under Ask a Game Warden, Game Wardens,

Does the 4th Amendment apply to game wardens?

‘ Courts have often interpreted the Fourth Amend- ment to provide more leeway to game wardens who interact with hunt- ers than to police officers who interact with other citizens. For example, a game warden may stop a hunter in the field and demand that the hunter present his hunting license for any reason.

Can a Texas game warden pull you over for speeding?

In states such as California and Texas, where game wardens are fully fledged peace officers, yes they can pull you over on the highway; it doesn’t even have to be for a game related offence. They could pull you over for something like speeding, although this rarely happens unless your being really stupid.

How many female game wardens are in Texas?

UTTS: S2E9: Women in Conservation – Joann Garza-Mayberry When you think of conservation, what comes to mind? Some of us think about turning off that light switch or tightening that faucet. Or maybe even putting less in the landfill. But what about protecting the land and the wildlife that inhabits the different environments in our natural world? Preserving those resources for future generations is conservation.

State Game Warden put the gun down now! Put it down!” One group of conservationists who do just that, are known as Game Wardens. Step over here. You got any ID on ya? Yeah. I need to see your driver’s license and your hunting license. You know what you did wrong? No, actually I don’t. Okay. You cannot shoot off public roads in Texas.

You can’t hunt off the road. And that’s what you were doing. In Texas, Game Wardens cover over 268 thousand square miles of land and water ways, as well as 367 miles of coastline. They enforce state hunting and fishing laws, oversee boating safety, and protect our natural resources from environmental crimes.

  1. It’s a tough and sometimes dangerous job.
  2. One that historically has been filled by men.
  3. But today, almost nine percent of Texas Game Wardens are women.
  4. On the podcast we’ll visit with Caldwell County Game Warden Joann Garza-Mayberry.
  5. We’ll talk to her about her 16-year career in law enforcement, her love for the outdoors and her true passion for serving others.
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We’ll also learn about her drive to educate young women about opportunities to connect with careers in conservation. Stay with us. From Texas Parks and Wildlifethis is Under the Texas Sky a podcast about natureand people and the connection they shareI’m Cecilia Nasti.

State Game Warden, how ya doin’? You catch anything? No, no. Not Yet. Okay. Just put in a little while ago. Do you have your license on you? Your fishing license? Yes, but I don’t have my paper on me, but I do have a current one, yes. Okay. I can check it. Joann Garza-Mayberry has been a Texas Game Warden for over 16 years.

She has a calm and friendly demeanor with an enthusiasm for her profession. She credits her attitude to loving parents and a solid education in public schools, where she and her two sisters were involved in high school sports. We grew up with a very strong mother who was always of the advice, we can do anything.

She never separated men can do this and women can do this, or because you’re a woman don’t feel like you can’t do this. It was just, there’s nothing that you can’t do. My dad did that as well. He never separated us by gender saying you know, don’t worry about those guys, you can do the same as the guys.

It was never like that. It was always, if you have a dream, stand firm with your dream. Joann’s dad grew up as a migrant farm worker who joined the United States Army, and he would later become a high ranking chief in the San Antonio Fire Department. It was Joann’s father who introduced her to the outdoors when family vacations meant loading up the van and heading out on week-long camping trips.

We had some property down at Medina River. We would go camping for extended periods of time. We enjoyed fishing out there, hiking out there, and that’s what really triggered my love for the outdoors and conservation. It was just being brought up in the outdoors like that. I think we learned a lot of lessons, you know, physically, mentally, be mentally tough to endure long hikes.

Physically is where I appreciated, really learned how to swim and to become a strong swimmer that I am today to be a Texas Game Warden because we are required to be very good swimmers. We spend a lot of our time on boats on the rivers, lakes, streams of the state.

So during this impressionable period of being outdoors, did Joann ever think about about a career in conservation? No not at all. In fact, I was one of those kids who didn’t know what I wanted to do in high school, even my sophomore year in college I didn’t even know what I wanted to major in. As a matter of fact, my bachelor’s degree is in Health Care Administration because that was just something a group of girls that I was hanging out with, that’s what they majored in and I just didn’t know.

And so even after graduating I kind of moved around in different fields because I was trying to find myself and what I enjoyed. And it’s funny that the things that you enjoyed as a child, you eventually come around-about and you do that as a career. And I think that’s what brings people the ultimate happiness is doing something that they genuinely enjoy where going to work doesn’t feel like work.

After college Joann initially worked at a hospital and then for a large insurance company, which even afforded her the opportunity to earn her Master’s degree in Business. But it didn’t take Joann long to realize that the world of corporate cubicles was boring to her. Very boring she says. So what did she do? I decided one day, I don’t want to do this job anymore.

And I give my two-week’s notice, I didn’t have a job, so I started bartending at a golf resort there in San Antonio, and in bartending you have to be TABC, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, certified. I had to go through a class to become certified.

  • And I remember thinking, that sounds very interesting.
  • To be in a law enforcement career, but not a street officer.
  • You know, not someone on patrol on the streets, this is like alcohol, your profession and you’re a specialist at the alcohol laws.
  • So I applied with TABC, but TABC at the time was a much smaller agency and they didn’t have their own academy.

So, I took a job with them as a officer while I attended a Peace Officer Academy. In that academy and working for TABC is when I met all these other law enforcement agencies. I was working down in Brownsville in the Valley. And in seeing what all these other agencies do and it’s finally, you know, clicking, like this is what I’m interested in and that’s when I met my first Game Warden.

  1. And so I started doing ride-alongs with Game Wardens.
  2. I’m down on the coast and it was like an eye-opening moment.
  3. Like this is the job for me.
  4. This is what I want to do.
  5. And so I completed that Peace Officer Academy and during that process actually I had applied to become a Game Warden and I was accepted, so I pretty much graduated and from that academy and then a few weeks later started at the Game Warden Academy and did it all over again.

(laughs) You can probably tell that having to go through two different law enforcement academies didn’t really bother Joann. Neither did the fact that she was only one of two women in her class at the Game Warden Academy. I remember when I was a cadet going to the orientation at the Game Warden Academy, and there were 40 cadets and 2 were women, me and one other female.

And, I remember thinking at that moment, like, oh this is going to be challenging. And then the other female dropped out early on. One of the academy Lieutenants came to speak to me, and he just wanted to tell me you can do this and even if you’re the only female don’t let that get to you. And I remember thinking like, he’s just wasting his breath because I’m not going anywhere, you know? And as much as I appreciated his candor and his compassion to even think like, I’m going to go talk to Garza and make sure she’s okay with this.

It was just so, you know like, we’re good you know, don’t worry I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing that’s going to take me away from graduating this academy. And I just had to have that confidence. For me, I was older, I was almost 30 years old when I went to the Game Warden Academy, so there wasn’t so much a feeling of intimidation as there was more a feeling of loneliness.

  • There was no buddy, true buddy of the same gender who I felt like I could talk to about my experiences there.
  • And since I was a girl’s girl, that was something that I felt throughout the academy, that loneliness.
  • But I knew that this was what I wanted to do and there was nothing that was going to change that for me.

Despite the loneliness, Joann says she felt very fortunate to be accepted by the other cadets at the academy. And over the years she’s gained some company. Currently there are 44 female Game Wardens serving the state of Texas. Still, it is a male dominated career and work environment.

  • She says learning how to communicate is an essential part of the job.
  • In my district we have two other women, which is great because I get to work with one of them who is very close by.
  • But you just learn how to have those relationships.
  • With my co-workers, other male Game Wardens, almost everyone I deal with is a male.

In the field and hunting, the landowners you know, you learn to establish and maintain those relationships. You learn the art of conversation. And by the art of conversation you can get so far, you get so much information and intel, really to do this job you’ve gotta learn how to have those relationships and how to learn to communicate.

  • Maintaining good relationships and practicing artful conversation has served Joann well.
  • And while most of her interactions are positive, Joann knows that public perception of a female Game Warden can vary.
  • It’s always something she prepares for.
  • There are certain risks, you know, associated with this job.

I feel like as a woman, those can be sometimes elevated just because of size in general. Women by nature have less upper body strength, so I have to do things on my own to make sure I’m maintaining myself. That I’m going above and beyond with my physical fitness.

  1. Fueling my body with the proper things so that I am somebody who can come into a situation with a professional officer presence and be able to handle that situation regardless of whether I’m a male or female, and know that my backup may be 10, 20 minutes away.
  2. Personally I’m in a one-warden county so there’s no other game warden I can call that will be here immediately.

I’m calling the Sheriff’s office. And also know that there’s no shame in backing out of a situation if it involves my safety or the safety of others, and coming back with more people to ensure that whatever the situation that it’s handled appropriately.7-1-0-8 Caldwell County.10-41-10-8 10-4, 7-1-0-8.

  1. After checking in on the radio, we get to ride along with Joann on patrol.
  2. Our first stop is just a short distance from her office in Lockhart.
  3. We are going to go out to this city pond and we’re going to see if anybody’s fishin’ out here.
  4. Sometimes we have problems with people netting with illegal nets.

Or often times fishing without a license. And we have an angler here with several fishing poles. Hi How ya doin’? State Game Warden. Just want to check your fishing license. Do you have a fishing license? Yes maam, I’ll go get it. Okay, great. So have you been out to this pond before? No, maam.

Oh you haven’t? Let’s see. Oh you just got it. I got hooked on bass fishing. Oh did you? I’m a saltwater angler. Where else have you gone? I just got up here. Oh okay. Well, everything looks good then. Did you see anybody else fishin’ out here when you came out? No maam, just the guy right there. The guy with the dogs over there? Yeah.

Well, good luck. Have a good one. Most of the interactions I have with the public are very cordial interactions because we’re out here to make sure people are doing things right. I’m hoping and anticipating they’re going to show me everything they’re doing correctly and legally.

  1. And so we just have a quick conversation and I leave them and they can continue to do their thing.
  2. From Texas Parks and Wildlifethis is Under the Texas Sky a podcast about natureand people and the connection they shareI’m Cecilia Nasti.
  3. Game Warden Joann Garza-Mayberry covers all of the 547 square miles of Caldwell County.

She’s been on the job for 16 years and loves her work. I love working in the outdoors, and that sounds cheesy, ‘cause everybody says that, but it is such an honor to be able to work where you love to be. One of the areas Joann covers regularly creates the Southwest border of Caldwell county, the San Marcos River.

With it’s natural spring-fed beauty the river is a hot spot for outdoor recreation. There’s not many motorized boats, but plenty of tubers, kayakers and canoers. There’s a lot fishing activity, but Joann says unfortunately there’s a lot of alcohol and drug activity on the river as well. JOANN] There’s a lot of people who come out here and consume alcohol in excess.

So you’re seeing people float by passed out on tubes. We have to make an effort to make sure that they’re safe because they’re publically intoxicated and I wouldn’t want anyone go down river and drown or have some horrible accident when I saw them and could’ve made an effort to get them out of the water and get them to somewhere safely.

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And so unfortunately I see a lot of that, a lot of people passed out on tubes because they weren’t mindfully consuming alcohol in a responsible way. This is a spot on the San Marcos River, they have a nice little bank by the water. Joann travels a lot for her job, but many of her destinations give a whole new meaning to the term working remotely.

Look at my office. Look how beautiful it is. Generally, in the summer I work right here. I stand in the water right here, and I work from the water. The water of the San Marcos River here is crystal clear and a cool 72 degrees year-round. A mosaic of earth tone rocks visible just below the surface becomes darker as the water gets deeper toward the middle of the river.

  • From this vantage point Joann can view everyone and everything floating by, and she doesn’t miss much.
  • Last weekend I checked a guy on a canoe.
  • I was just making sure he had lifejackets, and the guy jumped out of his canoe to show me his lifejacket.
  • And so when he did that I walked toward his canoe and we had a short conversation and right when he was about to leave I took a glance in his canoe and he had about eight fish in there, five of them undersize largemouth bass.

And so I hadn’t noticed a pole because there was a small net in there. He had been catching them with a net. He didn’t even have a license. He thought since he was fishing with a net he didn’t need one. So you know, checking for lifejackets turned into several other violations.

So there was a little education that went on. You gotta know your bag limits. As an aside here, Outdoor Annuals provide a summary of Texas hunting, fishing and boating regulations. Knowing ahead of time what you can and cannot harvest, and how much, can save you from being educated by citation from a Game Warden.

Outdoor Annuals are available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold or you can find it online at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. There have been times working this river during floods where I’ve seen a lot of horrible things go on. And then there have been times that I see so much happiness and joy that the river brings with it’s aquatic resources.

  1. The fact that there are kids out here, they’re being active, they’re exercising, they’re learning how to swim, and then they are fishing the resource, and right now we just see a guy pull up in a kayak who’s fishing.
  2. So he doesn’t see us yet, but I see him.
  3. How ya doin? State Game Warden.
  4. Can you come over here please? You catch anything? No ma’am, not yet.

I just put in a little while ago. Do you have your license on you, your fishing license? I don’t have my paper on me, but I do have a current one. Okay, I can check it then.okay you live in San Marcos? Yes ma’am. Bought it at the Academy here in San Marcos.

  • Yeah you did.
  • June 25th.
  • Yes ma’am.
  • So you’re good until June 30th of next year.
  • Alright just make sure you carry that with you.
  • Do you have a.
  • I usually do.
  • I don’t have my other, my little dry tackle box.
  • It’s just in that one.
  • But yes ma’am, I usually carry it on me, I’m sorry for that.
  • Okay, do you have a life jacket on board? Yes ma’am, sure do, back here.

Always. Yeah, I see it there now. Well good deal. Okay, yeah, just make sure you have it. Yes ma’am. Do you have your phone on you? Yes ma’am. Do you have your phone on you? Yes ma’am. Okay you can always take a picture of it too, that’s better than not having it, you know just so you have it there.

  1. Alright well, we’ll send you on your way.
  2. Have a good one. You too.
  3. Take care.
  4. Education is big part of Joann’s job, and one that she’s very passionate about.
  5. Especially when it comes to encouraging young women through an experience she calls The Caldwell County Girls Outdoor Event.
  6. It’s only open to young girls and we have different clinics, kayaking, fishing, archery and wildlife identification.

And so I want to bring those girls in young, and we just open their eyes to the outdoors. A majority of the clinics are taught by female Game Wardens, and the event is held annually at Palmetto State Park, just South of Luling. But it’s not just the local girls who attend.

A lot of times we’re getting these big group of girls from the city and that’s really where I want to target, because I feel like if I had known what a Game Warden was and had seen a female Game Warden earlier on then I would have been a Game Warden at twenty-five, you know, rather than thirty, or maybe even younger than that.

Introducing young women to the outdoors may lead them to future careers in conservation, like being a Texas Game Warden. So does Joann believe there are unique qualities she brings to the table as a female Game Warden? You bet. I think what sets me apart is that, and I’m not saying that men don’t have this as well, but what sets me apart is the just innate compassion, and that really comes from being a mother.

So that maternal compassion you can have with people. So I can go into a contact and I can immediately have this connection with a female or with a child because we just connect that way. I can connect with any man because I can talk hunting I can talk fishing, we can talk outdoors anything. We can talk firearms you know.

And so I can establish these relationships and make people feel at ease. And I think a lot of times when we as law enforcement come into a situation, it’s often that person’s worst day. And so we do whatever we can to make that day a little bit better.

Experiencing compassion on your worst day isn’t something you’re likely to forget. And that’s what Joann strives for when enforcing the law or educating the public. I walk around you know, in my community and people say that’s my Game Warden. You know there’s a certain sense of pride in that. I love that I get to educate the public and I get to interact with these young children and I get to be a role model for women.

You know when I first came here to Caldwell County, that year at Halloween, there were two little girls who dressed up as Game Wardens. And I thought, that would have never happened if I was a man. There were no boy Game Wardens, there were two little girls who were Game Wardens, and I thought that was like the biggest nod to me.

And so it’s something I remember and it’s something I uphold is teaching these young kids the rules and the laws, and that you can be soft and kind, but you gotta know when to stand up and be firm. We can be kind, and firm. Thanks for teaching Joann, and for being a Texas Game Warden. What do you love about the Texas outdoors; what have you experienced that you’d like to share with the world? We’d like to hear from you—and maybe even put you on the podcast.

A day in the life: Texas Game Warden

Just go to underthetexassky.org and click on the Get Involved link tell us about your outdoor proclivitiesand we’ll be in touch. And so, we come to the end of another podcast. Under the Texas Sky is a production of Texas Parks and Wildlife and is available at UndertheTexasSky.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

We record the podcast at The Block House in Austin, Texas. Joel Block does our sound design. I’m your producer and host, Cecilia Nasti, reminding you that life’s better outside when you’re Under the Texas Sky. Join us again next time for Under the Texas Sky. As a peace officer we get to do these good deeds some people rarely do, you know, we get to do them on a daily basis.

And that’s a very empowering feeling to be contributing to that community. That’s something that I feel a lot of pride in.

Do you need a degree to be a game warden in Texas?

Becoming a Game Warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Meeting the Minimum Employment Requirements – Game warden jobs in Texas require candidates who meet the minimum requirements:

Have a bachelor’s degree in any subjectBe a US citizenHave a driver’s licenseNot have any felony or Class A Misdemeanor convictionsHave normal hearing and vision (correctable)

Candidates who are considering employment as either state or federal game wardens may consider a bachelor’s degree in fields such as:

Wildlife ManagementCriminal JusticeCrime Scene InvestigationLand ManagementLaw Enforcement

Application with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Applications are submitted online and only accepted when there are job vacancies, which are posted on the Parks and Wildlife Department’s, The application process proceeds through the following chronological steps, each of which must be passed in order to proceed to the next:

Application made onlinePhysical readiness test

21 sit-ups in one minute13 push-ups in one minute1.5-mile run in less than 21.61 minutes300-meter run in less than 109.01 secondsDry fire weapon testBe able to tread water for 30 seconds, then swim 100 meters in no more than five minutes

Interview and Background investigationInterview with the Major, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and HR DirectorPhysical and psychological evaluations in Austin

Texas Game Warden Training Academy – Candidates who have succeeded in distinguishing themselves throughout the application process will be scheduled to complete the 30-week Texas Game Warden Training Academy. The academy itself is in the midst of a transition from facilities located in Austin to a new academy site under construction located centrally in Hamilton County.

Fish, wildlife, and natural resource managementBoat operations and water rescueLaw enforcement tacticsState and federal lawsHomeland securityDefensive tacticsCivil defenseFirearmsFirst aid

Is Justin Eddins married?

Stephanie Eddins, wife of longtime game warden Justin Eddins, drowns behind home | KFDM.

How much does a Texas Game Warden Captain make?

Average salary

Length of employment Employees Median salary
10-20 years 24 $124,207
20+ years 21 $125,697

How much does a Texas state game warden make a year?

How do fish and game warden salaries compare to similar careers? – Fish and game wardens earn about the same as related careers in Texas. On average, they make less than zoologists but more than paralegals.

Career Median Salary
Zoologist salary $75K
Coroner salary $67K
Transit police officer salary $62K
Sheriff salary $64K
Police officer salary $64K
Fish and game warden salary $70K
Aquacultural manager salary $61K
Animal scientist salary $47K
Forensic science technician salary $51K
Paralegal salary $49K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)

How much does a Texas warden make?

Average salary

Length of employment Employees Median salary
1-10 years 3 $85,569
10-20 years 13 $85,569
20+ years 27 $85,569