CHASING AND CATCHING BAD GUYS - THE GAME WARDENS PREY

This paper is a descriptive analysis of the most dangerous aspect of t he job of game warden: the apprehension of poachers. Based on data fro m interviews with 31 game wardens, the author describes the actions of game wardens in attempting to enforce wildlife conservation laws. Ext ensive quotes from interviews with game wardens are presented. The ana lysis is focused around their responses to several guiding questions r egarding those characteristics that distinguish poachers in terms of p robability of apprehension. These include (1) experience in poaching, (2) the number of people with whom the poacher works, (3) remaining se clusive, (4) geographic mobility, and (5) hunting in a familiar area. Additional questions were intended to facilitate the description of th e law enforcement aspect of the warden's job. Comparisons between game wardens and urban police officers are made, including the dangers of the job and the use of informants.