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Kings first used game wardens to coordinate hunts on their land, managing the dogs and peasants used to flush game.
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Later on in medieval times, the game warden's duties came to include patrolling the forests and streams on the lookout for poachers. This duty became increasingly important in the late middle ages as the king's lands encompassed more and more territory, forcing many hunters to turn to poaching in order to make ends meet.
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Under King Richard I of England, poaching was a serious offense, with poachers often killed for their transgressions. Meaning the number of game wardens increased.
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The vast wilderness and relatively untapped resources of the New World made the need for game wardens disappear.
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Naturalist John Muir created California’s Yosemite National Park, Sequoia, and General Grant Parks, and the job of game warden returned and became a prominent position.
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The Lacey Act – Defends game and prohibits illegally shipped wildlife and importation of injurious species. This was enforced by the Division of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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The Division of Biological Survey became the Bureau of Biological Survey and remained in the Department of Agriculture.
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President Theodore Roosevelt added 125 million square miles and six new national parks to the federal system, all of which hired game wardens.
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As of 1941, there was a total of 135 game wardens. This is when they were first issued uniforms and a duty belt with a .38 caliber handgun.
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In the early 1950's, red lights and sirens were becoming common in Game Warden vehicles.
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The environmental movement changed game warden jobs. They are now responsible for stopping poaching and investigating environment or wildlife-related crimes.
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Endangered Species Conservation Act. The act protected species “threatened with extinction worldwide.” Other amendments were made concerning the American alligator, Black Bass, wild birds and mammals, reptiles, mollusks, amphibians, and crustaceans.
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The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was transferred to the Department of Commerce and became the National Marine Fisheries Service.
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Modern game wardens are considered law enforcement officers and have the right to arrest poachers, confiscate illegal or dangerous equipment, and issue citations for any crime.
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All current federal-level and most state-level game wardens must have a college degree in forestry, environmental studies or a similar field as well as pass background checks and complete a law enforcement program before they can be hired.
