All across the nation people are protesting against hunters. They say that hunters are killing all the animals and are the reason why many species are going extinct. What they do not realize is how much hunters and fishermen do for the forests, woods and lakes. They have it all backwards. Hunters and fishermen do more for the wildlife and nature than anyone else. Since the beginning, people who hunt have been doing their best to improve the woods and give the animals they hunt a better place to live. Hunters know if the animals live in a good environment that they will be happy and more likely to reproduce leading to more animals. People against hunting do not realize that these animals have a great effect on our world. Hunters do, and they also know that better wildlife environments lead to better hunting. Conservation officers support wildlife and hunting just as much as a hunter. They like to do the same thing as everyone else. They have chosen a career to make their world a better place for not just hunters, but all the animals as well. A conservation officer is my dream job because of the outdoor opportunities, work with wildlife, and the chance to make hunting and fishing more enjoyable.

As a conservation officer there would be many opportunities to be outside and doing work in the great outdoors. One outdoor opportunity would be walking around the woods checking hunter’s game tags. A very important part of this job is making sure the hunters have the right tags and license to be able to hunt whatever animal it is they are hunting. A conservation officer would have to go out into the field and find these hunters and check them. If they have the right tags the officer can move on and continue to the next hunter. If a hunter has
the incorrect tags or simply does not have any tags to hunt, the officer will have to confiscate the hunter’s firearm and give them the correct punishments. These punishment could be anywhere from a ticket to losing your firearm and hunting privileges for many years. Another key responsibility a conservation officer has to do is check game cameras and food plots. These game cameras are usually set up around food plots but can be set up pretty much anywhere. They detect movement and then photograph whatever is in the camera's vision. A food plot is a cleared out area where there are mineral blocks, salt licks, or corn spread around this area. A food plot can also be a small section of land with plants like alfalfa. These plants attract many animals like deer, squirrels, raccoons, bear and wolves. Combining food plots and game cameras create a lethal weapon when it comes to studying an animal. The food plots attract while the camera records or photographs the animal’s behavior, making it easier for people to monitor what the animal is like.

Being a conservation officer gives great opportunities to work with wildlife. An example of one of these opportunities would be putting collars on wildlife. Collaring an animal is a pretty simple process as long as everything is done correctly. First the animal would be tranquilized and put into a deep sleep. They do this to ensure the safety of the officers and to make sure no one, including the animal, gets injured. After the animal is asleep they will inspect it. They will record the age and gender of the animal and will also check it for health problems. The officers will proceed to put a tracking collar on the animal. This collar will show the movement of the animal and help researchers learn more about that species. Another example is helping wildlife that is endangered or injured. An endangered animal can be anything from a bird with a broken wing to helping a deer escape from being caught up or chasing an unwanted animal, like a bear, out of a neighborhood. When dealing with all 3 of these scenarios the officers must proceed with extreme caution. A frightened animal is more difficult to help than a calm animal. As for the bear, it would be much easier to chase a calm bear than a frightened or angry bear. Either way the officers have to help and free the animal so it can go back to its natural habitat and live normally again. Some situations like these can be difficult, while others can be extremely easy.

Conservation officers have an important role when it comes to hunting and fishing and making it enjoyable and fair for everyone. One important role is deciding bag limits on a species. A bag limit is the number of an animal or fish an individual is allowed to keep that day or season. Conservation officers along with other members of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have a lot of input on what these limits will be. They determine this by looking at a number of factors. One major factor is population. If the population of an animal is thriving the bag limit may increase. If the population is low the bag limit will decrease or if the population is endangered the officers and DNR could not allow hunting of that animal. They also set when the season will be. The season for duck hunting is usually set for mid-October. Deer season is set around the beginning of November when the deer are active and in the rut. Another important role is getting licenses and how many licenses should be given out. These licenses are sold based off the population. More licenses will be sold if there is an increase in the animal population that is in season. There are also lottery tickets. These tickets usually take place for a specific animal, like moose or does. An individual can buy a lottery ticket to get in the drawing for one of these license but only a limited amount will be given out. If you do win and get a doe or moose license you are very lucky and should hope you get that animal during that season because the license only lasts the duration of that species hunting season.

Overall, conservation officers do a lot of work with the great outdoors. They also have  multiple roles with wildlife management. They help make the hunting seasons fair and fun. These are only a few of the reasons why being a conservation officer is my dream job. Just like the hunters and fishermen, conservation officers do more for the environment and animals than one might think.