Dogging Poachers… and Helping Hunters

National Wildlife Federation Outdoors

Stories about growing up in a hunting family are always great to hear, and when they begin with “My father didn’t let me being a girl change how he raised me,” you know it’s going to be fun. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Amy Snider grew up hunting and fishing in East Tennessee and was about as immersed in the sporting culture of the region as anyone could be. That upbringing served her well during her career both as a Wildlife Officer and a communications and outreach manager with the agency. She was prepared to speak the language of sportsmen, care for the resource and deal with the occasional inappropriate comment from a smallminded hunter or angler.

Suggested Links:

https://www.tn.gov/twra.html

https://www.amesplantation.org/field-trials

Show notes:

2:52 – Bill shares a little background on Amy Snider.

4:17 – The crew shares what they’ve been doing outside recently.

8:35 – Amy reflects on her upbringing with her father and growing up on a farm.

12:08 – Volleyball, wildlife sciences and the challenges Amy is facing due to the decrease in hunters.

14:13 – Amy talks about her path to working with hunting dogs.

19:29 - Was it difficult to get started as a female game warden? Do people react differently in the field with a male vs. a female game warden?

22:56 – Amy’s husband is also a game warden, she shares whether or not they talk about work at home.

26:35 – What entails the typical week of a game warden?

30:43 – Catching poachers by identifying footprints and other clues such as traces of corn

31:26 – Amy shares a moment that ended up being funny but wasn’t necessarily funny at the time.

37:12 – Other epic tales of poachers, domestic abuse, drugs, and daily encounters for game wardens like Amy.

39:03 – Bill shares the story of the first time he encountered Amy in the field.

41:26 – Short break for a message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen! Be sure to follow NWF Outdoors and Artemis Sportswomen on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!

*The following time stamps may be incorrect due to advertising*

42:35 - What are some common excuses for poachers when they know they are getting caught?

44:12 - Common things folks get in trouble for without realizing it’s illegal.

49:08 – HONESTY IS KEY. Amy shares some insight regarding best practices for sportswomen and sportsmen.

51:49 - What about Amy’s past work got her to this current role in communications and outreach?

54:02 – Average day for someone in communications and outreach with TWRA… everything from CWD to boating safety to hunting safety.

56:29 – Some of the upcoming events and changes in Tennessee for turkey and boating safety.

1:02:50 -- What are the fishing guide changes in Tennessee? It’s all online! DON’T MOVE THE ALABAMA BASS!

1:04:18 – The biggest challenge is the decrease in hunters and most hunters are over age 50. We need to get more youth into hunting and fishing.

1:07:04 – Amy helped test over 21,000 deer in TN, which is the second highest state in testing and had a little over 800 positive CWD tests.

1:09:13 – Closing statements. Get outside. Enjoy. Be respectful of other users. Be respectful of wildlife. BE SAFE.

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