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1100
Medieval England
Kings first used game wardens to coordinate hunts on their land, managing the dogs and peasants used to flush game. -
1101
Medieval England
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. -
1189
1189 - 1199
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. -
1492
1492
The vast wilderness and relatively untapped resources of the New World made the need for game wardens disappear. -
1890 North America
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. -
1900
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. -
1905
The Division of Biological Survey became the Bureau of Biological Survey and remained in the Department of Agriculture. -
1908
President Theodore Roosevelt added 125 million square miles and six new national parks to the federal system, all of which hired game wardens. -
1941
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. -
1950
In the early 1950's, red lights and sirens were becoming common in Game Warden vehicles. -
1960’s - 70’s
The environmental movement changed game warden jobs. They are now responsible for stopping poaching and investigating environment or wildlife-related crimes. -
1969
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. -
1970
The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was transferred to the Department of Commerce and became the National Marine Fisheries Service. -
Current Day
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. -
Current Day
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.
