Fish and Game Warden

You enforce wildlife conservation laws in the field — forests, lakes, coastlines, and wilderness areas — which makes you a law enforcement officer with a territory the size of a small country and backup that's an hour away. You'll check hunting licenses, investigate poaching, and protect habitats. It's the only law enforcement job where your 'suspects' include both humans and bears.

What you'll actually do

• 01Patrol vast wilderness areas alone to enforce hunting, fishing, and boating regulations
• 02Check licenses, bag limits, and legal catch sizes on hunters and anglers who always seem surprised to see you
• 03Investigate poaching cases using tracking skills, forensic evidence, and witness interviews in communities that protect their own
• 04Respond to human-wildlife conflicts where a bear got into someone's trash and now everyone wants it shot
• 05Operate boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, and trucks to access areas that don't have addresses, let alone roads
• 06Testify in court about wildlife violations while presenting evidence that includes antlers, fish, and trail camera footage