A Vermont Game Warden /former Mainer

Tough competition would not deter this game warden

April 6, 2008

By DENNIS JENSEN

She carries a pistol, is on the lookout for bad guys and, by her own definition, gets paid for doing what she loves to do.

While Morgan Jones goes about her job just like another other law enforcement officer, she is certainly unique. Jones is the only female Vermont game warden out of a force of 41 — out patrolling the woods and waters of the Green Mountain State.

The 27-year-old Jones talked about her career during a recent hour-long interview. She said she enjoys her work, particularly because it keeps her in the outdoors.

"I pick up dead things. I lift heavy things. It's amazing," she said with a smile. "I drag dead deer all the time and you have to be physically able to do that."

Despite being physically capable of performing the multiple tasks of a full-time warden, Jones said that, at times, men assume she is in need of assistance because she is a woman.

"I still have people who say, 'Do you want me to carry that for you?" I say, "'No, this is what I do.'"

But Jones is savvy enough not to be offended by such talk. She understands that folks are just trying to be helpful.

After working as a deputy game warden starting in 2003, Jones attained full-time warden status in October 2005.

Like other wardens around the state, Jones has a big chunk of territory to cover. Working out of Rutland, she is responsible for the towns of Rutland, West Rutland, Ira, Proctor, Pittsford, Pittsfield, Mendon, Killington and Chittenden.

Jones said that, while there are many rewarding aspects of her work, it was difficult to pinpoint anything in particular. But she said that "catching the bad guys" is near the top of the list.

"It's very, very exciting to take a case from the beginning to the end," she said.

Giving aid and comfort to people when it's needed, like the time she picked up several lost snowboarders who wondered off a trail at Killington, is another rewarding part of her job.

"We get plenty of opportunities to help people," Jones said. "Game wardens do a lot of search and rescue. Anything that has a positive impact is rewarding."



Moose rescue

While over the past year there have been two sad stories involving people-friendly moose that have been "put down" by game wardens — as is the policy of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department — Jones had a moose encounter with a happy ending.

Last year, Jones was called about "an injured moose laying down in a creek" on the Chittenden Dam Road in Chittenden.

"It was early spring, last year's calf. She was laying there and she wasn't getting out of the creek," Jones said.

So Jones started to shout at the moose and it responded — "a good sign," she said.

Efforts to get the moose up were fruitless, Jones said, and then it dawned on her: The young moose was stuck in deep mud and couldn't move its back legs.

"I was very concerned that she was injured," she said. "Most of the time, when an animal is injured, we put them down."

Realizing it was both too dangerous and impractical to try to physically move the moose, Jones backed her truck up and, using the winch wardens utilize to haul dead moose onto the bed, she pulled the cable out, took a length of rope and tied the rope around the moose's neck.

"She looked very, very scared," Jones said.

Another warden arrived and, after a few tries, they managed to pull the moose free.

"After she stood up, she gave me this look that said, 'I'm having the worst day.' Then she moved herself out to the sunshine and began nibbling on a tree," Jones said. "It looked like she was going to be fine."

Jones grew up in Connecticut, Maine and Virginia. She graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., with a major in biology and a minor in oceanography.

Collecting badly mangled deer off the side of roads is part of the job, but it can sometimes be stomach-churning, Jones said.

"We do plenty of stuff that is gross," she said.

Last fall, it went way beyond gross.

"I picked up so many deer in this one area. Where I was dumping the deer, I had so many that I had to step on deer carcasses that were in the way. When I stopped on one, it squished and a bunch of maggots came out of the deer carcass," she said.



Kayak patrol

Col. Robert Rooks, the director of law enforcement for Fish & Wildlife, described Jones as "a real asset" to the warden force.

"She's doing very well," her top superior said. "She's doing a great job in the Rutland area. We're really happy with her."

Rooks said that Jones set her goal to become a game warden and didn't let go it.

"I have a lot of respect for her because of her determination," he said. "She worked a couple of years to meet the fitness standards."

Rooks said that, because the job has become so desirable, Fish & Wildlife had the luxury of increasing the standards for getting into the warden force.

"We've had as many as 600 people apply for one position," he said. "We've still getting 150 applicants per opening, so that gives you an idea of the kind of competition you're up against if you want to become a game warden."

Jones's degree in biology has helped her enormously in the field, Rooks said.

"She is very knowledgeable," he said. "She brings experience and knowledge in wildlife, which is certainly an asset to being a state game warden."

Jones said the real perks of her job include the flexibility, in terms of the hours she must work, and the fact that she spends so much time outdoors.

"We get to do all sorts of stuff that other people pay to do, recreationally. I get to drive a boat, a snowmobile, have access to an ATV and I have a kayak. I love my kayak," she said.

"I was out patrolling in my kayak on the Chittenden Reservoir and it was an absolutely beautiful day," Jones said. "I paddled into a cove, called my mom (who was stuck in an office) and said, 'Guess what I'm getting paid to do today?'"

Her family has been very supportive of her career choice, Jones said.

"They think it's great. They're very, very proud of me, particularly my father. They are big animal lovers. He loves the fact that I'm protecting critters from being taken when they shouldn't be," she said.

And what about that gender thing?

"The other game wardens are great about it," Jones said. "They treat me just like anyone else."

The public, however, sometimes assumes that a game warden simply must be a man, she said.

"They're not very blatant about it," Jones said. "Often there's a lot of confusion. That's very obvious. People call my house and they ask for Morgan. Morgan is a unisex name. And I'll say that this is she. And they so, 'No, I'm looking for the game warden.' That really happens. Just the other day, again someone called."

Jones picked up the phone. The caller said: "Is this the game warden's house? Is the fellow around? Your husband is the game warden, right?'"

Jones smiles while talking about the big assumption.

"The confusion is not a big deal," she said. "It's just amusing."

Contact Dennis Jensen at dennis.jensen@rutlandherald.com