Fish and Game Wardens
Patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data.
- Median pay
- $74,060
- Doing it now
- 6,200
- By 2035
- Down 5.7%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
500 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.
- Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems.
- Promote or provide hunter or trapper safety training.
- Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required.
- Address schools, civic groups, sporting clubs, or the media to disseminate information concerning wildlife conservation and regulations.
- Recommend revisions in hunting and trapping regulations or in animal management programs so that wildlife balances or habitats can be maintained.
- Inspect commercial operations relating to fish or wildlife, recreation, or protected areas.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicySee 99 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $74,060 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.