Game Warden

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*(This includes $0.85 per hour Availability/Reachability Allowance)

The Maine Warden Service dates back to 1880, when the first wardens were appointed to enforce laws giving Maine’s moose and deer their first legal protection.  The service’s first enforcement action occurred on March 12, 1880 when two men were apprehended for killing a doe in closed season. From this modest beginning, the Maine Warden Service now has a complement of 124 uniformed members and is the largest of three bureaus in the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. It consists of a control headquarters located in Augusta and five divisions with a varying number of districts. Division headquarters are located in Gray, Sidney, Bangor, Greenville, and Ashland.  Each division is administered and supervised by a Lieutenant and sectional Sergeants.  Warden districts cover the entire state; they are generally geographically smaller in southern Maine where the population is higher and larger in the more sparsely populated Northern sections.

Today, the Maine Warden Service is a modern, professional, highly effective law enforcement agency.  Members are certified law enforcement officers who use state-of-the-art equipment, including four-wheel drive trucks, boats, snowmobiles, ATV’s, personal computers, a two-way radio repeater network, portable radios, fixed wing aircraft, and night vision equipment, in carrying out their responsibilities.  In addition, the service maintains its own forensic mapping team, evidence recovery unit, dive team, K-9 unit, and aircraft fleet.  These aircraft enable Wardens to patrol remote sections of their assigned districts, effectively respond to search and rescue situations, fish and wildlife enforcement, fish stocking, and oversee recreational boating activity.

This is certified, uniformed, law enforcement work as a member of the Maine Warden Service, Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, protecting inland fish and wildlife resources and the safety of the public.  A Game Warden’s work includes:

• Patrol an assigned area called a district.  Patrolling is usually done alone in areas where there is a concentration of hunting, fishing, and trapping activity.  While on patrol, Wardens inspect licenses as well as fish and wildlife possessed by individuals. Explain fish and wildlife, recreation, and environmental laws, rules, and regulations.  Patrol may be conducted on foot or by truck, boat, canoe, snowmobile, all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s), or airplane.
• Issue warnings and summonses and making arrests as necessary. In addition to enforcing fish and wildlife, recreation, and environmental laws, Wardens are empowered to enforce all other state laws.
• Conduct investigations, gathering evidence, writing reports, and testifying in court. Investigations may stem from citizen complaints or observed incidents of law violations, and may include complaints involving ATV’s, sick or nuisance wildlife, and landowner issues.
• Investigate hunting incidents and crashes involving recreational vehicles.
• Organize, directing, and/or participating in search and rescue operations. This is a priority requirement and may entail working on the recovery of drowning victims and other deceased persons.
• Working with biologists, animal control agents, and/or wildlife rehabilitators.

To be a successful Maine Game Warden, an individual must possess considerable knowledge of wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping, and other related outdoor sports; a strong desire to work in law enforcement; self-initiative and a willingness to work out-of-doors in adverse weather conditions, often without assistance. In all cases, a Warden seeks to promote good public relations and compliance with all fish and wildlife regulations.

• Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave. 
• Health Insurance Coverage– The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($11,857.68-$13,950.24 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.  
• Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements. 
• Dental Insurance– The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value). 
• Retirement Plan– The State of Maine contributes at least 19.89% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.  
• Gym Membership Reimbursement– Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense. 
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts– Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses. 
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness– The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office. 
• Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
• Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive calendar days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.  
• Voluntary Deferred Compensation– Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions. 
• Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness. 

There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work.  Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness.  We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics. 

If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you.  Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

•  have a high school diploma or equivalent;
•  be at least 21 years old -OR- can be only 20 years old and have completed an associate degree or 60 credit hours of post-secondary education by the date the application is submitted
•  have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within a year of submitting application; (see below for scheduling)
•  have or be able to obtain a valid Maine Class C motor vehicle operator’s license;
•  be willing to locate anywhere within the State of Maine.

• proof of age (copy of birth certificate or driver’s license);
• a copy of your high school diploma or GED certificate;
• a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test results (date of test must be within a year of the closing date of this posting).
• Answers to Supplemental Qualifications form.

Because of the responsibilities and authority of a Game Warden, the selection process is extensive and thorough. The following outline summarizes the testing and screening process used to evaluate every applicant for Game Warden before a hiring decision is made. The Game Warden application process has changed from past recruitments and the following application and testing process involves multiple evaluation phases. You must successfully complete each phase in order to proceed to the next.

Current full time Maine State Law Enforcement Officers who are Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) certified may be exempt from certain components of the application process. – However, BLETP certified candidates are required to have completed the MCJA PFT within a year of applying to this posting.

After a conditional offer of employment is made, the Maine Warden Service will conduct an extensive background investigation concerning the applicant, including military service, education, motor vehicle record, criminal history record, financial record, work history, and references.  A screening committee will review the results for information that would eliminate the candidate from further consideration. 

1. Have committed any crime classified in Maine law as a Class A, Class B, or Class C crime (any felony)

2. Have been found guilty of any crime classified in Maine law as a Class D crime (a Class D crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum term of imprisonment of 364 days). A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision. Persons with questions regarding this provision should contact the Office of the Game Warden Colonel at 207-287-2766

3. Have an extensive record of motor vehicle or fish and wildlife law violations 4. Have convictions for Murder, Class A, B, C, or D crime, or convictions for any violation of the Maine Criminal Code, Chapters 15, 19, 25, or 45 or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine. A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision

5. Have engaged in any conduct that is penalized in this state as Murder, Class A, B, C, or D crime, or any provision of the Maine Criminal Code, Chapters 15, 19, 25, or 45; or engaged in such conduct in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine, unless that conduct is not punishable as a crime under the laws of that jurisdiction. A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision

6. Have convictions for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor during the ten-year period prior to application to the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, or have been adjudicated of committing the administrative offense of operating a vehicle under the age of 21 with a greater than a 0.00 blood alcohol content during the ten-year period prior to application to the Academy Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. After six years a person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision

7. Have been found guilty of conduct specified in subparagraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 in another state of jurisdiction

8. Have ingested or been injected with or used a hallucinogenic drug

9. Have illegally sold scheduled drugs or drugs which require a prescription

10. Have engaged in illegal drug use beyond what is considered as experimentation

11. Is currently abusing drugs or alcohol

12. Falsified, misrepresents, or omits any information when interviewed, during the background investigation, polygraph examination, or on the pre-polygraph questionnaire.

Upon completion of the background investigation, viable candidates will be scheduled for a polygraph examination,  The results of the background investigation and polygraph examination will then be reviewed by a screening committee to determine if the candidate is eligible to continue. This determination will be reached by weighing all the information received.

Candidates successfully completing the background investigation and polygraph examination will be scheduled for an interview with the Colonel of the Maine Warden Service. Final selection will be based on the Colonel’s interview along with the successful completion of a medical and psychological assessment followed by the swim test.  

Game Wardens must be able to swim. Candidates will be wearing a bathing suit which contains no floatation material such as closed cell foam, etc., and given rubber boots (appropriately sized) to put on with no socks (ear plugs and swimming goggles may be worn).

The Swim Test is comprised of 4 parts. This is a Pass/Fail test.

Candidates will jump into the water and remove the boots. When a person makes an unplanned fall into the water, boots become saturated and may serve as an anchor making it almost impossible to swim. Therefore, they need to be removed.

1. Candidates will jump into the water and remove the boots. When a person makes an unplanned fall into the water, boots become saturated and may serve as an anchor making it almost impossible to swim. Therefore, they need to be removed.

2. Candidates will immediately begin treading water in the vertical position for 15 minutes with their head out of the water. A horizontal back float is not allowed.

Game Wardens spend a good portion of time in boats; it is possible you may capsize some distance from shore.  The ability to tread water may allow you to survive long enough to self-rescue or aid others.

3. Without exiting the pool candidates will swim 200 yards continuously. Surface swim any forward stroke or style without stopping, (may be under during turns at each pool side). The monitor will require you to tag each end of the pool as you reach it. At no time after entering the water may you hang on to the side or touch the bottom of the pool. 200-yard swim must be completed within 10 minutes.

4. Candidates will exit the pool and complete a head first surface dive from the side of the pool into the deep end to retrieve one object from the pool bottom. After retrieving the object, swimmers will surface; tread water for 2 minutes while holding the object out of the water with either hand. After two minutes the swimmer will swim back to bottom of pool to retrieve a second object.

Pool depth will not to exceed 12 feet. (To remove risk of ear trauma from pressure)

Approximately one month prior to the start date of the school, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy will again require that every candidate who is attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program must successfully pass the Physical Fitness Test.

New Warden Cadets are required to attend and successfully complete the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  Upon graduation, new Wardens will be placed on an additional one (1) year of probation and will be required to attend and successfully complete the Maine Warden Service Training Academy. 

Candidates selected for initial appointment may be exempted from attending the MCJA's basic course at the discretion of the Colonel of the Maine Warden Service if they:

1.      are certified, full-time law enforcement officers in Maine (or are able to obtain a waiver of basic law enforcement training from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees), and

2.      have attained the 50th percentile on each component of the MCJA Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within a calendar year of the application period.