Manages wildlife, fisheries, water, and land resources; implements department programs; and enforces laws in an assigned district to conserve and protect fish and wildlife, represent the department to the public, and provide recreational opportunities and public safety.

Knowledge of:

• the principles and techniques of wildlife and fisheries management including biological concepts of zoology and ecology;
• federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to conservation of land, fish, and wildlife resources;
• procedures and techniques for implementing wildlife and fish surveys and collecting field data;
• hunting, fishing, and trapping;
• criminal and conservation laws, forensic investigative procedures, and rules of evidence;
• methodologies of arrest, search and seizure, and use of force;
• the correct use of English, grammar, and punctuation;
• the proper use and care of firearms; and
• motor vehicle and boating safety laws.

Ability to:

• evaluate habitat, wildlife, and fisheries needs and project long- and short-term management goals and objectives;
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with landowners and the general public;
• prepare and make presentations and answer questions about wildlife, hunting, fishing, and related topics;
• assess and control situations where laws have been violated and perpetrators apprehended;
• communicate sufficiently to decelerate and resolve conflicts in tense situations;
• interview witnesses and interrogate criminal suspects;
• use, and qualify with, a variety of defensive weapons and tactics;
• meet and maintain physical fitness standards;
• work under arduous conditions; and
• operate a variety of vehicles and specialty equipment.

Successful completion of the South Dakota Law Enforcement Officers Standards Training Course and the Game, Fish, and Parks Conservation Officer Field Training Program; semi-annual qualification and training with department-issued firearms and semi-annual qualification in defensive tactics and other required law enforcement training. Valid driver's license.