Hall County’s Ryan Locke 2020 Game Warden of Year

SOCIAL CIRCLE – The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division has named Ryan Locke from Hall County as its 2020 Game Warden of the Year. Game Warden Dean Gibson, who is assigned to Talbot County in west central Georgia, is the recipient of the James R. Darnell Award as the runner-up to the Game Warden of the Year honor.

“These Game Wardens have emerged as leaders this past year,” DNR Commissioner Mark Williams said. “They work hard every day to enforce the conservation laws of the state and to ensure public safety, and I applaud their contributions.”

Locke, who was the Torch Award winner for the division last year, proved he deserved the top honor with his activities over the previous year. During the year, Locke checked 155 hunting licenses, 217 fishing licenses and 490 boats. He documented 183 citations and 186 written warnings for a total of 369 contacts. He is assigned to one of the busiest lakes in the nation as the Boating Safety Officer on Lake Lanier.

Away from the lake, Locke investigated a poaching case and gathered enough evidence to identify 63 violations on seven different poachers. The violations included hunting deer at night, hunting from a vehicle, hunting from a public road, possession of over the limit and numerous license offenses.

Gibson is a dedicated and committed officer whose supervisors say always goes above and beyond expectations. He maintains a high level of activity, as evidenced by his numbers. Last year, Gibson devoted 925 hours to wildlife enforcement, checking 513 hunting licenses. He devoted 353 hours to boating enforcement, conducted 57 boating patrols and checked 248 vessels. He also conducted 296 patrols on state-owned properties. With these stats, he was a top producer for violator contacts in his region. In the community, he taught wildlife education to 4-H kids, attended a kid’s fishing event at a Public Fishing Area, and spoke to various media outlets about boating safety.

“These men have performed exceptionally as Game Wardens this past year and have distinguished themselves among their peers,” Col. Thomas Barnard, director of the Law Enforcement Division, said. “They truly deserve this recognition.”

Special Photo: Georgia DNR
Special Photo: Georgia DNR