NASHVILLE, TN — Hunter Daniels has been named the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officer of the Year for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA). He is assigned to Wilson County but works throughout the 12 Middle Tennessee counties in TWRA District 21.
Daniels’ award was announced by Darren Rider, TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division colonel. He will be recognized at a meeting for SEAFWA Conference in October, which this year is in Charleston, W. Va.
Daniels was selected for the honor from among other TWRA law enforcement officers to become the state recipient. Jake Yoes, Region I and John Dunn, District 12; Ethan Brown, District 22; Bradley Baldwin, Region III and Barry Baird, District 32; Michael Cavins, Region IV and David Crum, District 42. The officers were selected for their efforts in teamwork, public outreach, innovation, attitude, leadership, achievements, and accomplishments.
“Again, it’s always a difficult situation when one officer is selected out of a group of officers that have all gone above and beyond the duty of ensuring Tennessee hunters, anglers, and boaters are provided safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities,” said Rider. “All these officers are to be commended for their professionalism and efforts they displayed this year. All these officers had a fantastic year, but Hunter really excelled in all aspects of his job.”
Among Daniels’ activities during the year, he hosted a youth fishing event with more than 50 participants, held two youth duck hunts and one turkey hunt. He provided several education programs that reached more than 3,700 students and hosted a booth at the Wilson County boat expo. Daniels worked to raise funds for construction materials for wood duck boxes and implemented a four-year plan with Lebanon High School carpentry class to provide more than 200 wood duck boxes for Old Hickory WMA.
Daniels assisted other TWRA staff in assembly and brushing of duck blinds to benefit hunters. He developed an operational plan with his local Sheriff’s Office and EMS services for improved water response times for a large fireworks display on the lake.
Law enforcement efforts resulted in Daniels checking more than 400 hunters and 1,079 boating checks that resulted in 40 citations and 32 warnings. He made six BUI arrests, was lead investigator on four boating incidents and assisted with three other incidents.
SEAFWA is an organization whose members are the state agencies with primary responsibility for management and protection of the fish and wildlife resources in 15 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
