Game Warden in Oglethorpe County receives state DNR waterfowl award

A Georgia Department of Natural Resources game warden assigned to Oglethorpe County has won a statewide wildlife award regarding his work with waterfowl.

This and other awards were announced Saturday during an event at the DNR state office in Social Circle.

Game Warden Phillip Nelson was recipient of the 2024 Rocky Wainwright Waterfowl Award, an award named in honor of Wainwright, a game warden who at the age of 36 died in the line of duty in Twiggs County in 1999 when he was killed in an ATV accident.

Nelson, a 23-year veteran for the DNR, was noted for assisting the game management division with trapping wood ducks to collect data from leg bands that assists in determining migration patterns and bag limits for hunting, according to the DNR.

Nelson was also recognized on the law enforcement end where in the past season he was checking a swamp on the borders of Oglethorpe and Wilkes counties and located six men illegally hunting over bait.

One of the hunters was arrested on a charge of hunting under the influence of alcohol and all were charged with hunting over bait, hunting without a license and not having a required federal duck stamp. The hunters were all found guilty and paid fines of more than $4,000, the DNR reported.

Water Safety: Athens police, good Samaritan team save child drowning at Sandy Creek Park

The Wainwright award recognizes a warden “who excels in enforcing waterfowl and migratory bird hunting laws.”

In other awards, Cory Bohannon of Lincoln County was named the 2024 Game Warden of the Year and Jared Wood, assigned to Fannin County, received the James R. Darnell Award, as runner up to the Game Warden of the Year. Bohannon was earlier named the 2024 Georgia Boating Safety Officer of the Year.

Several others game wardens across the state also received honors for serving in various aspects of wildlife conservation.

“These game wardens have proven themselves as leaders this past year,” Col. Mike England, director of the DNR Law Enforcement Division said in a statement released with the announcement.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Game Warden in Oglethorpe County receives state DNR waterfowl award