Behind the Badge
Stewards of the Land
District Game Warden Joshua Hedstrom
Through-out my time as a game warden I’ve had the privilege of speaking with hunters and landowners and one thing comes to mind quite often – we are all stewards of the land.
A responsible outdoorsman looks further than basic knowledge of North Dakota hunting and fishing laws, it includes becoming a steward of the environment.
We should always be mindful of our actions and potential impact.
Some things to keep in mind include:
- Minimize your off-trail impacts.
- Pick up shells and casings after shooting your firearm.
- Clean up your litter, whether it is yours our not it is our responsibility to keep our environment clean.
- Do not cut branches off trees or alter the habitat in other ways on public property. This should also include private property without permission.
- Take care of your fish and game and dispose of them properly.
Once you leave a spot, there should be no evidence that you were there.
All actions come down to one basic idea, do your best to change as little as possible and respect the land, water and critters you come across.
After all we are all stewards of the land and need to keep our environment as clean and reusable as possible.