Episode
167 Amanda McKune – Illinois
- Podcast
- Warden's Watch
- Published
- Mar 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2430
- Processing state
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Summary
It’s Women’s History Month, and there’s no better time to highlight CPO Amanda McKune - Illinois officer, new mom, and the 2025 NWTF Officer of the Year. Amanda shares the behind‑the‑scenes reality of the job: the long hours, the high‑stakes turkey and deer cases, the instincts that guide her, and the determination that has already defined her first six years in the field. Humble and relentless, she’s exactly the kind of story this month is made to celebrate. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Don Noyes Chevrolet North American Game Warden Museum Hunt Regs WiseEye SecureIt Gun Storage XS Sights “A Cowboy in the Woods” Book Maine Operation Game Thief New Hampshire Operation Game Thief North East Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association International Wildlife Crimestoppers Here’s what we discuss: · Stepping onto the NWTF stage and realizing the scale: “I had no idea going into that… wow.” · Working turkey and deer hunters in southern Illinois - being “in the right place at the right time.” · The habitual turkey poacher and the tip that set everything in motion. · Working 3 AM mornings through April until she finally caught him. · Charging him with 8 birds she could prove, knowing the real count was far higher. · Spending another April up before dawn to catch him again during suspension. · The rush when officers from another district caught him a third time. · Why turkey cases are so tough: long hours, staying still, waiting. · “Sometimes it doesn’t add up… but 90% of the time it leads to something.” · The strain of April on her young family - “They put up with me the whole month of April.” · A wild deer case: a shot at dark, a suspect in Long Johns, and three huge bags of illegal deer corn. · Interviews stretching for hours as he claimed he was “just looking.”…