Oglethorpe County game warden Brittni Bland said the enthusiasm surrounding dove season stood out as she met residents during opening weekend.
“It uplifted my spirits too because that was my first opening day as the game warden in Oglethorpe (County), and getting to meet all the locals, and them being excited to meet me and shake my hand, it was awesome,” Bland said.
Bland is beginning a new professional chapter as a game warden in Region 2 — Northeast Georgia, including Oglethorpe County — of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources region offices after serving in the U.S. Army, which is where she “fell in love with the brotherhood mentality.”
“I’ve always been looking for that since I got out, and this is where I landed, and I absolutely love it. I found my family again,” she said.
Bland took over for Phillip Nelson, who was the county’s game warden for 24 years before retiring earlier this year. Bland finished her duties in the Field Training Officer Program on Sept. 1, but obtained her role in February while attending the Game Warden Academy.
Cpl. Brandon Pierce, a game warden in Hart County, worked with Bland during her early career in law enforcement.
“She is a people person,” he said. “Her main goal is to protect the resources and protect the Georgia citizens.”
Through conversations with other game wardens, Bland learned one of the most common mistakes people make when hunting is entering other people’s property, even if they are tracking an animal.
“The law and regulation book can be confusing at times,” Pierce said. “I would call and get clarification from an actual unit. People rely on other people for their answers, and it usually gets them in trouble.”
Another violation that is common among hunters is not wearing orange while hunting, Bland said.
“Especially if you’re wearing all camo and you’re bending down to tie your shoe, they may mistake you as a deer or something,” she said. “So just watch where your muzzle is, wear your orange and stay safe.”
As Bland integrates herself within the community, she wants to build a first-name relationship with the people she is serving.
“I want to be approachable for the community,” she said. “I want them to come to me with anything they have. I don’t want to be the scary game warden and people be afraid to come up to me.”