Hunter Daniels has been named the TWRA 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.
The SEAFWA award was announced by Darren Rider, TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division Colonel. Daniels 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. There were a total of eight officers in the running for the award. The officers were selected for their efforts in teamwork, public outreach, innovation, attitude, leadership, achievements, and accomplishments.
“It’s always a difficult situation when one officer is selected out of a group, when all have gone above and beyond the duty of ensuring Tennessee hunters, anglers, and boaters are provided safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities,” said Rider. “Each of these officers is to be commended for the professionalism and efforts he displayed this year, but Hunter really excelled in all aspects of his job.”
Among Daniels’ activities for the year was hosting a youth fishing event for more than 50 participants and holding two youth duck hunts and one turkey hunt. He provided education programs that reached more than 3,700 students and hosted a booth at the Wilson County boat expo.
He worked to raise funds for construction materials for wood duck boxes and implemented a four-year plan with the 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 boats 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.
