Ask a Warden
Do you have to be in good shape to be a game warden?
Photo by Addy Preston
Wei-Wei Lin serves as a game warden in the Hill Country after holding posts in Dallas/Fort Worth, the Gulf Coast and South Texas. She was often featured on the TV show “Lone Star Law.” She is happy to answer your questions about the Texas outdoors.
Q: Hello Wei-Wei, do you have to be in good shape to be a game warden?
A: I get this question often! I am passionate about fitness and health, and believe it is important that game wardens and state park police officers are fit for duty. In the game warden cadet application process, the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) determines whether your strength, agility and stability meet the tough physical demands of the job.
There are three parts to the PRT: handgun stability, swim and 2,000-meter row.
The handgun stability portion tests a cadet's ability to accurately dry-fire a handgun in multiple scenarios, including firing with each hand. Applicants must be able to maintain the position of a handgun within a five-inch ring while transitioning from kneeling to standing and then fire the handgun.
The 2,000-meter row test, which is performed on a rowing machine, requires cadets to finish within the 70th percentile of their group, determined by age, weight and gender.
Many cadets claim the swim test is the most strenuous portion of the PRT. Applicants must fall backward into a pool and tread water for a full minute unaided. Afterward, applicants must swim 100 meters in three minutes using any stroke.
While these activities may seem strenuous for an application process, they serve an important purpose in determining who can attend the Game Warden Academy in Hamilton. Passing the PRT shows commitment to achieve and maintain high physical goals. But the tests also support more pragmatic intentions. Serving as a Texas game warden is physically challenging.
Game wardens respond to multiple search-and-rescue scenarios a month, especially during the summer. While each response is different, they are all physically taxing, often requiring hours of trekking under the Texas sun through rugged terrain, wading through deep water, climbing hills or swimming. Without maintaining a daily exercise regimen, I would not be physically capable of assisting the people in the most dire circumstances.
I am not embarrassed to share that I failed my first PRT. The PRT was different when I applied. It included push-ups, sit-ups and running portions. I was ill-prepared for the push-up portion, and I failed, preventing me from continuing through the application process. I was heartbroken. I knew what I needed to do. After I failed to succeed, I trained almost every day of the following year. My hard work paid off and I passed the PRT without any issues.
For anyone interested in learning more about becoming a Texas game warden, follow @TexasGameWardenRecruiting on Instagram.
Stay strong, y'all!
Have a question for the game warden? Email us at magazine@tpwd.texas.gov and we will pass it along to Wei-Wei.
