? under the sun THE BRUNSWlCir&EACON THURSDAY. APRIL 4. 1991 CLASSIFIED AND REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING IN THIS SECTION Wildlife Officer Has Job That Suits His Hobbies 3SS8S STAff PHOTO BY DOUG R UTTER WILDLIFE OFFICER FRED TAYLOR of Ash hitches up his boat prepares to patrol the Waccamaw River on a recent Saturday. BY DOUG RUTTER Fred Taylor has a pretty good job for someone who likes to hunt deer and duck, and fish in the Waccamaw River. His job as an enforcement officer with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission takes him outdoors every day where he can breathe fresh air and converse with sportsmen like himself. Taylor, who lives on Big Neck Road in the Ash commu nity, has been a wildlife officer for 14 years. He started out in Harnett County and transferred to Cumberland County be fore settling in Brunswick County eight years ago. "This county's got a lot more activity as far as hunting, fishing and boating," Taylor said. "I like to hunt and fish, and I can do a whole lot more hunting down here." As a wildlife officer, it's Taylor's job to enforce hunt ing, fishing and boating regulations and teach students safe hunting and boating practices. He's one of approximately 200 officers in the state. Taylor's duties include patrolling inland waterways, in specting boats for safety equipment, investigating boating accidents and searching for lost hunters. He shares the load in Brunswick County with Wayne Miracle, who works the South port area. And then there are the alligators. Brunswick County is home to a healthy population of alligators, and Taylor's called on to relocate about six or seven of them every year from populated areas to the Green Swamp. When wildlife officers move an alligator, they use a noose to keep the reptile's mouth shut. Then they tic the al ligator's legs behind its back so it can't move. Taylor said the largest alligator he's moved was the 500-pounder that came up on the strand at Holdcn Beach one night last September. The 12-foot long reptile took two officers nearly three hours to capture. "He was so big we couldn't really just walk up to him and throw the noose around him," Taylor recalled in a re cent interview. "He was just about as tough to turn loose as he was to catch. He was a real strong alligator." Taylor said there has never been a report of an alligator attack in Brunswick County, and there shouldn't be as long as people don't feed them. "As long as they stay afraid of people and eat their nat ural food, they'll stay away from people," he said. The Macon County native said he loves working in the outdoors. He worked indoors in the textile industry for eight years before getting a position with the wildlife com mission. 'This is a pretty demanding job as far as hours," he adds. "It's hard work and there's a lot of time involved, but there's a lot of rewards in it too." One the best parts of the job is working with students, whether it be seventh-graders taking a boating safety course or high school teens competing on the hunter safety team. Taylor has been teaching the hunter safety program in Brunswick County for six years. The West Brunswick team recently won their first district championship and will com pete for the state title later this month in Raleigh. The wildlife officer said members of the hunter safety team don't get the same recognition as basketball or foot ball players, but they lcam important skills they can use the rest of their lives. "It's fun to watch the kids who can't cxcel in some of the big sports do well with the hunter safety program," Taylor said. "We're real proud of the kids who go through the program." State law requires the hunter safety course for all new hunters when they reach age 16 and other first-time license buyers, such as people moving to North Carolina from oth er states. The hunter safety class is part of the Future Fanners of America (FFA) program, which Taylor said has become more of a wildlife enforcement program in recent years be cause fewer people arc involved in farming. Taylor said he tries to teach young people that ihcy should cat whatever they kill, whether it be a dozen crappie hooked in the Waccamaw River or a 10-point buck shot in the Green Swamp. "If everybody catches a lot of fish that they're not eating, then there's not as many the next time." Comparing Brunswick County with other counties, Taylor said local hunters are fortunate to live in an area with a lot of vacant woodlands. Hunters need to respect the land and the abundant game that's available so it will be around for future generations to enjoy, he stresses. 'That's the thing I try to instill in them is to treat the game and the land like it was their own." As part of an effort to restock the area with wild turkeys, Taylor said the wildlife commission released 15 of the birds this spring on the Waccamaw River. Each turkey cost the state $500. If the population grows as cxpcctcd, Taylor said there could be a local turkey season in seven or eight years. "If people will leave them alone and not destroy them and let them raise, they'll be all up and down the Waccamaw River." If there's a down side to being a wildlife officer, Taylor said it's dealing with the people he catches breaking laws. Approaching someone who is illegally hunting at night can be dangerous, he said, because hunters know they stand to lose their license, gun and vehicle if they arc pros ecuted. Taylor doesn't like to talk about it, but hunters have taken serious shots at him twice. "You come home at night and you're thankful that everything worked out OK," he said. "It gets hairy sometimes." Although it's his job to enforce the rules, Taylor said he gets along with most of the local hunters and fishermen. "Everybody knows me and how I work and I try to be fair, so it works out pretty good," he said. This is the first year local wildlife officers have used a deer decoy to catch night hunters. Taylor said the decoy's first season was rough. Hunters shot it, and a few of them tried to steal it. Taylor said he's used the decoy mostly in the Green Swamp and it has helped him enforce hunting rules. Twelve people have been arrested so far using the decoy and all of them have been convicted. Besides hunting and fishing, Taylor enjoys clogging with his 10-year-old daughter. Holly. Video shot at a recent clogging competition is proof positive that the 46-year-old is still pretty light on his feeL "I like clogging because it's a family activity," Taylor said. 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