If there is a theme to Drew Davis’ life, it is working outdoors.
Drew grew up working on his grandparents’ farm, down the road from his home in Carrollton, Mo. His grandparents kept chickens, beef cows and sometimes goats, he said. When he was in high school, he worked on a neighbor’s farm, doing chores and baling hay.
Drew is the new Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) agent for Henry County, replacing long-time agent Andy Bullock, who retired. Drew has been in the county since graduating from the MDC Conservation Agent Training Academy in October, and has completed six weeks of field training with supervisors and agents from Henry, Benton and Johnson counties.
“They want to be sure I know the area before going out on my own,” he said.
But Drew was already familiar with Henry County’s natural resources — his maternal grandparents live in the Clinton area, he said, and he grew up hunting turkey, deer, squirrel and rabbits on the upper Tebo, and fishing in Truman Lake.
“We mostly caught catfish and crappie,” he said.
He hasn’t always wanted to be a conservation agent, he said. But when he was in high school, he was introduced to the career when he went on a ride-along with a conservation agent as part of his school’s job-shadow day.
“He kind of opened my eyes to what the job was,” Drew said. “It seemed like a cool career path.”
But his path to a career in the MDC had a few detours. Drew attended Northwest Missouri State University in Marysville, where he majored in recreation and park management. In the summers, he worked at sports camps in Missouri and at Eagle Lake Camp in Colorado. After graduating in 2019, he spent a short time as a meter reader for Evergy, he said, then returned to Carrolton, where he worked for a row-crop farmer. Drew is the oldest of four brothers; the younger two are still in school.
In the spring of 2022, Drew was accepted to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Conservation Agent Training Academy after undergoing two rounds of interviews and passing physical and written testing. The course takes six and half months, and includes law enforcement training, protecting the state’s fish and wildlife resources, and providing conservation education and outreach. He was one of 17 academy graduates in October, when he was assigned to Henry County.
Drew said the job varies depending on the day. Some days he does routine patrolling, he said. Hours are flexible, but the agents work long hours during deer season and turkey season, he said. In the spring, they are out in the patrol boat on Truman Lake in the mornings and evenings.
“We work when people are using the resource,” he said.
One of the biggest problems in Henry County is area misuse, he said, meaning people littering and dumping trash. The agents also patrol parking lots and other areas to prevent illegal campfires, and stop people from driving on muddy roads, digging ruts and tearing up the road surface.
On other days, conservation agents are participating in school programs, or conducting hunting education clinics. Drew is leading a Youth Turkey Clinic in March (see details below). He sharpened his shooting skills in 4-H, he said, where he competed in .22s and trap shooting. He honed his leadership skills as a regional representative for the 4-H Northwest Region.
“I got to travel a lot,” he said, noting that he made several trips to Jefferson City and also to Columbia for programs at the University of Missouri.
He also did woodworking in 4-H, but doesn’t have time for it now, he said. Drew is married. He and his spouse, whose parents live in Harrisonville, have a 2-year-old son.
Drew said they don’t do ride-alongs for high-school students anymore, as there are liability issues, but will take people over the age of 18 who are interested in a conservation enforcement career on patrol to show them what the job is like.
Drew says if people see or hear of anything the conservation department should know about, or have any questions, call his cell phone, 660-885-1621, which he carries with him. If he can’t answer, leave a message.
“I’ll do my best to get back to them,” Drew said.
The Missouri Department of Conservation was established in 1937 to manage the state’s fish, forest and wildlife resources. The MDC issues hunting, trapping and fishing permits and manages more that 975,000 acres of land through the dedication of 212 conservation agents, which were formerly known as game wardens.
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Youth Turkey Clinic March 25 in Clinton
Drew Davis will lead a Youth Turkey Clinic on Saturday, March 25, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the MDC Clinton Office, 2010 South Second St., Clinton, MO, 64735.
The clinic is open to youth ages 8-15 years old.
Activities will help youth prepare for the spring turkey-hunting season, and consist of shotgun patterning, archery, turkey calling/hunting techniques, and walking a safety trail.
Bring your own shotgun for the shotgun patterning. Ammunition will be provided.
There will also be a time for questions about spring turkey-hunting regulations. There is a maximum of 30 participants, so sign up soon. Register for this clinic at mdc.mo.gov/events or by calling the MDC Clinton office at (660) 885-6981.
For additional information about the Youth Turkey Clinic, contact the Clinton Office at (660) 885-6981 or visit the office any time Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
