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USDA Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Killed in Accidental Shooting
The following is a joint release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division and the USDA, Forest Service.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Monticello, GA --(AmmoLand.com)- A USDA Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer was fatally shot Friday, March 5, at the Ocmulgee Bluff Equestrian Recreation Area on the Oconee Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Jasper County.

The officer, Christopher Arby Upton, 37, of Monroe, GA, was on routine patrol in the area about 11 p.m. Two individuals were hunting coyote with a high-powered rifle equipped with night vision and apparently mistook the officer for game. After the shooting, the hunters dialed 911 and reported a hunting incident.

“This is a tragic incident where the loss of a Federal officer’s life could have been avoided,” said Steven Ruppert, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Southern Region of the Forest Service. “This is a devastating loss for Chris’ family, our agency, other law enforcement officers and his friends and neighbors in Monroe.

“All of our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Ruppert said. “The standard procedure for a hunter is to identify your target and then shoot,” said Homer Bryson, Law Enforcement Colonel for Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “The hunter failed to do this, and mistook the officer for game. He then shot and instantly killed the officer.”

The shooter, Norman Clinton Hale, 40, McDonough, GA, and an observer, Clifford Allen McGouirk, 41, of Jackson, GA, were hunting coyotes. The incident investigation is being conducted jointly by the Forest Service and GDNR WRD and is ongoing.

Upton, a 4-year veteran of the Forest Service, had previously worked as a game warden for the Department of Defense, US Marine Corps, at Beaufort, South Carolina, and as a conservation officer, game warden and pilot with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. He is survived by his wife, Jessica, and a 4-year-old daughter, Annabelle. Arrangements are pending.

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Arkansas Wildlife Officer Honored with NWTF Award

National Wild Turkey Federation

EDGEFIELD, S.C. —-(AmmoLand.com)- Cpl. Jay Hagans with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be honored by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) for his efforts in conserving America’s wildlife.

Hagans, of Scotland, Ark., will be recognized as the NWTF’s Arkansas Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year during its 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show to be held Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The NWTF initiated the State Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award in 2000 to acknowledge top officers such as Hagans across North America.

“Not only is Jay a conscientious officer dedicated to catching violators,” said Gary Watts, NWTF Arkansas state board of directors member, “but he is also a lifelong turkey hunter who loves to share his sport with youth and adults who have no hunting experience.”

By earning the State Wildlife Officer of the Year award, Hagans and other state winners are eligible for the NWTF’s National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award, which will be presented during the NWTF’s Awards Banquet Saturday, Feb. 20, during the convention.

The National Wild Turkey Federation is a national nonprofit conservation organization that is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, raised and spent more than $306 million, and conserved nearly 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

For more information about the NWTF’s National Convention and Sport Show, click here.

For more information about the NWTF’s law enforcement award winners, or the NWTF’s efforts to support wildlife law enforcement, call (800) THE-NWTF, or visit www.nwtf.org.

2010 Convention Sponsors: Affinity4, ATK/Federal Premium Ammunition, Bank of America, Bass Pro Shops, Benelli, Browning, Call Makers and Collectors Association of America, CamoFX, Chevrolet, Farm Service Agency, Foxy Huntress, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, HuntVe, Knight Rifles, Leupold & Stevens, Marlin Firearms Company, MeadWestvaco, MidwayUSA, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, National Band & Tag Co., O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., Mossy Oak and The Pursuit Channel, The Outdoor Connection, Remington Arms Company, Inc., SHE Outdoor Apparel, TriStar Sporting Arms, USDA Forest Service, Weatherby, Inc., Wild Turkey Bourbon, Winchester Division/Olin Corp.

About the NWTF: The National Wild Turkey Federation is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its more than 350,000 members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

The Federation works to increase interest in the outdoors by bringing new hunters and conservationists into the fold through outdoor education events and its outreach programs – Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin’ Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES.

The NWTF was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C. According to many state and federal agencies, the comeback of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America’s wildlife history.

Visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF for details.

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