Hunters who were in the field south of Laramie might have run into a new game warden this hunting season.

Game Warden Bill Brinegar replaces Bill Haley, who retired in August. Brinegar is a native of Cheyenne and graduated from East High School in 1994. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology from Fresno State in 2001.

After graduation he worked for the California Fish and Game on the anadromous fish crew on the San Joaquin River, and later as a biologist for a private consulting firm. He returned to Wyoming in 2004 when he was hired as a game warden trainee for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Brineger was stationed in Green River for two years and was then promoted to the Rawlins Warden District in 2006, where he remained for eight years.

He is delighted to be working in Laramie and to finally be back home in the southeast corner of the state. “I have family in Cheyenne and I wanted to be a game warden in an area where I grew up hunting and fishing. I am very familiar with the area; it is home,” he said.

While he had to hit the ground running at the beginning of hunting season, he says he now has time to focus on his goals for the region. “I want to work on building and maintaining relationships with the landowners and constituents in my region. A game warden is the liaison between the department and landowners. It’s a very important role,” he said.

As an avid hunter and angler himself, Brinegar believes in the responsibility of providing quality opportunities for sportsmen. He cares about doing what is right for wildlife and sportsmen. “I appreciate that my role as a game warden allows me to get people to work together to solve problems,” he said.

He said he is also pleased to be involved with the Sheep Mountain Mule Deer Initiative. “Mule deer management is one of the things I am most passionate about.”

Brinegar lives in Laramie with his wife Kristin, daughter Emily, and sons Owen and Will.

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