The Spotlight

Sept. 20, 2021

Cpl. Landon Mills
Wildlife Officer, Grant County

In each edition of The Green Line, we hope to share a bit about some of the personalities that make up the AGFC’s Enforcement Division. We’re not only law enforcement officers, but members of the communities in which we live. We hunt, fish, attend baseball games with our families just like everyone else, and we love Arkansas’s outdoors so much that we’ve made it our life’s mission to ensure the next generation of Arkansans have the same opportunities we have been blessed with.

This issue’s featured officer is Cpl. Landon Mills. Cpl. Mills works alongside K-9 June in Grant County. He has also served in the AGFC’s Disaster Response Team, helping Arkansans when tornadoes and other natural disasters strike. He began his work with the AGFC in Lincoln County, where he worked for three years along the Arkansas River and on many private hunting areas near some of the best waterfowl hunting in the state. The last six years of his work has been stationed near Sheridan, in the heart of Arkansas’s deer country, but his work with K-9 June takes him on many adventures across the state. 

We asked Landon a few questions about his experience. 

Question: Why did you want to become a wildlife officer?

Answer: Becoming a wildlife officer was not something I even thought of when I was young. To be honest, I never came into contact with a game warden or even knew what their job entailed until I was in high school. However, I always had respect and reverence for men and women who served in the military and law enforcement. My dad served in the National Guard for 28 years and was a parole officer for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. My grandfather was an Arkansas state trooper for 20 years and my uncle fought in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. These men were some of my heroes growing up, and I always knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I chose to become a wildlife officer not only because I wanted to serve, but because of my passion for the outdoors. My family has always been avid hunters and fishermen, and that was passed on to me at an early age. Choosing to become a wildlife officer was the best of both worlds. In my opinion, it is the best job on the planet. I have the privilege every day to work alongside some great men and women who love Arkansas’s outdoors as much as I do. We all share a common goal — to do everything in our power to protect the natural resources of this state for today’s outdoorsmen and for the next generation to come.
 

Question: What’s it like being a K-9 Officer for the AGFC?

Answer: Not only do I get to work alongside a group of elite law enforcement officers, but I am also a K-9 officer for the Enforcement K-9 Unit. With my lifelong passion for hunting also came a zeal for training and handling hunting dogs. I knew early into my career that I wanted to be on the K-9 team for the simple fact that I wanted to help apprehend the “uncatchable poacher.” A well-trained K-9 can be the difference in making a great case. 

My partner is a 5-year old female black lab named “June” and our mission as a professional certified unit is to assist and enhance the capabilities of our fellow wildlife officers in the field, other law enforcement agencies and search-and-rescue agencies. I have been blessed to see many areas of the state handling a K-9, including some of the best wildlife management areas Arkansas has to offer. 

Becoming a Wildlife Officer:

For more information on becoming an AGFC wildlife officer contact Rick Fields at Rick.fields@agfc.ar.gov.