167 Amanda McKune – Illinois

About this episode

CPO Amanda McKune shares her experiences and challenges as a wildlife officer in Illinois during Women’s History Month.

It’s Women’s History Month, and there’s no better time to highlight CPO Amanda McKune - Illinois officer, new mom, and the 2025 NWTF Officer of the Year. Amanda shares the behind‑the‑scenes reality of the job: the long hours, the high‑stakes turkey and deer cases, the instincts that guide her, and the determination that has already defined her first six years in the field. Humble and relentless, she’s exactly the kind of story this month is made to celebrate. Our Sponsors: Thin Green Line Podcast Don Noyes Chevrolet North American Game Warden Museum Hunt Regs WiseEye SecureIt Gun Storage XS Sights “A Cowboy in the Woods” Book Maine Operation Game Thief New Hampshire Operation Game Thief North East Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association International Wildlife Crimestoppers Here’s what we discuss: · Stepping onto the NWTF stage and realizing the scale: “I had no idea going into that… wow.” · Working turkey and deer hunters in southern Illinois - being “in the right place at the right time.” · The habitual turkey poacher and the tip that set everything in motion. · Working 3 AM mornings through April until she finally caught him. · Charging him with 8 birds she could prove…

People in this episode

Hosts: Wayne Saunders, John Nores

Guest: Amanda McKune

Topics covered

• Women’s History Month
• CPO Amanda McKune
• Illinois
• wildlife enforcement
• turkey poaching
• deer cases

Keywords

• wildlife officer
• NWTF Officer of the Year
• turkey hunting
• deer hunting
• law enforcement

Mentioned in this episode

Products: XS, Waypoint, Thin Green Line Podcast, Don Noyes Chevrolet, North American Game Warden Museum, Hunt Regs, WiseEye, SecureIt Gun Storage, XS Sights, A Cowboy in the Woods Book

Books & works: A Cowboy in the Woods

Places: Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, Long Johns, Midwest, Missouri

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