Mitch Boyum recognized as 2019 Conservation Officer of the Year

“Many times going to work I think I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this,” states Mitch Boyum, who was recently selected as the 2019 Conservation Officer of the Year.

Growing up in St. Charles, Minn., Boyum loved being outdoors, and participating in outdoor activities, especially trapping, hunting and fishing. 

“There’s something about getting a coyote to put its foot on a pan ‘this big’ in the middle of nowhere,” says Boyum, adding “it’s a thinking game I guess,” and he thoroughly enjoys the challenge.

While he was in high school he was walking past an Ag class where Bob Wallace, a retired conservation officer (CO) from the Whitewater area was talking about what being a CO for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was all about.

“It kind of caught my eye so I just kind of hung outside the classroom and listened and so that’s what probably got me going the most,” explains Boyum. 

“My uncle was a state trooper so that got me into the law enforcement but I always hunted and fished, I couldn’t get enough of it, so when I saw him talk, I guess I had never thought about it until I saw him in there,” Boyum says of Wallace. 

Once he learned that there was a way to earn a living while spending time outdoors, Boyum was hooked.  “Since tenth grade I figured this was my road,” he said. 

After graduating from St. Charles High School in 1991, Boyum attended Winona State University in Winona, Minn., and then transferred to Vermillion Community College in Ely, Minn., as they offered the Natural Resource Law Enforcement Degree he was seeking.

After graduating college Boyum lived in Steven’s Point, Wis., and was a park ranger and worked for a security/detective agency.  Coming back to Minnesota, Boyum worked in Winona County as a Water Patrol Officer and gained some interesting experience.

He then began working as a deputy for the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department on a part-time basis as well as working in the Fillmore County Jail part-time before being hired as a full-time deputy.

In 2000, Boyum began his employment as a Conservation Officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  “I can’t believe it’s been 19 years,” notes Boyum.

Boyum was nominated by his supervisor Tyler Quandt, who knows better than most what kind of employee and person Boyum is.  “He’s been an officer with us for a long time and he just does an overall great job,” states Quandt.  “He does a good job on his cases and all of the people he works with speak highly of him,” says Quandt. 

Boyum was recognized at a ceremony at Camp Ripley on January 10, 2019.  He says it was very much an honor to be named 2019 Conservation Officer of the Year and to be honored at the ceremony.  “It’s kind of humbling when you walk down in front of 140 officers, your peers,” he notes. 

When asked what all his job encompasses, Boyum replied, “Any outdoor recreation that has laws and rules and regulations attached to it — that’s what we will enforce,” which can include hunting, fishing, water resource laws, boating, snowmobiles, ATVs, protected animals and more. 

Boyum’s work area is vast reaching from Hwy 52 over to Hwy 76 down to the Iowa border and pretty much up to St. Charles or I-90.  This area covers Fillmore County, half of Houston County and a small portion of Winona County.

Since it is impossible for Boyum to be in two places at once, sometimes people are gone by the time he can get to a scene or a landowner is frustrated but he does his best to get the situation handled as quickly as possible one way or another.

“I’m responsible for my work area — so if somebody calls my home and leaves me a message there is nobody else to get that message,” he explains.  “That’s just how it goes ­— we carry our phones as much as we can,” he says, but there is no second shift that takes over his duties.  Thankfully, “My partners to the east, west and north — we all work really closely together,” notes Boyum.

“The nice thing is that because I worked in Fillmore County I know all the deputies, I know the city cops — a lot of times I can call them on the radio or on the phone and say hey can you help me out — at least swing out and get a name or a number or a license plate.  And in Houston and Winona County all the county deputies are usually quick to help so that makes it a lot easier,” he states. 

Boyum says “I get complaints at football games, I get complaints at basketball games or things like that but I signed up for it — that’s ok — that’s part of the gig — it doesn’t bother me — I couldn’t see it any other way,” in order to be effective.

When asked his favorite part of his job, Boyum replies, “Well, I like to hunt so I would have to say working with and checking hunters — I like to hear the stories — we got a job to do like check the license and check any animals there — but it’s interesting to me to hear the stories from the hunters on how they got what they got,” and he hears some very interesting stories.

The most challenging part of his job at the present time is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).  “You have landowners that are frustrated — and I understand it — the state’s asking them to help fly the flag and help the state out and try to control this issue,” Boyum said.

The majority of the folks have kind of stepped up and helped,” states Boyum, adding “I think the state, being the biologists and our health control folks, has done a pretty good job of explaining the issues and what they can and cannot do and what the best course of action is and I think most of the landowners and hunters out there are willing to help and have helped with that process,” which the DNR appreciates.

The time of year and what the weather is doing is the driving force as to what Boyum’s workday may include.  “If it’s a bright, sunny day, 70 degrees, in October, the ducks probably aren’t flying on the river so you’re probably going to go where there are small game hunters instead, versus if there is a northwest wind that usually moves the ducks, now we’ll be down on the river working duck hunters because the duck hunters know that’s when the ducks move,” he explains.

Season openers, such as deer season opener, is when they have their highest activity and, “that’s when our phone rings the most,” Boyum says.  “You never know what’s going to happen some days — which is what makes it interesting,” he states.

When not working, Boyum spends as much time as he can with his family, which includes his wife Katrina and their sons Brooks (12) and Briggs (8), who seem to be taking after their dad.  “They are now starting to hunt so we chase turkeys around and squirrels — we like to hunt rabbits — we can’t get enough of rabbit hunting,” states Boyum. 

When asked for any advice he would have to young men and women thinking about becoming a CO with the DNR, he repeats something a sheriff told him when he was just out of school — “Do something every day to reach your goal,” and although he says he didn’t follow that to the letter he tried to remember that wise advice.

Boyum also says, “Number one, you gotta like the outdoors, if you don’t it’s probably not something for you,” adding, “you gotta be able to go out when it’s 17 degrees out and deal with a call and deal with conditions but if you like that, keep your nose to the ground and buck through and do what you can to better your position so when they do hire, you stand out.”