Bigfork born-and-raised Chris Neu is bringing more than a decade of experience as a game warden to his new role as a captain with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Neu grew up hunting and fishing with his family on the plains in eastern Montana and back home on the Swan River. He remembers meeting game wardens as a teen and wondering what it would be like to have a job that was outside and never dull. 

"That's definitely the thing that I've liked the most ... Even after more than 10 years, someone asks a question and I say, ‘OK let’s figure it out,’” Neu said.  

Neu started at Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a seasonal worker after graduating college. He was hired as a full-time game warden a couple of years later. His day-to-day as a warden was out in the field doing investigations and making contact with people fishing, hunting or simply recreating on public lands.   

A decade later, he was chosen to be the new game warden captain for Northwest Montana’s Region 1. The position oversees the enforcement division for the area, including game wardens and sergeants.  

Neu said it’s a bit of a change. These days, he sees more of the Region 1 Office in Kalispell than he does the great outdoors.  

“It's an adjustment to do the manager stuff instead of being out in the field,” he said. 

However, his administrative duties don’t keep him from feeling too disconnected with his game wardens and sergeants. His priority is to make sure they have whatever they need to do their job the best they can. 

Neu said his first-hand knowledge of the job and his dedication to keeping his finger on the pulse with his wardens is why he believes he got the position. 

“I’m pretty connected to what the guys in the field are doing, and I can anticipate their needs pretty well, still, at this point, just coming fresh out of the field. Which I think they appreciate, or I hope,” he said.  

There has been a bit of a staff shuffle at the Region 1 office this year, with Neu moving into the captain role, a sergeant becoming the criminal investigator and two other Kalispell wardens becoming sergeants. This has led to it becoming an “increasingly young region,” with five vacant positions and younger people in leadership roles.  

He said many of the young men he previously trained are now coming into their prime. 

“This is kind of a neat opportunity to build the culture of the region and have a lot of young people with energy and passion for the job. I think they can get out there and do a lot of good, make a lot of cases,” he said.  

Neu said the summertime is really when personnel are hustling. They are in charge of all water-based recreation, like boating and fishing, and are the main law enforcement in all state parks. As millions of visitors leave, Neu said there is a lull at the end of the summer. But it’s not too long before the crisp fall air sets in and hunting season is underway.  

“Honestly, most of us got into the job of being game wardens to go out and interact with hunters. We look forward to this time of year because we get back out into the field and back to doing what we signed up for. There are parts of the summer that are great too, obviously, but just getting out in the woods and interacting with hunters is what we all really like to do,” he said.  

There’s an inherent balance to the job, as game wardens want to ensure everyone can enjoy the outdoors while protecting it and public safety.  

Neu said most people they interact with are doing everything right and want to see others do the same.  

“Those are the people who expect us to be holding others accountable for doing it wrong. So the people who are doing it right, we really get along with them because they see the value in us being out there,” Neu said.  

Hunting regulations can change depending on the species and area where the hunt takes place, and Neu said this year there's been an increase in people making mistakes because they didn’t fully read the regulations for the area.  

Though most regulations don't change often, Neu said, circumstances like finding Chronic Wasting Disease in a local deer population can force the agency to make adjustments. 

“Chronic Wasting can throw a wrench into that and make us react a little more quickly and not really give as much time for that adjustment,” Neu said.  

Hunting is something Neu continues to love, particularly bow hunting for elk. But it’s not an activity that his young family can participate in just yet. With two sons, ages 2 and 4, they are doing a lot of camping and learning how to fish. 

“They have so much energy, they really love camping. They can just take off and run around through the woods,” he said.  

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].