As a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game warden, Lampasas High School graduate Hunter Witcher has had boots on the ground in the aftermath of the Independence Day flooding events in several nearby counties.
“I was stationed in Travis County. We were a part of recovery efforts around Lago Vista,” he said.
Witcher was a part of a crew that recovered a number of deceased persons after the flood devastation.
“Texas game wardens were told several people from the Cow Creek and Big Sandy Creek areas were missing,” he said. “The efforts from game wardens and our partners have been focused on finding them to provide closure for their families.”
Recovering the deceased after a disaster situation is something Witcher did not anticipate doing within his first year as a game warden.
“This is completely new to me. I’ve only been out of the academy for two weeks,” he said.
Witcher graduated from LHS in 2016 and did contract work on Fort Cavazos before graduating with the 67th Texas Game Warden and Texas State Parks Police cadet class on May 30.
“It was definitely trial by fire,” Witcher said of being assigned to flood recovery duties. “You can’t really prepare yourself for these types of things. This is what we’re here for, though.”
The search for missing persons began July 5, and is ongoing. Much of the search effort has been conducted on foot within the riverbeds.
“Our search efforts will likely scale back in the near future, but we will continue to work with our partners,” Witcher said. “We have multiple wardens working in tandem with Texas Task Force 2, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Military Department, the Travis County Sheriff's Office, Travis County Emergency Services, Travis County Parks and numerous out-ofstate agencies.”
As a game warden, Witcher served not only to assist with the search but also in a police capacity.
“Texas game wardens fulfill many roles in searches like this, as a law enforcement presence and liaison with landowners,” he said. “Usually, when you aren’t searching in a riverbed, you’re more often than not on someone’s property. We are also there to help search, working alongside our partners to try to find the people missing.
“We know it is a recovery at this point but want to do all we can to provide closure for the families,” Witcher said.
There have been emotional moments for the new game warden. As a father himself, Witcher said the deaths of the Camp Mystic campers and other children in the Kerrville area is especially difficult to process.
“The most emotional part would be the kids in Kerrville,” he said. “It heightens your level of awareness and protection for [your kids].”
As for his local community, Witcher said he hopes people will make the right decision during flooding events.
“Turn Around, Don’t Drown. When people put themselves in this type of situation, they put us in a position to either recover them or save them,” he said.
