area where Altman previously worked, the subject of archery is mentioned. Yankton County, he says, has a strong following in archery, but Altman admits that it does make conservation officers’ jobs difficult with deer management. While the deer rifle seasons are regimented and monitored closely, anyone who wants to buy an archery deer license can do so, according to Altman. “Seventy to eighty percent of the deer harvested in the county is from archery,” he says. “And that’s an astronomically high number compared to other counties. That’s just something we can’t control.” The combination of the programs offered at the NFAA Easton Yankton Complex and businesses like Dakota Archery and the archery range at Gavins Point Recreation Area means this area is “conducive” to archery, Altman says. “It’s just another obstacle for us to manage deer numbers,” he adds. — — — —1 p.m. A popular topic on this day is how Altman’s location in South Dakota presents some unique factors, he says, as he turns west onto Apple Tree Road along the Missouri River east of Springfield. “We work very closely with Nebraska, especially in the summer,” he says. “I talk to one of my counterparts almost daily.” Most of that partnership has to do with the Missouri River, Altman adds. “It’s a neat relationship,” he says. “For the most part, our jobs are the same; we deal with many of the same things, just in different states with different regulations.” — — — —1:15 p.m. Just east of Springfield along the river, Altman approaches two vehicles near a boat launch area. After he radios into his dispatch, he stops to chat with two hunters who are preparing to back a boat into the water. One vehicle, as it turns out, has Iowa plates, but both men live in Sioux Falls, Altman says. That presented a series of checks, because of the non-resident versus resident issue. “Everything checked out; they’re good,” Altman says, as he gets back in his truck. “With duck hunters, you want to check their guns, the boat and their bag limits.” As he enters Sand Creek Recreation Area a half-mile down Apple Tree Road, Altman points out that most of his conversations with hunters go like that — that it’s just coming across someone or a group of people, which leads to a chat. “A lot of our contacts are consensual contacts,” he says. “It starts out as casual chats and then we’ll check everything.” — — — —1:34 p.m. There’s a brief moment of chaos when Altman receives word over the radio that another hunter was stuck on a nearby sandbar. “It happens a lot during duck season,” Altman says. That news meant Altman would have had to drive back to his office near Lewis & Clark Lake and hitch up his boat, and then come back out to help the stranded hunter. But a few minutes after the initial call, word comes back that the hunter was free. “Woo hoo, he got out,” Altman says. “This makes me happy.” He jokes that it wouldn’t have been too bad in the middle of the day when it’s still light out — rather than near the end of the day and in the dark. — — — —2 p.m. It’s not always hunters and anglers that Altman has to worry about in his job. No, there are times, especially given the busy summer months on the Missouri River, where he aids in search and rescue operations. One specific area has presented frequent problems along the river, he says: Burbank Beach, near Burbank. The 2011 flooding dumped sand on a game production area owned by GF&P, and the result has led to the beach becoming a popular hangout for college students from nearby University of South Dakota — among other schools. “That’s a big issue for us in the summer months, especially,” Altman says. A few years ago, Altman says he helped with a few rescue trips in which beachgoers would attempt to swim across the river — the high sandbars allowed them to walk in waist-deep water most of the way across, but it was the last stretch that caused problems — and get swept away. “At one point, we went down there and talked with them about how dangerous that was,” Altman says. “I remember saying, ‘We’re going to be back here soon if this keeps up,’” he adds. “And sure enough, like a week later, there was a drowning.” Since that first incident, there have been a series of other drownings (some fatal), and each situation is the same, Altman says. “Working on that type of stuff can be frustrating,” he adds. It’s not just at Burbank Beach where beachgoers or boat users underestimate the Missouri River, according to Altman. “There’s a lack of understanding and a lack of respect for how powerful the river is, even when it looks peaceful,” he says. “There’s vALTMAN continued on page 18 HISVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019v17