Lt. Bob White, Fort Jackson game warden, speaks at the Sportsman's Club town hall meeting Feb. 16 at the Joe E. Mann Center. White, who has been in law enforcement for more than 41 years, said Fort Jackson owes it to Soldiers to have better outdoor a...

"Drill sergeants and other people work tremendous hours and they go out to hunt and there's nothing to hunt," said Lt. Bob White, Fort Jackson Game Warden.

For White, one of three Fort Jackson game wardens, helping create a safe and productive atmosphere for Soldiers and community members is paramount. A Fort Jackson sportsman's club should help increase the safety and experience of hunting by helping deer conservation and education, White said.

Maj. Gen. John "Pete" Johnson, Fort Jackson and Army Training Center commander, held a town hall Feb. 16 to address ways the post can improve outdoor activities including the creation of a Fort Jackson Sportsman's Club.

Game wardens, like White, enforce federal, state, and local laws as well as Fort Jackson regulations. While "policing may be policing," he said, police officers "see a lot of people; I see a lot of trees."

It is job of the wardens to educate sportsmen, verify licenses and to enforce bag limits.

"Fort Jackson hunting graded on a scale of one to 100 is poor in my opinion," said White, who has more than 41 years' experience in law enforcement. He joined the Fort Jackson community as a game warden in July.

Hunters on Fort Jackson used to harvest more than 200 deer a year, but now are in the 80s.

"We owe it to Soldiers; they deserve better," he said.

Deer numbers are down due to predators like coyotes and to improper conservation.

He said "for coyotes, the main diet during fawn season is fawns" while acknowledging the need to get hunters to aim for older animals. "We need to educate hunters to get them to pass on young deer and look for older ones."

I wish hunters "would measure their success by their memories" and not by the size of deer antlers, White added.