Conservation Warden Hochhausen Ends Multi-Faceted Service Career
An article from WWA’s Words From The Wardens.
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s August, 2022 eNewsletter.
By Lt. Tyler Strelow, Mississippi River Warden Team
DNR Conservation Warden Dale Hochhausen, a Mississippi River kid who turned his passion into an illustrious public service career of more than two decades, has decided to retire.
I can tell you Warden Hochhausen’s years on duty have been dedicated to nothing short of his best public service to the people and the precious natural resources of Wisconsin.
Warden Dale on duty
Warden Hochhausen is a true “duck cop” in every sense. He has made waterfowl education, enforcement, training and environmental protection the main focuses throughout his career. That’s Warden Hochhausen on duty in the photo at right, with his trusted and service-minded dog Ollie at his side.
Warden Hochhausen started his warden career in 1998 in Burlington and ended it back where he started as a kid, on the Mississippi River in the La Crosse area. He grew up hunting the Mississippi River for waterfowl, and his passion for waterfowl was very apparent throughout his career. He focused many of his efforts on waterfowl enforcement, having a strong enforcement program with cases ranging from simple no-license cases to substantial over-bagging limits and wetland enforcement.
READY TO HELP HUNTERS, ANGLERS & WILDLIFE
Ollie working teal season complaint
Warden Hochhausen also enjoyed helping. I was with him on several occasions during teal season where Ollie joined in – or should I say, dove in.
One morning, we were on patrol when we made a case involving four waterfowl hunters who shot and killed a hen wood duck during the teal-only waterfowl season. They didn’t retrieve it, so Ollie helped. Another morning, Ollie was called upon to help two waterfowl hunters who couldn’t find the multiple teal that had fallen into the tall vegetation after being shot. Ollie dove in and found three teal. The hunters didn’t have a dog, so Ollie was more than happy to do the job.
A few years back, Warden Hochhausen was on patrol and witnessed an ice angler break through the river’s ice. He immediately grabbed his rescue rope, made his way out over the questionable ice to the hole where the man was clinging to the ice sides and got him back to shore.
Other times, he responded to wildlife in trouble. When Warden Hochhausen saw a deer struggling to free its legs from the hole it had created in the ice cover of the Mississippi River, he knew he would need two things to pull off this rescue: an airboat and a wildlife technician. When it came to another deer rescue, he went at it alone, in the dark, atop the DeSoto bluff – armed with wire clippers.
And if there were fish from an over-bagging case, he’d donate them to a local community group. In the photo at right, Warden Hochhausen delivered 800 panfish to the St. Elizabeth’s Sportsmen Night and Wild Game Feed at their American Legion. The non-profit sport group used proceeds from the church’s annual feed for programs, including the food pantry and youth programs.
SHARING HIS EXPERTISE & HONORS
Warden Hochhausen
Warden Hochhausen also was very active with education, including Learn to Hunt classes for waterfowl. He was one of the lead waterfowl instructors for the DNR Conservation Warden Waterfowl School.
His involvement also stretches to environmental enforcement, focusing on wetlands and water quality.
Warden Hochhausen’s outstanding efforts have been recognized throughout his career. He was recognized as the Wisconsin Waterfowl Officer of the Year and received the Haskell Noyes Efficiency Award (also known as the Warden Of The Year) and the National Warden of the Year Award from the North America Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NAWEOA). Warden Hochhausen’s dedication to the resources and passion for waterfowl is admirable.
In addition, his outstanding dedication and customer service will have a long-lasting impact on Wisconsin and our rich waterfowl resources.
Thank you, Dale, for your service and enjoy your well-deserved retirement! Congratulations!