NWTF Kansas Recognizes Leamon with Prestigious Award

“Officer Leamon has been and continues to be an asset to the state’s natural resources with his enthusiasm to protect the resource,” said KDWP Lt. Ross Uhrmacher. “Throughout his career, officer Leamon has used his self-motivation and investigative skills to solve many cases involving illegal harvesting of turkeys. Officer Leamon is assigned to the southeast corner of Kansas and has many nonresident hunters, some of whom try to take advantage of the state’s more abundant resources. Scott’s investigative actions have added up to making a tremendous difference in the protection of turkeys and natural resources in the counties he patrols.” 

The NWTF Kansas Wildlife Officer of the Year Award is presented to individuals who have excelled and demonstrated exceptional performance in teamwork, leadership and accomplishments. 

At the end of 2022, the Kansas State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation solicited nominations for the 2022 Kansas Wildlife Officer of the Year Award. Leamon was presented the award alongside his wife and two children at the Kansas NWTF State Awards Banquet in Concordia.

In determining the award recipient, Leamon was evaluated on numerous criteria, including case involvement, public relations, attitude, enthusiasm, professionalism, dependability, investigative skills and support of hunting heritage.

Leamon is a game warden and boating enforcement specialist who has been with KDWP for nearly 16 years. He is responsible for Cherokee and Crawford counties in the southeast corner of Kansas. Leamon encounters various law enforcement issues in his daily activities, which includes boating law enforcement.

Leamon will attend the upcoming NWTF Convention in Nashville, where he will represent Kansas and be considered for the National NWTF Wildlife Officer of the Year Award. 

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has conserved or enhanced over 22 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The organization continues to drive wildlife conservation, forest resiliency and robust recreational opportunities throughout the U.S. by working across boundaries on a landscape scale. 2023 is the NWTF's 50^th anniversary and an opportunity to propel the organization's mission into the future while honoring its rich history. For its 50-year celebration, the NWTF has set six ambitious goals: positively impact 1 million acres of wildlife habitat; raise $500,000 for wild turkey research; increase membership to 250,000 members; dedicate $1 million to education and outreach programs; raise $5 million to invest in technology and the NWTF's people; and raise $5 million to build toward a $50 million endowment for the future. Learn how you can help us reach these lofty goals.