Fannin County’s Jared Wood takes home Darnell Award

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division has named Game Warden Cory Bohannon from Lincoln County as their 2024 Game Warden of the Year. Game Warden First Class Jared Wood, who is assigned to Fannin County in north Georgia, is the recipient of the James R. Darnell Award, as the runner up to Game Warden of the Year.

“These Game Wardens have proven themselves as leaders this past year,” said Col. Mike England, director of the DNR Law Enforcement Division. “They work hard every day to enforce the conservation laws of the state and to ensure public safety. They truly deserve this recognition.”

Game Warden Cory Bohannon, who was also named the 2024 Georgia Boating Safety Officer of the Year a few months ago, is an outstanding officer and last year’s activity proves it. Serving his first summer on Clarks Hill Lake, Bohannon quickly became a leader in boating enforcement activity. These boat checks resulted in 90 boating safety related contacts (45 citations and 45 warnings) and 40 violation contact assists. During his on-water patrols, he focused his attention on safety violations that lead to accidents and injuries. Away from the lake, he is heavily involved in collateral duties in addition to his normal responsibilities. As a member of the Special Operations Group (SOG), Bohannon completed 90 hours of required SOG training including, SWAT School, Tactical Man Tracking, Woodlands Op School, and SOG ATV In-service. He is also a certified NASBLA Boat Instructor and an Officer Water Survival Instructor – certifications he uses while teaching Boat EVOC and Officer Water Survival at the Game Warden Academy.

Game Warden First Class Jared Wood, who picked up his second consecutive James R. Darnell Award Saturday, was also named the National Wild Turkey Federation Officer of the Year for 2023. Through his aggressive but fair enforcement abilities, Wood and his K-9 partner, Judge, have gained the trust of the communities they serve and have worked hard to bring some of north Georgia’s more flagrant wildlife poachers to justice. Even with his collateral duties as a K-9 Officer and a Defensive Tactics Instructor at the Game Warden Academy, Wood still manages to maintain a high level of law enforcement presence in his assigned county and work section. This past turkey season he documented a multitude of turkey hunting violations in his section, including an investigation where he brought charges on more than 30 turkey hunting violations.

In addition to the Game Warden of the Year and the Darnell awards, the Division also presented the following awards:

Supervisor of the Year – Sgt. Matt Garthright, Columbia County

National Wild Turkey Federation Officer of the Year – Game Warden First Class Jared Wood, Fannin County

Investigative Game Warden of the Year – Cpl. Eric White, Colquitt County

Georgia Boating Safety Officer of the Year – Game Warden Cory Bohannon, Lincoln County

Operation Dry Water Officer of the Year – Cpl. Ryan Locke, Hall County/Lake Lanier

The Rocky Wainwright Waterfowl Award – Game Warden First Class Phillip Nelson, Oglethorpe County

Hunter Education Instructor of the Year – Game Warden First Class Ryan Buice, Upson County

The Torch Award – Game Warden Jaron Hollinshead, Baldwin County/Lake Sinclair

Administrative Professional of the Year – Administrative Assistant Debra Hollar, Training Unit