After a long and storied career spanning more than two decades, Chief Game Warden Rick King has retired from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

King started with the Game and Fish as an enforcement aid in 1998.

King served as a game warden at many duty stations across the state. He was the Lovell game warden when he was promoted in 2011 to the Laramie regional wildlife supervisor. In 2019, King was promoted to Chief of the Wildlife Division.

Also in 2019, King received the Director’s Award, the highest honor bestowed within Game and Fish. King earned it for a multitude of efforts including work on chronic wasting disease, the ongoing process of developing an elk feedground management plan and his interaction with the Wyoming Legislature.

During his tenure, King was the recipient of the 2014 Employee of the Year Award for the Wildlife Division and the 2016 Laramie Region Peer Recognition Award.

"Chief King dedicated 26 years across our entire state helping manage Wyoming's wildlife, our wildlife and sportspeople owe Rick an extreme level of gratitude,” said Eric Wiltanger, Game and Fish deputy director. “I wish him well in retirement and thank him for his service to this great state."