Kingfisher County’s Blake Pearson is one of the best game wardens in the state.

He’s got the honor to prove it.

Pearson was recently selected the 2021-22 Game Warden of the Year by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The Watonga native was one of eight game wardens nominated from each of the state’s districts.

A panel of past winners read each nomination – which were anonymous – and selected the state’s top honoree.

“If you have a job that needs to be done, it doesn’t matter the task, Blake is willing to go above and beyond to help get it done,” said Lt. Tyler Howser, the Caddo County game warden who is Pearson’s direct supervisor and wrote the nomination.

“Blake is easy to write about.”

Pearson’s 15-year anniversary with the ODWC is this September.

He said he “got heavy into hunting and fishing” during his teenage years.

“It was then I really started looking into how I could pursue making a living in the outdoor industry,” Pearson said. “Being a game warden was something that really seemed to fit.”

He began his career in the Canadian/Oklahoma County district for a short period before transferring to Kingfisher County, where he’s served the bulk of his career.

The criteria for the state honor includes teamwork and public outreach, excellence and innovation, attitude and leadership, and achievements and accomplishments.

“He does a lot of stuff with the other divisions,” Howser said. “Teamwork is something that really stands out with him.”

That was put on display in March 2021 when a pair of kayakers attempted to float from the North Canadian River down into the connecting Canton Lake.

They became stranded in an area of heavy marsh and slough. They eventually abandoned their kayaks in an attempt to walk, wade and swim out of the area.

The kayakers found themselves lost in a wooded area, where they were forced to stay overnight with temperatures dipping into the 30s and the surrounding waters in the 45-50 degree range.

Although they were without food and ran out of water, they did have a radio and built a fire.

A rescue effort was organized by game wardens and Pearson was among them.

After the kayakers’ location was identified, rescuers still struggled to find a way to safely extract them through the varied and difficult terrain.

It was Pearson who eventually found the best access point and the kayakers were rescued.

“They were facing a real threat of hypothermia and dehydration,” Howser said. “His key participation in helping save their lives was definitely one of the things that stood out.”

Pearson and his wife, Amy, a teacher at Kingfisher High School, live on family land just north of Lacy in Major County with their two sons Bowen (10) and River (6).

“There are roughly 120 game wardens in Oklahoma, so just being nominated is an honor,” Pearson said. “To make it to the next step is definitely humbling and pretty cool.”

The next step takes Pearson to Charleston, W.V., in October.

His state honor puts him in contention for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

If he wins, Pearson will be just the second Oklahoman to do so, joining Carlos Gomez in 2001.