Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County in southeast Oklahoma, has been named the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Game Warden of the Year for 2013 and Wildlife Officer of the Year for the Shikar-Safari Club International.

Polk was recognized before the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission at its December meeting. Former U.S. Rep. Bill Brewster of Ardmore, a member of Shikar-Safari Club International, presented Polk a framed certificate and a silver commemorative plate from the club.

Game wardens are law enforcement officers for the Wildlife Department charged with enforcing fish and wildlife laws.

"The award means a lot to me, but it means just as much to my family," said Polk, who has served as a warden since 2001. "If it wasn't for them being understanding, I wouldn't be able to do what I do."

"To be selected officer of the year by your peers is something to be proud of," Brewster said.

State Rep. Curtis McDaniel, a neighbor of Polk's in Smithville, also read a citation from the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Gov. Mary Fallin in recognition of Polk's accomplishments.

Polk said his favorite part of the job is "being able to ensure that we have a heritage for our kids, for my girls to be able to hunt and fish and to have the same opportunities that I've had growing up. That's why I do what I do."

Col. Robert Fleenor, chief of law enforcement for the Wildlife Department, said Polk typifies what a game warden should be. His area requires long hours and an even temperament, Fleenor said.

"What's interesting about Dru is that he is so well-respected in his area. It's obvious that people in his area very much respect him besides knowing that he's going to tend to the law and take care of business.

"Dru typifies what a gentleman game warden is all about," Fleenor said.

Polk graduated from Durant High School in 1990 and earned a degree in conservation of natural resources in 1998 from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Polk's father worked for the Alcoholic Beverage Law Enforcement Commission, so he grew up around law enforcement.

Dru's older brother, Dane, was hired as an Oklahoma game warden in 1992.

"Of course, I rode with him some and thought, 'Hmm, I've got to have me one of these jobs.'

"I realized this was the only job that I could go to every day with a smile on my face and feel that I have accomplished something. Protecting our heritage and our wildlife was my calling," he said.

Polk began his career with the Department as an hourly employee in the Fisheries Division under the guidance of Paul Mauck, and he began working full time in 1999 as a technician at the Durant State Fish Hatchery. In 2001, Polk was promoted to game warden and was stationed in McCurtain County, a place he had always wanted to go.

"I thought of McCurtain County as kind of the last frontier in Oklahoma and love the thrill of the isolation and solitude this country had to offer," he said.

Polk and his wife, Laticha, have two daughters: Tori, 8, and Lizzi, 6. "There is not a greater pleasure in my life than to hunt with my family," he said.

Besides his tireless efforts enforcing game laws, Polk also serves as a counselor at the Department's annual youth camp, instructs in the Shotgun Training and Education Program and in the Aquatic Education Program, and is active in the Archery in the Schools Program.

Polk graduated from the Wildlife Professional Program and recently completed the Department's Leadership Development Program. He is certified as a basic instructor for the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement and Education and Training. He also conducts wildlife-based programs for local elementary schools, helps with law enforcement scenarios for wildlife law students at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and attends career days in his county to make youngster aware of conservation-related career opportunities.

In being selected the Department's Warden of the Year, Polk was also nominated for the 2013 Office of the Year honor from the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Shikar-Safari Club International began more than a half-century ago and is limited to 200 members worldwide. The social organization's purpose is to support hunting and conservation, and to address issues that affect those areas of concern. The club's foundation puts more than $1 million into wildlife and conservation each year, including awarding more than 30 scholarships annually to children of wildlife professionals who are pursuing careers in wildlife or conservation.