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Alexis Lee
English 4 Honors
Mrs. DeBock
28 April 2016
Real World Experience Narrative Writing
When I began the process of deciding the topic of my Senior Digital Exploration at the
beginning of the semester, I experienced trouble deciding between a few topics that I felt would
allow me to have meaningful real world experience later in the semester. However, hunting and
wildlife management has always been something I was raised on and it dear to my heart.
Therefore, I chose to conduct my Senior Project on Hunting, its effects on the environment and
youth. My research paper was divided into multiple sections which discussed the benefits of
hunting on the environment and its effects on wildlife management and another section on the
effects of hunting on developing minds and how hunting can positively affect young people.
Unfortunely, I was not able to job shadow a DNR officer like I had originally planned due to the
unforeseen dangers that come along with the profession, however, I decided to conduct
interviews, in person or over the phone, with several DNR representatives, a DNR law
enforcement officer, a DNR biologist, and the owners of 707 deer processing.
Initally, I was under the impression that I would easily be able to job shadow a DNR
officer. I began to call around to the different offices to get in touch with someone to set up a
date and be assigned an officer. At first I was hopeful even though everyone I talked to did not
seem interested in helping a high school student with a research project, many of the people I

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called did not seem to take me seriously. After nearly two frustrating weeks of calling and being
put on hold, sent to voicemail, leaving messages, and receiving no call backs, I had a
disappointing break through. After nearly twenty different phone calls I got in touch with the
head of law enforcement for Horry County. I was promptly told that I would be unable to job
shadow a DNR officer because I was inexperienced and would be at unnecessary risk. The
part of me that had grown up around firearms, hunting, fishing, and the wild outdoors took
offense to this but the rational side of me understood the reasons behind the decision as there are
many dangers associated with this specific job field. Disappointed, I went back to making
numerous phone calls and began the process of setting up several interviews with various DNR
representatives, law enforcement officers, biologist, and the owners of 707 Deer Processing
located in Socastee, SC.
My phone calls and endless emails finally got me in touch with the Deer project manager
and conducted an over the phone interview with him to get information on the statistics of the
deer population as it relates to the number of deer taken during the last few hunting seasons as
deer are the most sought after game in South Carolina. My conversation with Mr. Ruth, the deer
project manager and head biologist, was eye opening. I had no idea how large the deer
population was in South Carolina and how hunters have been able to effectively manage this
population throughout the years. In fact, I learned that the number of deer in the Horry County
area is less than 1/10th of the population in South Carolina with a large concentration of the states
deer located in the sandhills and foothills region of the state. An experienced hunter myself, I
have much respect for Mr. Ruth and what he does. I was also able to get in touch with Mrs.
Robin Camlin, a local DNR law enforcement officer. After many phone calls to decide on a time
and place for the interview we finally set a date. I met Mrs. Camlin one Sunday afternoon at the

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Murrells Inlet fire department. We met a little under an hour and during this hour I learned more
detailed information about the law enforcement side of DNR. Mrs. Camlin was full of
information and was more than willing to talk about her profession with an interested student.
Aside from being a DNR officer she was also a fellow hunter and said that she would often times
be found in a deer stand during hunting season in her free time. Mrs. Camlin mentioned that her
favorite part of her job was being able to protect and conserve wildlife while also being able to
connect people with nature; she also mentioned that her least favorite part of her job was
conducting investigations on fatal boating and hunting accidents due to the tragic nature of that
part of her job. Mrs. Robin Camlin also mentioned that she believes it is important for youth to
get outside and enjoy the experience of being in nature. She commented that it is current hunters
responsibility to introduced new hunters into the world of hunting to ensure that there are more
generations to enjoy the sport in future years. I also learned often times, DNR must advocate to
the wildlife, whose habitat is slowing diminishing due to the developments, by planting fields of
grain and providing safe Wildlife Management Areas for the animals to roam, breed, and raise
their young. It was insensly interesting to get a look at hunting from the law enforcement
prospective. As a investigator, Mrs. Robin does also of covert operations to help catch poachers,
therefore she is in the field quite a bit, another thing she loves about her job, making her the first
line defense against the dangerous situations that may arise in the field. My interviews also led
me to a DNR biologist named Kayla that works with the bears in Horry County. I also
interviewed the owners of 707 Deer Processing, the Wilkes. Interviewing Mrs. Joan and Mr.
Roper was surely a good experience to get a perspective on a fellow hunter and someone who is
active in promoting hunting in the community. Mr. Roper had a lot to say on the subject of
hunting and was more than willing to share his life story with a listening ear.

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Overall my experience was one that I will never forget. I enjoyed getting a different
perspective on an activity that I have enjoyed since I was four years old. I was extremely
disappointed that I was unable to job shadow and DNR officer, however, I enjoyed being able to
interview various DNR officers, biologist, and the owners of 707 deer procession. Overall, I have
had a extremely positive experience with the senior project and my real world experience is
differently one that I will not forget.