The History

Texas Game Warden Gus Engeling tragically lost his life on Friday, Dec. 14, 1951, while attempting to arrest an illegal duck hunter on the Darden Wildlife Management Facility near Palestine.

On the day of his death, Warden Engeling was assisting a work crew with pipeline repairs when he heard a gunshot from the nearby marsh. Despite being unarmed, he went to investigate and encountered a poacher who had shot two ducks. The man was known to him and had a history of illegal hunting. When the poacher fled on foot, Warden Engeling pursued him. During the chase, the suspect turned and shot Warden Engeling with a shotgun.

The poacher returned to the scene the following day, hiding Warden Engeling’s body under a submerged tree in the marsh. It took four days for his body to be found. The suspect was later apprehended, confessed to the murder, and was sentenced to death. The man was executed in the electric chair on Dec. 2, 1952.

Warden Engeling, a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of WWII, had dedicated 12 years of service to the Texas Game and Fish Commission. In honor of his memory and sacrifice, the Darden Wildlife Management Facility was later renamed the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area.

Game Warden Engeling’s commitment to duty and his ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. We honor his life, his service and his legacy.

According to the Texas Game Wardens part of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Dec 14, 2024.