The Hatfield-McCoy Rangers

What follows are a few candid thoughts from J.D. "Big Jim" Charles on the Hatfield-McCoy Ranger crew. Like our Field Operations crew, office staff and others, the Rangers often don't get the public attention that they really deserve. The McBlog hopes you enjoy this up-close glimpse of one corner of our Hatfield-McCoy family.

The other day on the Hatfield-McCoy riders.trailsheaven.com forum somebody had asked a question about the Hatfield-McCoy Rangers and I got to thinking about them and all they do to make sure your experience in the wild and wonderful hills of West Virginia is a safe and happy one.

The Ranger force is a special group of people to say the least. They are all duly sworn and trained law enforcement officers with the same police powers as any other police officers in the state of West Virginia. In fact, the original Ranger crew consisted of experienced law enforcement officers, including former police chiefs and deputies, some of whom had decades of experience -- men like W.S. “Steve” Simpkins and Noah Lombardo -- among several others.

Today the HMT Rangers also include younger guys, some of whom have military experience and these days Hatfield-McCoy sends all new Rangers to the state of West Virginia’s Police Academy for the same training any other law enforcement officer in the state receives. This is a very serious job and it requires top notch people.

When I say the Rangers have the same police powers as any other agency, it's no quip. In the past, the Rangers have assisted other law enforcement agencies with arrests, handled the few theft or vandalism complaints of Hatfield-McCoy Property and done search and rescue work as well.

Their primary duties however, are enforcing safety rules and regulations on the trails. Their uniforms are casual, often just BDU pants and a shirt and a Sam Brown belt with Glock .45 pistol and radio on it. More often you will see them using chain saws and brush trimming tools, because the Rangers often end up doing a lot of the routine clearing when a trail is temporarily shut down due to a tree fall or overgrown brush and our world class field maintenance crew is busy someplace else. They ride SUV's which are white with the company logo on them around the trails, while in the woods they ride Razor UTV's.

Except when short handed, Hatfield-McCoy tries to have one ranger per trailhead and currently , Hatfield-McCoy is looking to hire another ranger. Even though the Ranger pay is competitive and the position offers state benefits, law enforcement in Southern WV can be a competitive arena and sometimes a Ranger leaves to work elsewhere in their chosen vocation.

Rangers have good start up pay and state benefits and it is one of the better law enforcement jobs in southern West Virginia. You are outdoors, you meet friendly people and you get to ride the trails and best of all as our Rangers who are experienced in other law enforcement fields will tell you - you don't have to deal with domestic violence situations much!

But Rangers do more than just enforce the rules and help people who get lost. Their responsibilities are multi-faceted, and it is really an elite crew. . When I'm at Bear Wallow on Mondays, I often see Jeremy Collins, the Ranger who works there, and he works closely with the main office, as well as the Field Operations team with Larry Todd Hamrick, Jarrod Stone and others.

When you ask them, the Rangers will tell you their main job and goal is SAFETY. In the early days the Rangers were often working out of the trailhead stations, but these days they often move around on a coordinated map where riding is thickest to do safety inspections. Safety is of the utmost importance to Hatfield-McCoy. We have something good here and we wish to protect that for the benefit of all, which is why the safety program focuses on doing inspections to make sure people are wearing helmets and obeying the rules and regulations. Thankfully, most of our riders are safety conscious, but you do have the occassional type who wants to flout the safety rules.

I have had to caution them around the trail station and often that sort of person will get back in the woods and think it's cool to break rules...then they meet Jeremy or another Ranger and get a ticket. While that sort of experience may annoy that type of person,it is not done to be "a bummer" on their trip. Unfortunately what they often do not understand is that safety rules and regulations Hatfield-McCoy has are for your own good. By focusing on safety and building and maintaining the best trail system in North America, Hatfield-McCoy will continue to lead the way in outdoor motorized recreation. And the Hatfield- McCoy Rangers are a part of that equation.