"There is no place like home" is exactly how Deputy Ethan Atkin feels as one of the newest deputies with the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office.

Coming back from Texas after serving in the U.S. Army as a tanker and working in law enforcement in the Lone Star state, he is grateful to be back where he grew up.

“It’s not about the money. It’s the quality of life and feeling good where you live,” he said with a smile. “I really like it here and see this place as home."

As a high school student, shop was his favorite class because of being able to work with his hands and that was the time in his life he was introduced to bird hunting, but it didn’t take.

However, big game hunting in Mineral County is something he is overly excited about.

“What surprised me was the percentage of land here that is public. This will be paradise for me.”

He knows that he is in the right place because fishing is another activity he enjoys, be it with a 5-weight rod or a Dare Devil on an Ugly Stick, he is jacked!

With a calming voice you will immediately see that Deputy Atkin cares. He cares about people and is the epitome of ‘To Serve and Protect.

Spending as many years as he did in Texas, it’s not surprising that his favorite food is Mexican so he’s on the prowl for enchiladas as he becomes more familiar with the area.

“I flew back for a wedding in December and as we gained altitude, the sun was rising, snowcapped mountains and crystal-clear blue skies were out my window. A postcard scene anyone would love.

"I’d worked the overnight shift, so I pulled the shade down for some sleep and when we started to descend into Dallas/Fort Worth, I raised the shade and saw thick brown smog, houses all over and flat as flat can be.”

The Big Sky Country has a way of tugging on your heart strings when you leave. For this native Montanan, they were pulled just enough to return and to be appreciated more than ever.