Hi, Everyone, Kathy and I hope you and your families are safe and well....
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Veteran Northern California game warden Norman Bettis and his wife, Martha, lived an idyllic life in the small Sacramento Valley farm town of Gridley. On the morning of December 13, 1956, Norman kissed Martha on the forehead and drove off to work. He had no way of knowing he was destined to stumble into a rat’s nest of commercial duck poachers and disappear–patrol car and all.
Retired game warden Steven T. Callan’s love of nature and passion for protecting wildlife took root long before he experienced the adventures described in his memoir, Badges, Bears, and Eagles. In The Game Warden’s Son, he recounts more of his own investigations, along with those of his game warden father and their colleagues. Intertwined with a half century of adventures and investigations is a story of the lifelong relationship between a boy and his father.
During his career as a wildlife protection officer, Steve Callan conducted some of the most fascinating, complex, and highly successful wildlife investigations in California history. He also collected a wealth of true stories—action-packed, suspenseful, and often humorous.
"A witty and enlightening memoir, The Game Warden’s Son brims over with tales of stake-outs using disguises and subterfuge to trap transgressors. . . . The book’s slang or jargon related to wildlife is a fun bonus and makes the timely account of environmental protection even more enjoyable."
- Manhattan Book Review (5 star review)
“Filled with true-life stories, they are all written in an exciting manner that puts you in the middle of the action. And action there is! Fascinating book, and a must-read.”
- Bill Karr, Editor, Western Outdoor News
“An exciting series of easy-to-read and gripping detective stories . . . It was extremely hard to put down. Callan is a fine storyteller. Each chapter stands on its own and is a fun read.”
- Frank Galusha, founder and former editor and publisher of MyOutdoorBuddy.com
“Engrossing . . . The vignettes are jaw-dropping, funny, tragic, enraging, exciting, and hopeful—sometimes all at once.”
- Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling ride into the heart of bad guy country. Which is pretty much anywhere in the state, any place that people can abuse wildlife and habitats for a profit . . .”
- Dan Barnett, Chico Enterprise-Record
“Most people do not think of a game warden as a detective. In Badges, Bears, and Eagles, Steve Callan—Californian, detective, environmentalist, wildlife protection officer, and outdoorsman—takes the reader on a thrilling adventure, providing an inside look at what a dedicated game warden truly does.”
- Randal Hendricks, sports agent, attorney, and award-winning author of Inside the Strike Zone
“Callan is John Grisham for the Outdoorsman. Conservationists will applaud his sometimes ‘unique’ efforts to protect our natural resources from those who would abuse them. Whoever knew there was so much intrigue in Fish and Game cases?”
- McGregor Scott, former Shasta County District Attorney and former United States Attorney-Sacramento
“Callan’s chronicle of the life of a California Fish and Game warden stands out because in addition to the typical illegal hunting and fishing cases, he provides the reader with real life examples of wardens protecting wildlife habitat and conducting exhaustive undercover operations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.”
- Donald Koch, retired Director of the California Department of Fish and Game
Hi, Everyone, Kathy and I hope you and your families are safe and well....
Continue readingKathy and I have always been fond of California’s Central Coast. We try to make the trip down Highway 1, from Monterey to Morro Bay, at least once every year. Weather permitting, we do it during late winter, when most of the tourists are away......
Continue readingOver the years, Kathy and I have often dreamed of escaping today’s fast-paced, hectic world and moving to an island of our own—an island of trees, flowers, and abundant wildlife, where we could experience the joys of nature without leaving the confines of our own......
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