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Ring-necked pheasants were plentiful in and around the rice fields of Butte County during the 1950s.

January 7, 2017

The Road Hunter

Ring-necked pheasants were plentiful in and around the rice fields of Butte County during the 1950s. Photo by author.

“That’s strange,” said Berg, pulling to a stop and reaching for his binoculars. “What’s that fancy new car doing out here in the middle of all these rice fields?” It was mid-morning in early August 1954, and the enthusiastic young rookie warden was patrolling for pheasant poachers near the Northern California farming community of Biggs.

Author Steven T. Callan and friends at Callan's Chico Barnes and Noble Book Signing for The Game Warden's Son

December 24, 2016

in Appearances, Presentations, and Book Signings

by Steve

Scenes from a Book Signing: Chico Barnes and Noble

Kathy and I had a great time last Saturday at our Chico Barnes and Noble book signing. Longtime friends from Orland, Chico, and Fish and Game came by for a visit, and we made a passel of new friends. Thanks so much to everyone who dropped by. Thank you, also, to the staff at the Chico Barnes and Noble store for hosting our event.

Our next stops on the book tour are the Redding Writers Forum on January 14 and the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Sacramento on January 21.

Warden Wally Callan in the ghost town of Newville, California, circa 1962. Photo by Steven T. Callan.

December 2, 2016

in Book Excerpts and News

by Steve

Game Wardens and Ghost Towns

Warden Wally Callan in the ghost town of Newville, circa 1962. Photo by author.

Out of beer and three sheets to the wind, the three deer poachers turned west on Newville Road and headed northeast toward Paskenta. Rounding the first bend, they passed the ghost town of Newville. Newville had thrived from the early 1850s until 1929, when all but a few buildings burned to the ground. During its heyday, the little pioneer town boasted a general store, two livery stables, two saloons, a blacksmith shop, two hotels, a post office, a race track, and a service station. Now only the ramshackle, two-story Newville Hotel and the falling-down service station remained.

Pintails mingle with white-fronted geese at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Steven T. Callan.

November 6, 2016

in Fish and Wildlife

by Steve

The Most Beautiful Duck in North America

Pintails mingle with white-fronted geese at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. All photos by author.

Ask any waterfowl enthusiast to name the most beautiful duck in North America, and he or she will most likely point to the brilliant, multicolored, drake wood duck (Aix sponsa). Others might claim that the iridescent green head of a drake mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is hard to beat. For me, the graceful pose of a drake pintail (Anas acuta), with its long, slender neck and chocolate-brown head, places this species at the top of the list.

Our front yard in early spring, showing just a few of the 200 blue oaks on the island. Photo by Steven T. Callan.

September 24, 2016

in Personal Stuff

by Steve

An Island of Our Own

Our front yard in early spring, showing just a few of the 200 blue oaks on the island. Photo by author.

Over 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 property. Realizing that buying an island wasn’t a realistic option, we decided to do the next best thing and create one on our three-acre patch of oak woodland in the foothills of Northern California.

Scenes from a Book Signing: Lassen Volcanic National Park (Author Steven T. Callan)

September 20, 2016

in Appearances, Presentations, and Book Signings

by Steve

Scenes from a Book Signing: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Last Saturday, Kathy and I had the pleasure of doing a book signing at Lassen Volcanic National Park‘s Art and Wine Festival. We had a ball signing books and meeting a lot of wonderful people. Thank you to all who came.

Thank you, also, to Melanie Allen and the Lassen Association for inviting us. As passionate supporters of our national parks, Kathy and I are honored to have The Game Warden’s Son in the bookstores of the Lassen Park visitor centers.

Orland Free Library Welcomes Award-Winning Orland Author Steven T. Callan

September 4, 2016

in Personal Stuff

by Steve

Going Home

I’ve often said that the reason I enjoyed the old Andy Griffith Show so much was because I practically grew up there. Growing up in Orland was as close to living in Mayberry as you could get without being a member of the cast.

My family moved from the Los Angeles area to Orland, a small farming community at the northern end of California’s Sacramento Valley, in 1960. By the end of our first day in school, my brother Kenny and I felt as if we’d lived there all our lives. The following Saturday, we joined several of our new friends and walked the railroad tracks to Stony Creek, where I caught my first smallmouth bass and began a childhood adventure that would last until I left for college years later.

Blog

The Road Hunter

Scenes from a Book Signing: Chico Barnes and Noble

Game Wardens and Ghost Towns

The Most Beautiful Duck in North America

An Island of Our Own

Scenes from a Book Signing: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Going Home

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