Bad Guys, Bullets, and Boat Chases ─ True Stories of Florida Game Wardens

The dangerous lives of wildlife officers in backcountry Florida

“Engaging, humorous, and touching. As we meet this crazy real-life cast, Lee shows us that the true character of those on the frontlines of the fight against wildlife crime is integrity and a commitment to protect animals and landscapes.”—Laurel A. Neme, author of Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species

“The job of a wildlife officer is never boring. Lee takes you behind the scenes on patrol—using everything from airboats to airplanes—as he and other state wildlife officers track and apprehend poachers in the Sunshine State.”—W. H. “Chip” Gross, coauthor of Poachers Were My Prey: Eighteen Years as an Undercover Wildlife Officer

“Lee’s enlightening and entertaining stories will open your eyes to the duties and responsibilities that these officers perform on any given day.”—Dave Grant, past president, North American Game Warden Museum

“Lee provides remarkable insight into a world and culture unknown to most people, revealing the true diversity and dangers of the Game Warden profession.” —Craig Hunter, director of law enforcement, Texas Parks and Wildlife

“These stories convey the feel of the Florida environment, the tedium of the hiding and waiting, the thrill of the chase and capture, and the exhaustion, exhilaration, or heartbreak of the search and rescue. You won’t be disappointed.”—James “Tom” Mastin, consulting forester and principal, Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc.

Imagine yourself alone in the wilderness holding two lawbreaking suspects at gunpoint. No onlookers, no backup. Just you in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, with suspects who would cheerfully kill you if they thought they could get away with it.

Bob Lee takes readers deep into the days and nights of Florida game wardens, telling stories of officers who do much more than check licenses. Shoot-outs. Survival. Rescue. Powerboat chases. Black-market gator poaching. Jumping through truck windows to stop turkey poachers, shredding boat propellers on underwater logs, trapping airboats in wild hog muck, ferrying crates of baby sea turtles, hunting for lost persons in remote areas, getting stuck under a 500-pound all-terrain vehicle at the bottom of a sinkhole—these are just some of the situations game wardens find themselves in.

From Live Oak to the Everglades, from the cattle ranches west of Lake Okeechobee to the inshore fishing grounds of Pine Island, these adventures span the state. Discover the excitement and danger that game wardens face every day on the job.

Bob H. Lee spent over three decades as a water patrol officer on the St. Johns River and as a land patrol lieutenant in Putnam, St. Johns, and Flagler counties. He is the author of Backcountry Lawman: True Stories from a Florida Game Warden.