Poachers Were My Prey: Eighteen Years as an Undercover Wildlife Officer

"You ain't no damn game warden, are ya?" the poacher snarled. I looked him straight in the eye and lied, "Game warden? I ain't no game warden!" The poacher paused, mulling over my answer, and added quietly, "Then why you askin' so many questions?Thus begins the story of R. T. Stewart's career as an undercover wildlife law enforcement officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. For nearly two decades, Stewart infiltrated poaching rings throughout Ohio, the Midwest, and beyond. Poachers Were My Prey chronicles his many exciting undercover adventures, detailing the techniques he used in putting poachers behind bars. It also reveals, for the first time, the secrets employed by undercover wildlife officers in catching the bad guys. In Poachers Were My Prey, listeners look over R. T. Stewart's shoulder as he deals with the temptations offered an undercover officer, including money, sex, and drugs, and watch as he gets the job done and brings the poachers to justice. In his honest storytelling style, Stewart also recounts some of the more humorous episodes of undercover work, as when, early in his career, he was so nervous around a group of poachers that he inadvertently put a lit cigar in his mouth backwards. Poachers Were My Prey will be enjoyed by listeners interested in law enforcement, wildlife, preservation, hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. The book is published by The Kent State University Press. Read more