Today we talk with Steve Callan of Redding, a former warden for the California Department of Fish and Game. His book, “Badges, Bears and Eagles,” was recently published.
Q: Steve, congratulations on “Badges, Bears and Eagles,” the book that chronicled your time as a warden, much of which was spent in the Redding area. I read about all kinds of illegal activities, such as hunting out of season, or bear poaching, and even reptile collecting in Southern California. What are the most common violations that occur here in Shasta County?
A: During my tenure in Shasta County, fishing violations were always the most common. That’s because we are fortunate to have so many lakes and streams close by: Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir, is just a few miles north of Redding and the Sacramento River flows right through town. Violations on the Sacramento River and its local tributaries—Battle Creek, Clear Creek, South Cow Creek, Salt Creek, and Middle Creek—–usually involved the unlawful take of spawning salmon, steelhead and Sacramento River rainbow trout.
The most common hunting violations were carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun in the vehicle, taking deer during closed season, and failure to properly tag deer.
I asked two Fish and Wildlife wardens currently working in Shasta County how they would answer your question.
“Up until a couple years ago,” said one warden, “fishing without a license was the most common violation. Now it’s pollution and unlawful stream alterations.”
Wardens attribute much of this illegal activity to a skyrocketing increase in the number of marijuana grows. “In addition to damming up and destroying our streams,” said the second warden, “these guys are poisoning deer, bear and small mammals on purpose with a chemical called Furadan.”
Another huge problem is mining, according to the two wildlife officers. Countless mining enthusiasts can be found daily, in and around Shasta County’s streams, with picks, shovels and gas-operated water pumps. Local tributary streams contain valuable salmon, steelhead and river-trout spawning beds, which are being smothered in silt as a result of this activity.
As I describe in my book, the really serious violations require extensive investigations and a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of Fish and Wildlife officers. Most of those violations involve the unlawful take of fish and wildlife for commercial purposes. The killing of bears for their valuable gall bladders is a prime example. We worked undercover for three years before finally putting a significant dent in this illegal activity. With money to be made, it will undoubtedly continue, in spite of recent changes in state law (SB1221).
Q: I confess that when I previously envisioned a DFG warden, I imagined someone spending most days writing tickets for people who lacked fishing licenses. But your book pointed out the potential danger involved in your work. Was there a time when you felt your life was most in danger?
A: Most Fish and Wildlife officers have experienced incidents when they have been in danger. California Fish and Wildlife wardens were very much involved in the recent Christopher Dorner shootout in Southern California. Wardens often work alone and are frequently called out at night to investigate reports of violations. The majority of people contacted, especially at night, are armed; many times they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
I can remember investigating a deer poaching violation at a Jones Valley campground. The man we were looking for was hiding on a hill above the campground, with a 30.06 rifle trained on my partner and me. The poacher told us later that he had come within an eyelash of pulling the trigger. The west end of Placer Road, near Clear Creek, would be the site of a similar encounter two years later.
Another hair-raising incident sticks out in my mind:
Warden Dave Szody and I were working spotlighters up on Black Butte Mountain. It was about 2 a.m., when we saw a suspicious looking hatchback slowly working its way up Wildcat Road. They appeared to be directing their headlights into the adjacent fields, so we pulled in behind them with our headlights off.
Convinced that these guys were up to no good, we turned on our red spotlight and lit them up like a Christmas tree. The suspects failed to pull over and continued down the road. We turned on our siren and they still didn’t stop. Suddenly, the car slammed on its brakes in the middle of the road. Two Charles Manson look-alikes stepped from the car— one from the driver’s side, the other from the passenger side. As they turned and looked straight at us,
I remember Warden Szody saying, “They’re gonna shoot at us!” Dave hit the brakes, shoved the patrol truck into reverse and we backed up in record time. Instead of shooting, the two men turned and ran, leaving their car in the middle of the county road. They were apparently so desperate to avoid arrest; they crashed their way down the canyon, through dense poison oak, crying out in pain as they ran. Their car reeked of chemicals and was loaded down with glassware and meth lab paraphernalia—these two convicted felons had been secretly relocating a meth lab! They were arrested the following day, their clothes ripped to shreds and their skin torn to pieces.
Q: Sounds like an adrenilin rush, for sure. But luckily those things didn’t happen every day, right? Were there unglamorous parts of your job?
A: There were lots of those. I often received calls regarding deer that had been hit by cars. Suffering animals would be at the side of the highway with their bodies crushed or their legs broken. I did not enjoy dealing with that.
I remember a man who called the office complaining about a squirrel dropping pine cones on his car. He wanted us to do something about it. I suggested that the gentleman move his car.
We often received calls in the middle of the night: “A bear just knocked over my garbage can. What are you going to do about it?”
Another caller reported that one of his renters had moved out and left his pet ferret behind: “I heard it running around in the attic, so I set a cage trap and I think I caught it,” said the caller. “Could you guys climb up there and get it?” A fellow officer climbed into the attic and retrieved the trap. When he handed it down to me, I noticed the live animal inside wasn’t a ferret at all–it was a spotted skunk!
Q: Yikes! Skunks aside, what do you miss about your job?
A: I really enjoyed investigations; the entire process of examining a crime scene, gathering evidence, writing search warrants, contacting those responsible and writing arrest reports. I also miss patrolling; being able to go anywhere I wanted—on land or on the water—in search of those who would harm our natural resources. Every day in the field was an adventure.
Q: I can imagine. It occurs to me that much of your time was spent following up on issues surrounding hunting violations. I’m curious, do you hunt?
A: I loved to hunt ducks and pheasants when I was a kid, growing up in Orland. I think I bought my last hunting license when I was about 35.
Q: Did being a game warden impact your perceptions about hunting?
A: Over the years, I witnessed some serious wildlife-related crimes and had the satisfaction of arresting some pretty despicable characters. I did not, however, place poachers and outlaws in the same category as legal sportsmen. Many times it was the legal hunters who turned the outlaws in. Legal hunters contribute millions of dollars every year toward wildlife programs and the purchase of wildlife habitat. They do it through the licenses they buy and excise taxes on hunting equipment.
Q: What advice would you give for someone considering being a Fish and Game warden?
A: Don’t go that route unless you are thoroughly interested in wildlife and totally dedicated to protecting our natural resources. Being a game warden is a calling, not a job where you put in your time and go home. When the phone rings in the middle of the night, you have to be willing to climb out of that warm bed and respond—most of the time with no backup. The ability to write a professional report is absolutely essential.
Q: Well, thank you Steve, for talking to me. I’ll list locations where readers can find your book. But also, you’ll be available for some book-signings: April 26, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Costco (Redding); April 27 The Whole Earth and Watershed Festival (Redding City Hall); June 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Costco (Chico).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk about my book. I believe that anyone interested in adventure, wildlife, hunting, fishing, crime investigations or the outdoors will enjoy “Badges, Bears, and Eagles.” It’s all about 30 years of chasing wildlife outlaws from one end of this beautiful state to the other—conducting some of the most successful wildlife-related criminal investigations in California history.
Steve Callan’s book, “Badges, Bears and Eagles,” can be purchased at the following locations: Barnes & Noble in Redding;the Shasta Historical Society, 1449 Market Street, Redding; and the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Visitor Center.
Or, the book may be purchased online at the following sites:
Amazon.com – Available in paperback and EBook (Kindle)
Barnes and Noble.com – Available in paperback and EBook (Nook)
Walmart.com – Available in paperback
Smashwords.com – Available in EBook formats.
Independent online journalist Doni Chamberlain founded what’s now known as anewscafe.com in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke of the Czech Republic. Prior to 2007 Chamberlain was an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She lives in Redding, CA.
