Are you more at home in a deerstand searching for slight movement in the brush than in a recliner watching soap operas? Is your idea of enjoying the water standing waist deep in a cold duck blind instead of sunning on a sandy beach? Then KentuckyGame Warden Diaries is a must read for you. Conservation officers , both past and present, from all around the commonwealth share stories of preserving wildlife, enforcing hunting and finishing regulations, and making the great outdoors safe for those who love its lure and lore as much as the wardens do themselves.
Kentucky Game Warden Diaries is a collection of true recollections of a variety of events that happen when a game warden goes on duty. From chasing a fugitive through the trees at Lake Cumberland to answering often humorous questions from the public, this diary is full of entertaining bits that will leave the reader with a new perspective of this type of law enforcement. This paperback book contains 217 exciting pages of entertainment. One of its charms is that good guys always win.

The book, which is a product of an Auburn-based publishing company, is now on sale online at wildlifepublisher@yahoo.com or through a number of book stores, including The Book Rack in Russellville’s Market Square shopping center and Hunter’s Den between Russellville and Lewisburg on the old Lewisburg Road.

Wildlife Publishing began in 2003 to assist the Kentucky Conservation Officers' Association (KCOA) in its fund-raising efforts. The KCOA took a chance on LeAnn Meguiar’s new publishing company and selected the Auburn firm as the publisher for their magazine, Kentucky Game Warden Diaries. “The experience gained was invaluable and provided Wildlife Publishing an opportunity for expansion to provide our service to other law enforcement groups throughout the southeast United States. We are proud of our affiliation with these great organizations and proud of our reputation as a quality publishing service,” Meguiar says.

Meguiar, owner of Wildlife Publishing, has a background in printing services. Former owner of Meguiar Printing Company, a screen-printing and vinyl graphics business, she now focuses solely on graphic design, publishing and marketing for Wildlife Publishing. "I am very passionate about representing these fine organizations and authors. It's very exciting to talk with a person who has an idea and then be able to hand them something tangible that is their idea on paper."

Jeff Finn of Russellville, a founder of Wildlife Publishing, is retired from the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife. He began his career as an officer and ended it as the first internet investigator with the department. He has been instrumental in assisting states throughout the nation with their internet wildlife crime programs and has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has been active in the Kentucky Conservation Officers’ Association since its inception and serves as editor of the magazine, produced two times per year. He now serves Wildlife Publishing as a consultant.

Finn, in fact, is author of Chapter 4 in the book, which is called “The Curly Maple Stock.” It’s about a repeat-offending, spotlighting poacher who is captured with the help of Logan County Sheriff Wallace Whittaker and then appropriately punished by Judge Sue Carol Browning. Finn talks about Whittaker’s “smiling into the phone” as they got the perpetrator to surrender his prize guns. He praises Browning for “her entire lifetime of service and dedication to the sportsmen and women of Logan County.”

Chapters in the book cover counties the width and depth of the Commonwealth: from the Western part of the state: Ballard, Butler, Crittenden, Edmonson, Grayson, Henderson, Logan, Lyon, Muhlenberg, Trigg, Union, Warren; from Northern Kentucky, Campbell, Carter, Gallatin, Grant, Greenup, Rowan; from Southeastern Kentucky, Clinton, Russell; from Eastern Kentucky, Bell, Lawrence, Lewis, Martin, Pike, Pulaski; from Central Kentucky, Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Madison; and from the Louisville area, Jefferson, Spencer and Washington.
Specific areas mentioned include Arrowhead Lake, Ballard Wildlife Refuge, Barren River, Big Perry Fire Trail Area of Daniel Boone National Forest, Buckhorn State Park, Cave Run Lake, Claylick Boat Ramp, Grayson Lake, Green River, Grider Hill Dock, Holly Fork, Jamestown Marina, Lake Cumberland, Ohio River, Rough River Lake, Salt Lake/Charters, Sloughs Wildlife Management Area, Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management Area, Wilson Creek and Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area.
These officers do much more than check for hunting and fishing licenses. The scope of violations they can assess seems endless. Among charges in the book:
Wildlife violations: Boating Under the Influence, Buying/Selling Protected Wildlife, Discharging Firearm from Roadway, Failure to Check /Tag A Deer, Hunting Deer Without Proper Big Game Permit, Hunting Turkey in a Baited Area, Hunting Big Game Without Permission, Hunting Without a License, Hunting Without Permission, Illegal Hunting of Wildlife at Night, Illegal Mussel Shelling/Taking by Illegal Means, Illegal Mussel Shelling/Taking Without a License, Illegal Taking of Wildlife, Illegal Pursuing of Any Deer, Illegal Taking/Pursuing/Molesting Any Deer, Illegal Turkey Harvest, No Fishing License, Not Hunters Orange, No Permission, No Tags on Snares, No Trapping License, Operating a Vessel under the Influence of Drugs and/or Alcohol, Over the Limit on Bucks, Over the Limit on Frogs, Permitting Someone Other than License Holder to Use License, Possessing an Illegally Taken Deer, Resident Hunting without a License, Skiing After Sunset/Before Sunrise, Shooting from a Vehicle, Spotlighting with Intent to Poach, Taking a Federally Protected Species, Taking Over the Daily Bag Limit of Turkey, Taking a Protected Species during Closed Season, Taking Deer by Illegal Means,
Other violations: Alcohol Intoxication, Attempting to Elude, Criminal Littering, Criminal Trespass, Disorderly Conduct, Driving on a DUI Suspended License, DUI, Failure to Appear, Fleeing/Evading Police, No Insurance, No Vehicle Registration, Obstruction/Interference with an Officer, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Resisting Arrest, Tampering with Evidence, Terroristic Threatening, Trespassing on Railroad Property, Unlawful Taking from the Commonwealth (over $300).
The book retails for $12.99. A portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the Kentucky Conservation Officers’ Association, a non-profit membership organization made up solely of Game Wardens. The Association supports many causes throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation, including children’s conservation.