Outlaws on the Big River

Outlaws on the Big River is a true account of the experiences of the Author as he worked the Columbia River as a Wildlife Enforcement Officer for the Oregon State Police. The danger, tedium and humor encountered while matching wits with determined fish poachers and law breakers makes for some interesting reading and insight into a field of Law Enforcement the public knows little about. Accounts date from early 1970s thru the 90s and even after the Author's retirement in 1994. The Columbia River stretches from the border of Canada to the Pacific Ocean. It becomes the Border of Oregon and Washington upriver from McNary Dam and is jointly managed by both States. It also includes a Tribal Fishery area above Bonneville Dam, a non tribal Commercial Fishery below Bonneville Dam and Sport Fishing along it's entire length. Wildlife Officers on both sides are thinly spread and must have a keen working knwledge of the river and it's myriad of fish runs in order to situate themselves efficiently. This book covers a small portion of one man's experiences. Multiplied by twenty or 30 officers over the same time stretch and the problems become clear.