Wilderness Warden

One of the great things about the Outdoor Sporting Library is the feedback from readers, including frequent suggestions of outdoor books I should write about. Recently a reader mentioned the book “Wilderness Warden”, written by Edward C. Janes in 1955. I quickly found a copy online and in just a few short days, discovered one of the best works of Maine outdoor fiction I’ve ever read.

“Wilderness Warden” is the fictional story of Dan Hubbard, a newly minted Maine game warden in 1950’s era rural Maine. Dan’s father was a highly respected warden in the St. Francis and Allagash area of northern Maine, but died in the course of duty when Dan was ten years old. Stationed in the fictional northern Maine town of Newport, under the supervision of his father’s former colleague Tom Grant, Dan finds himself in the challenge of his life trying to live up to his father’s reputation.

The lumber town of Newport is filled with poachers and a group of folks who don’t want to see Dan succeed. The previous warden only lasted a few months here, and they waste no time threatening Dan’s life. A close encounter with death on the road, a bullet through the hat, and a knock-down, drag-out fist fight are a few of the dangers Dan encounters. He also deals with the elements, surviving a vicious snowstorm in the woods and battling a forest fire.

Dan also meets some great folks in Newport country, and builds friendships with people in the community that help him with his work. He befriends a local sporting camp owner as well as sportsmen on the right side of the law. He also helps start a local boy scout troop and helps build support for wildlife conservation among the youngsters.

Dan patrols the wilderness area in his district throughout the seasons of his first year on duty, and Janes’ description of the area through his writing is superb. The place is a beautiful mecca for hunters and fishermen, and, consequently, a busy place to be a warden. While dealing with his day-to-day warden duties, Dan slowly gathers clues over time that lead him to the outer edges of a moose poaching ring.

The mystery of the poaching ring in Newport builds throughout the book, until a series of events leads to the uncovering of the culprits, and the exciting ending to “Wilderness Warden”.

Edward Janes wrote and edited numerous hunting and fishing books, but to my knowledge, “Wilderness Warden” is the only Dan Hubbard story he wrote. The book reminds me a lot of Louise Dickinson Rich’s “Start of the Trail” and “Trail to the North”. Readers of outdoor fiction will want to pick this one up. It’s relatively easy to find at a reasonable price online.