Ron Walden 
Poacher’s Paradise 

Alaska Wildlife Trooper, Will Trippet, partnered with his old schoolmate, Gordy Ponset, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer to patrol Mystery Creek Road on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to check bear baiting stations. While investigating tracks of an all terrain vehicle they discover a poached moose. The poacher lay dead at the scene, killed by a brown bear. This grisly scene ignites an investigation that took a year to complete. The poacher came from a family making a living taking illegal fish and game. Poacher’s Paradise gives a glimpse into duties and perils of the adventurous, dangerous routine of Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Included in Poacher’s Paradise is a true account of an early Alaska Fish and Wildlife Officer, Al ‘Bear Bait’ Thompson, written by Al’s wife, Joyce Thompson, who was with him during the entire ordeal. It gives details of the attack and mauling as well as the dramatic and heroic 17 mile trek to the nearest road for rescue. Al was one of the early officers who made Alaska Fish and Wildlife Division what it is today. I am pleased to relate that my wife, Betty Walden, worked with Al for many years until retiring.