Wrong Tree: Adventures in Wildlife Biology

by Jeff Wilson, Terry Daulton (Illustrator)

During his 30+ year career in wildlife management, Jeff Wilson found himself atop eagle nests, deep in bear dens, tracking furbearers on snow covered forest roads, and spending nights under the stars banding loons. His adventures (or misadventures) in wildlife biology, are incredibly informative, entertaining, and occasionally hilarious. These stories communicate a deep passion for wildlife and its future in a changing world.

296 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[natalie diller · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can’t wait to graduate and work on the field all the time. i know im a botany person but if i can ever get my hands on some wildlife experiences i will be a happy person

[R.G. Ziemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up at Canoecopia in Madison, WI in 2024 after hearing Jeff WIlson’s presentation to an appreciative audience of outdoorsy types. The author is a great one to entertain with his stories, after a long career as a wildlife biologist in Wisconsin. Working out of the northern counties he has been based in the Turtle Flambeau Flowage, a world of woods, lakes and wetlands that is also home to a healthy population of wild animals and birds. Wilson got an early start with animals on the Iowa farm where he grew up taming foxes and skunks as pets. After hearing a few of his amusing anecdotes, I was not disappointed by reading more of the chronicles of wins and losses that spanned his career.
But arguably the more important thing about the book is the way Wilson explains with great clarity and wit the seemingly mundane acts of wildlife management that filled his many days in the service of nature: Trapping and tagging bears and raccoons and other critters, relocating nuisance animals, saving the injured, and restoring populations on the edge of extinction. Even the routine jobs have their challenges. It is interesting to read of the many innovations and creative approaches biologists employ to deal with their furred and feathered charges. Banding osprey chicks high up in the tallest pines, snatching eggs from loon nests, tranquilizing bears in their dens—those are some of the tasks at hand. Wilson also relates a few stories from more exotic lands—tracking coatimundis from the tops of a Mayan pyramid in Guatemala, studying cormorants in the shadows of the Himalayas in Nepal; netting songbirds in Honduras with armed guards providing security. It’s also worth mentioning how Wilson has in his way documented the changes in nature conservancy, specifically wildlife management, since he started with the Department of Natural Resources in the mid-1970s. The work of nature professionals has scored many successes, of course, but we also inadvertently get a glimpse of how vulnerable programs are to politics and government financing. Recent right-wing attacks on conservation have been significant. But Wilson ends on a positive note. Now retired, he and his wife have taken on more activist roles lobbying for the environment with Green Fire –Voices for Conservation.
The book is nicely illustrated with scratchboard drawings by the talented Terry Daulton, Wilson’s wife and partner on many of the adventures. For those of us familiar with this part of Wisconsin, it was also fun to hear about places I’ve been to, from the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior to the Manitowish Waters. It’s a wild country that Jeff Wilson shares intimately with his readers.

[Kole Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by Uncle Scott. Jeff Wilson grew up where my family grew up, my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles know him.

This was a fantastic book to read while stressed in the winter time. The stories immerse you in the outdoors and the book plays out like hearing a relative recount some of their most interesting experiences. It blends science, storytelling, conservation, and inspiration. The final chapter is the most inspiring, but required the previous chapters to really deliver the necessary impact.

Makes me want to go explore (as I have before) and keep my eyes peeled for wildlife (as I always do).

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read of 2026 down! This book was pretty interesting as it involved the state in which I live. I had a little bit of an issue getting started but it was fascinating once I got into the memoir what these DNR folks really do. I understand some of the whys but I'm still not comfortable with all of it and messing with wildlife if it's not absolutely necessary, but I know that much of what they do is for the greater good. All in all it was an eye-opening, entertaining read.

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for anyone interested in Midwest wildlife. It contains stories from the author's career as a wildlife biologist in northern Wisconsin. There are extended sections about bears, loons, plus stories about skunks and beavers. Some humorous, some outrageous! You'll learn while being entertained.

[Brian Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories. Fun read.