Sabertooth: The Rip Roaring Adventures of a Legendary Game Warden

by Terry Hodges

This is the story of California Fish and Game Warden Gene Mercer. Known as "Ol' Sabertooth," he became a legend among the tough game wardens of his day. His remarkable career began in 1928 and spanned the market hunting years of the forties and fifties and continued into the early sixties.

274 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Victoria Ferroni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing life Gene Mercer lived! I'm grateful to Terry hodges writing it all down. What an amazing story of California history, and a story of a passionate determined life lived! I will cherish these stories always

[Gregory Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I worked for the California Dept. of Fish and Game for almost a decade. Even in my administrative role, I had the opportunity to go on Warden ride-alongs, go out on a patrol boat in the Delta, go up in airplanes conducting aerial surveys of elk herds and be a part of Incident Command for a high-profile matter. People who work there have a passion for what they do, and are usually unheralded for the valuable service they provide. I'd heard about Warden Terry Hodges writing a book about the occupation and a friend who was a former Warden and Patrol Chief loaned me this book, which profiles Gene Mercer, who patrolled from the 1920s to 60s (as well as a quarter century beyond his retirement as a volunteer!)

The stories are interesting, though a little repetitive; however, I greatly admire Hodges for his tenacity in getting stories from Mercer and for his sense of honor and integrity in honoring a man who clearly found and followed his calling with incredible fervor.