Current discussion on The Bear Grease podcast is going deep under cover for some of these poaching rings back in the 90's. I found it interesting.
https://www.themeateater.com/listen/bear-grease/ep-78-secret-agent-man-r-t-stewart-part-1On this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast, weâre going deep undercover in the rough country of Southeast Ohio to learn about the secret lives of wildlife poachers AND the life of an undercover wildlife agent by the name of RT Stewart. He worked 18 years for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and in the 1990s, was one of the lead agents on the largest turkey poaching sting in US history. Heâs a decorated law enforcement officer, known for going deep undercover â even years at a time -- and was willing to do whatever it took to bust outlaws. In his career, he never had a single one of his target suspects not be convicted of crimes. If the bad guys had known him, theyâd have feared him, but they didnât, because he was a ghost. Weâll hear from author Chip Gross, who wrote the book âPoachers Were My Preyâ about Mr. Stewart and weâll interview Dr. Mathew Sharps of California State University, author of âProcessing Under Pressure: Stress, Memory, and Decision Making in Law Enforcementâ about the psychology of undercover agents, and the personal cost that comes with living a lie. In this first episode of the series, weâll meet RT and heâll show the life of undercover agent â on part 2 â youâll hear about his biggest undercover job. Youâll laugh, youâll be intrigued, and youâll cry on this one boys. We really doubt youâre going to want to miss this oneâŚ
https://www.themeateater.com/listen/bear-grease/ep-80-secret-agent-man-operation-redbud-part-2On this 2nd episode in our Secret Agent Man series weâre going deep into the trenches of the darkside with undercover Ohio wildlife agent RT Stewart to get the full story on Operation Redbud, which at the time, was the largest turkey poaching sting in US history. RT is going to take us on a tour in the Poach Coach and we'll hear how he videoed over 100 illegal turkey kills in two springs. How would you like to see that on VHS tape? Heâll talk about the incredible owl hooting of his number one target, and take us right into the courtroom where the defense lawyers tried to discredit his character with accusations regarding drugs and alcohol. Weâll hear from Darth Vader, Bill Clinton and get the details of the coordinated bust involving 26 men and over 275 wildlife violations in Morgan County, Ohio. If you skip this story, youâre just plain yeller. I really doubt youâre gunna wanna miss this one.