Thunder River: A Texas Game Warden's Story

By Benny G Richards

These stories and others like them detail the danger Texas Game Wardens face too often while out on patrol. THUNDER RIVER is a true first-hand account of actual events that occurred over a 25 year career. Saddle up and come along for a wild ride with one of Texas' most experienced and well-known game wardens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benny G Richards Jr.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218158279

Benny G Richards

Beny Richards was born and raised in Hunt County, Texas. He spent his youth hunting, fishing, and picking up arrowheads in the fields and rivers in Northeast Texas. These experiences would serve him well as a Texas State Game Warden years later. A graduate of East Texas State University in Commerce Texas, Benny used his education to launch a career in law enforcement. He became a police officer in Richardson, Texas, in October 1993. After a short but successful tour of duty there, he entered the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Austin, Texas on January 1,1996. His first duty assignment after graduation was in Delta County. During his game warden career, Benny was stationed in numerous counties ,mostly in Northeast Texas ,but he served all across Texas on different assignments. Benny received various awards and commendations Throughout his career, including being named the Shikar Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year in 2015. His love of storytelling led Benny to publish a weekly column called Furry Tales in his local newspaper and two other books as well. In addition to being one of Texas's finest game wardens, Benny is probably best known for his role in the popular TV show Lone Star Law that aired on Animal Planet. Benny makes his home now near the small community of Campbell, Texas.

Book preview

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THUNDER RIVER

A Texas Game Warden’s Story

©2023 Benny Richards

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

ISBN: 979-8-218-15826-2 (Paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-218-15827-9 (ePub)

Book design and layout: Lighthouse24

The stories in this book are true, firsthand accounts of events that occurred during my career. The people and places are real. However, in order to protect them and their families from further persecution and embarrassment, the names of suspects and violators have been changed. No words or statements contained within this book are intended to cast doubt on or damage the reputation of any person or persons.

As author of this book, I represent no one other than myself. The thoughts and opinions contained inside are mine alone.

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About the Author

BENNY RICHARDS was born and raised in Hunt County, Texas. He spent his youth hunting, fishing, and picking up arrowheads in the fields and rivers in Northeast Texas. These experiences would serve him well as a Texas State Game Warden years later.

A graduate of East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, Benny used his education to launch a career in law enforcement. He became a police officer in Richardson, Texas, in October, 1993. After a short but successful tour of duty there, he entered the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Austin, Texas, on January 1, 1996.

His first duty assignment after graduation was in Delta County. During his game warden career, Benny was stationed in numerous counties, mostly in Northeast, Texas, but he served all across Texas on different assignments. Benny received various awards and commendations throughout his career, including being named the Shikar Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year in 2015.

His love of storytelling led Benny to publish a weekly column called Furry Tales in his local newspaper and two other books. In addition to his reputation of being one of Texas’ finest game wardens, Benny is probably best known for his role in the popular TV show Lone Star Law that aired on Animal Planet. Benny makes his home now near the small community of Campbell, Texas.

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This book is dedicated to the memory of

the 20 brave Texas Game Wardens who

made the ultimate sacrifice and gave

their lives in service to the citizens

of the great state of Texas.

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A game warden’s job is to protect,

the woods and waters he must not neglect.

All the beasts large and small,

whether walking or crawling he must watch over them all.

The fish in the water and birds in the air,

they are all God’s creatures placed under his care.

The task at hand is to preserve the land,

this will require a gun and a badge,

and a dependable man.

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

About the Author

Dedication

Epigraph

Foreword

Thunder River

It Made a Great Handle

Kung Fu

A Hot Tip

Frat Houses

Hit and Run

Gut Feelings

Yippee-Yi-Yo-Kiyay

Smash

The Most Dangerous Hole

Nap Time

A Long Shot

Are You Just Going to Let Our Prisoner Escape?

He Bit Me

Photos

Reputation is Everything

Just Another Day at the Lake

Jaywalker

Experience Money Can’t Buy

Attitude Adjustment

Tracks Across the Prairie

River of No Return

Just Got Off an Airplane

What Game Warden?

Deer Crossing

They Are All Bad

All About the Benjamins

Retired?

Other Books by Benny Richards

Back Cover

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Foreword

I knew something was up that night. Benny called me and said, Hey, let’s get dressed up nice and go downtown (Dallas) tonight. Of course I said ok. Most of our dates so far had consisted of wading through muddy creeks with walking sticks or cooking over campfires. My second clue that night would be different was the small, hard square box I had felt in the pocket of his sport’s jacket when he slung it across the front seat of his truck and I happened to rest my hand on it. I thought, Yep, this is it! Tonight’s the night.

We went to a nice restaurant in downtown Dallas and had a candlelit dinner and I was sure it would happen. Nope. Next up was a horse drawn carriage ride through the streets of downtown but still he didn’t pop the question. Wrong again. I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined the little box in his jacket and the reason for the night out on the town. Next he said, Hey, look at that glass elevator on the side of that building. Let’s go ride on it. When we got off the elevator and headed to his truck without hearing those words I was disappointed, convinced that I had been imagining things.

We left Dallas and got on the interstate highway headed back home. In the center of the long bridge that crossed over Lake Ray Hubbard he blurted out, Let’s get married!

I accepted his proposal. That was the beginning of an adventure that has never ended. I knew when I said Yes that night that I had just signed on for an adventure that would last a lifetime and boy was I ever right.

Five years later when Benny informed me he was going to going to be a Texas Game Warden, it was a game changer. I never dreamed I would be following him all over the state, from East Texas to West Texas and back home again to Hunt County, where he eventually retired.

For 25 years our lives… holidays, family meals, ball games, church, movie dates, vacations, and sleep were constantly being interrupted and cancelled because of sudden phone calls that required him to respond. Texas Game wardens are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Benny took that obligation seriously. We just had to suck it up and get used to the hectic lifestyle.

One thing I never did get accustomed to was the worry and stress over him getting called out into the night, possibly to a situation that might involve dangerous people with guns, or dangerous weather. Fortunately, with the exception of a few bumps and bruises, he always came home to me in one piece and standing upright. He had some harrowing stories to tell and I suspect that I still have not heard some of the worst of them to this day.

Thunder River contains many of these exciting stories. This book will give readers a good insight into the daily challenges faced by my husband and other Texas Game Wardens as they patrol the woods and waters.

–Kristi Richards

Thunder River

At the urging of family, friends, and Lone Star Law fans I decided to write this book. My two previous books were received very well, so it was not a hard decision to sit down and go to work. Coming up with the content for a third book was also easy. As a Texas Game Warden for twenty-five years, I had enough stories to fill up a library with books. Most game wardens across the country do. The real challenge for me was coming up with a title. I always have thought that the title should give a reader some idea of what is contained inside the book. But whatever word or words were used should also make a potential reader want to pick up the book and have a look inside, out of curiosity. So it took some time—weeks, and then months, actually. Then one day as I was sitting alone in the woods, leaned against an oak, with a rifle lying across my lap, it came to me. I had the title I was looking for all along. I had had it for years. Thunder River.

Now stay with me while I explain what I’m talking about and where those two words come from. My whole life I have loved to hunt. My love for the pursuit of wild game began when I was just a young boy and continues today. I have always been a successful hunter. When I hit the field as a new game warden, all the neighboring wardens caught on to the fact that Benny knew where to go and what to do when he got there. Many of those wardens became close, trusted friends of mine.

One afternoon I was out on patrol when I spotted a flooded field near the Sulphur River. In that same field there were hundreds of green-headed mallards. One phone call later and I had permission to hunt the field the next morning. The next two phone calls were to two of my best friends and fellow game wardens, Rick Lane and Sean Reneau. Both of them wanted in on the duck hunt. That night the wind turned