HALT! I'M A FEDERAL GAME WARDEN

For nearly 30 years, Willie Parker has patrolled nesting grounds, nabbed poachers, and on occasion resorted to disguise, protecting the wildlife of Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Maryland. He's not arbitrary; everyone in the territory knows his goose is cooked if this federal agent flushes him out. In his own salty idiom, Willie recalls his more colorful catches--surprising early hunters out to get him, hoodwinking a ring of alligator skinners, drinking it up on an undercover operation so the waterfowl black marketeers wouldn't suspect a set-up. Without exception, the violators are trundled off to the local magistrate and, with a boost from recent legislation, treated to some embarrassment and stiffer fines. Pat, his Labrador retriever, often comes along, and other agents--including the first woman--come across as equally committed. An all-seasons license for modest entertainment and a quick flight over the field.