Lexington Police Officer John Borkovich displays his new book, Fish and Game 911: Game Warden Stories, at Moore Public Library, Lexington, where the book is also available for checkout. Photo By Casey Johnson
Lexington Police Officer John Borkovich has gathered countless stories from his nearly 30 years as a Michigan Conservation Officer, and has included many of his most interesting cases in his new book Fish and Game 911: Game Warden Stories.
This is Borkovich’s third book in the 911 series, and in it he invites readers to “ride along with me on patrol to try to search for clues, evidence and information that helps solve the poaching case.”
The first case is one of a mysterious old truck that keeps showing up in the same place – a promising deer hunting spot – always with a “flat tire.”
Some of his chapters include titles like: The Day I Jumped off a Bridge, Hidden Gun, Got Skunked, Pogo Stick Deer, Chasing a Thief in a Cattail Marsh, and Tried to Take my Gun to Shoot Me.
For this book, Borkovich chose Fish and Game because “everyone around here hunts and fishes,” he said.
And, he stresses, the only cases he wrote about in Fish and Game 911 are those of true poachers – people who knew exactly what they were doing, and that it was wrong.
“Every single case was intentional, and they knew what they were doing was wrong,” Borkovich said.
Some people don’t have a good understanding of conservation laws, Borkovich said, and in those cases he put education before punishment.
That’s one of the reasons he writes about nature, and his work protecting it.
“I want to educate people on why we have laws, especially our young people,” he said.
When not doing police work, Borkovich travels throughout Michigan and surrounding states to speak at schools, libraries, and in many Amish communities.
Borkovich published his first book, Wildlife 911: On Patrol, in 2017. That work is a compilation of adventures he lived during his career as a conservation officer, and includes stories of deer poachers, fish thieves, encounters with strange religious cults, outlaws, felons, and more.
Nature 911: The Path is Borkovich’s second book, published in 2023. The story, inspired by true stories from Borkovich’s own life, follows a character called Johnny Johnson, as Johnson discovers his own calling from the great outdoors. It is the “why” behind Borkovich’s decision to become a conservation officer.
What he wants people to take away from his books is that “we’ve been given this beautiful, wonderful world and we need to nurture it. We need to care for it, treat it properly, and learn how to protect it.”
Borkovich said he plans to continue speaking publicly about his books, his life as a conservation officer, and teaching others how to be responsible stewards of the land.
“It is only our conscience, moral code, upbringing, and our understanding of right versus wrong behavior (and maybe a little fear of the game warden) that keeps us from ruining or abusing our wildlife and environment,” Borkovich writes in the introduction to Fish and Game 911. “We must decide not to pollute our water. We must decide not to overharvest our wildlife and not harm certain species at certain times. We must decide not to ruin the very outdoors which we love so much.”
Borkovich resides in the Fort Gratiot area, and said he has no plans to stop writing, and no shortage of stories. His next book, he said, is already in the works.
To purchase one of his books, or request a speaking engagement, visit the author’s website at wildlife911officer.com.
