Giant Dreams and Dragons oleh James R. Womack

Professor Buford Doss, never got the respect or credit he deserved. Such prestige went to what he insisted were inferior peers and even mentally dense graduate assistants. But Professor Doss had a plan to remedy all of that. A big plan. A miraculous plan. And he was anxious to set it in motion, even it meant engaging in a bit of deceit. You may say he had no intention on 'dragon' his feet on the matter. No siree. Not Dr. Buford Doss. So he ends up hoofing it deep into the wilderness. Guided by a drug smuggler hunting forest ranger armed with a rifle that's more like a cannon. He gets to work on his miracle project while being dangerously close to armed drones assisting the ranger in weeding out the weed growers. Then he experiences success by failing. A paradox that seems to reflect his life in general. Now, about those dragons, he discovers he shouldn't have messed with them in the first place.