Best Hunting Books You've Read

[andrewdl007]

I live in New York City now, but once upon a time i lived in areas where i could hunt and I really miss being able to go out and hunt and shoot when ever i felt like it. That being said, when i get into moods like this i like to read hunting books etc. so i can at least live and hunt vicariously through what I'm reading. That being said, what are the best hunting books you've read. The could be fiction, nonfiction, or even guide books. I'll start off, my all time favorite hunting book would have to be "Green Hills of Africa" by Hemingway. While he claims its all true, there are a few shots that he makes that i just don't quite buy. That being said its a fantastic book. The same goes for his short stories "Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." I just got the third book of the Theodore Roosevelt trilogy and I understand it begins with TR's African safari that he took right after his presidency so I think I am going to give that a read shortly. So lets hear it, what books make you feel like you're out in the field?

 

[andrewdl007]

I also want to read "The Man-eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson. I enjoyed watching "The Ghost and the Darkness" so I'd be interested to read what the man himself wrote about his exploits.

 

[Caddisflied]

One that comes to mind is called 'For Big Bucks Only' by Jeff Murray.
It was part of a North American Hunting Club series.
It describes hunting tactics etc. It was probably published two decades ago.

 

[KodiakBeer]

Man-eaters of Kumaon, by Jim Corbett. This guy was the real deal. The professional that the British called in to take care of man eaters across India in the early 20th century.

Between 1907 and 1938, Corbett tracked and shot a documented 19 tigers and 14 leopards — a total of 33 recorded and documented man-eaters. It is estimated that these big cats had killed more than 1,200 men, women and children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_%28hunter%29

 

[Dan Bear]

The Most Dangerous Game.

 

[Art Eatman]

Ernest Thompson Seton's books of a hundred years ago. And Robert Ruark's "The Old Man And The Boy", and the sequel, "The Old Man's Boy Grows Older".

Seton wrote outdoor books, with a lot of "how to" for camping as it was done in the late 1800s.

Ruark's books are collections of his stories in his magazine days, about growing up with his grandfather's influence. One thing I like about them is the subtle suggestion of hunting ethics which is common throughout.

 

[Grumulkin]

Anything by Capstick.

 

[wgp]

Ruark's "Use Enough Gun". Jack O'Connor's "The Art and Science of Hunting Big Game in North America". Capstick. "Meditations on Hunting" (Ortega y Gasset -did I spell that right?).

 

[Rembrandt]

Around our hunting camp these are the favorites...Legendary Whitetails (vol 1 & 2) is a collection of the greatest whitetail deer ever taken, photos and the stories behind them.





This six volume series of coffee table books is by far the most incredible photo collection of trophy rooms ever seen. Amazing books that raises the bar for what most hunters dream of. Hours of viewing enjoyment.

 

[Cob]

on those slow hunting days, It's usually the 1998 edition of Field and Stream, with the weather'd & stuck together pages that somebody left in the shooting house....

 

[jbkebert]

Raurk
The old man and the boy
The old man's boy grows older
something of value

Just about anything by Capstick

except return to the long grass (just could not get into this book)

Leopold

Sand County Almanac

Posewitz

Inherit the Hunt
Rifle in Hand
Beyond Fair Chase

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

"hunting advice from an expert" by Sid E. Slicker

 

[Readyrod]

Any more suggestions? I want to make an Amazon order soon.

 

[Magoo]

The Deer Pasture by Rick Bass was a memorable one. I read all of his stuff, and don't hunt, but that one made me really want to.

 

[oneounceload]

On a humerous note about hunting.......Galen Winter writes columns and books about "The Major"......................since they are mag columns, they are short and very funny

 

[Victoratsea]

best hunting books

My favorite hunting books:
The maneaters of Tsavo, John Henry Patterson
Death in the long grass, Peter Hathaway Capstick
And the very best ever,
Horn of the hunter, Robert Ruark

 

[OldmanFCSA]

Shooter

 

[Liberty1776]

Anything by Ruark, anything by Nash Buckingham. Nash Buckingham was the greatest writer of American field sports there was, but that's just my opinion. Also - William Faulkner wrote some great hunting stories...

 

[mbt2001]

One of my favorite books is titled The Book of the .22: The All-American Caliber

http://www.amazon.com/Book-22-All-A...149X/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1305848323&sr=8-9

Fantastic book with many anecdotes and stories of his days growing up during the depression and his love affair with .22 rifles.

 

[wankerjake]

All of Pat McManus's stuff is pretty funny I think. My childhood is pretty in line with his, so I think it's pretty good stuff. Should be a few cheap add-ons, worth a read i think.

 

[JerryM]

I agree that Man-eaters of Kumaon, by Jim Corbett is the best.
John Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges and Pondoro are great. I think Horned Death by J. F. Burger is worthy of mention also.

I am not sure of the cost and availability of all except the book by Corbett. His other books are also great, especially The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag.

It is difficult to imagine that a leopard or tiger could kill hundreds of people.

After much reading for well over half a century I conclude that Jim Corbett was the single greatest hunter who ever lived. Can you imagine hunting a man-eater at night on the ground?

Pat McManus has written some great humor also.

Best,
Jerry

 

[Sunray]

"...Anything by Capstick..." Absolutely. Death in the Long Grass, Return to the Long Grass, et al. The guy could spin a yarn. Likely in your local public library.
Your public library is usually a good source for hunting vicariously. Points for the use of a 5 syllable word too. snicker.
Jack O'Connor's, 'The Hunting Rifle' is a good read too. Not strictly hunting stories though. More about how assorted cartridges actually perform.

 

[The Red Hot Rider]

You beat me to it...the guys who said "Captstick".

 

[natman]

Raurk
The old man and the boy
The old man's boy grows older

Big +1. The way it ought to be done.

 

[Paradiddle]

My favorite hunting books:
The maneaters of Tsavo, John Henry Patterson
Death in the long grass, Peter Hathaway Capstick
And the very best ever,
Horn of the hunter, Robert Ruark

Darn near my list. I would throw in Rooselvelts books on hunting and Russell Anabels adventure series about Alaska (those are really great).

I think Ruark's Horn of the Hunter is probably my favorite and the best written. Capstick is very very good though....