The stories in this anthology demonstrate why the pheasant has become America's favorite game bird. Some of the finest writers in the field take their best shots at the Ringneck, covering guns, dogs, lore, history, conservation, and even some tried and true methods for preparing your pheasant for consumption.

The classic grouse hunting book of all time, this masterpiece created more interest in the sport than all of the other books on grouse combined. A noted authority on game birds of all kinds, Spiller delivers practical, hands-on advice on hunting grouse, the choice of bird dogs, favorite hunting locales throughout the New England states and much more. The book includes nine handsome illustrations by noted wildlife artist Lynn Bogue Hunt, author of Derrydale's An Artist's Game Bag .

After Minnesota lawyer Ted Nelson Lundrigan wowed the sporting community with his now classic Hunting the Sun, wingshooting readers eagerly awaited his second book, Grouse and Lesser Gods. Part hunting credo, part philosophy of life, this book will let you traipse with Ted into his coverts with his beloved dogs in pursuit of the always elusive roughed grouse. Along the way, he shares his experiences hunting, his love of his dogs, and more personal insights into raising children and his appreciation of the natural world--proving that bird hunters are often quite thoughtful and introspective.

For an angler, it's tough to beat the fresh-caught flavor and satisfaction of a delicious fish dinner savored after a successful day on the water. But to get the most from your catch, it must be handled, cleaned, and prepared properly from the moment of capture. In this long-awaited guide, outdoorsman Monte Burch, with the help of step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations, explains how to handle all types of gamefish caught in both fresh and salt water, including trout, salmon, bass, walleye, perch, catfish, northern pike, bluefish, redfish, striped bass, and many others. This handbook covers the skills needed for gutting, scaling, skinning, steaking, and filleting all popular gamefish, as well as the knives, tools, and other equipment needed, and illustrates basic cooking methods. Burch also describes the best techniques for preserving fish, including freezing, drying, pickling, canning, and smoking. Then he shares many of his favorite recipes for frying, baking, poaching, and broiling your fish. Cleaning and Preparing Gamefish is a book all anglers will want to keep close at hand and refer to often. Its usefulness will last a lifetime.

The ultimate book for fly fishing enthusiasts, featuring stunning photography of flies and the fishermen who use them. Features a foreword by President Jimmy Carter! For the millions of fly fishers who are passionate about their sport, this gorgeous book is both a visual feast and the perfect reference. The Art of the Fishing Fly includes a history of fly fishing focusing on the evolution of fishing flies; a guide to essential equipment; a how-to section on tying three key flies by three top fly tyers; and essays by noted experts. The book's core includes 75 profiles of flies--the soul of the sport--with absolutely stunning color photographs of each fly and fascinating stories behind the flies, inspirational photographs of fly fishers in action, and profiles of the top 19 fly fishing locations around the world.

The pro-hunting/anti-hunting controversy is a national issue that reaches from California to New York to Florida. Hunters defend their activity while anti-hunters vehemently condemn it. This book presents arguments from both groups and will help to broaden the perspective of each side. This book will be useful to students and scholars of environmental ethics. Contents: The Case for Hunting; The Case Against Hunting; Leopold's Ethics of Hunting; Political and Religious Factors of Hunting; Responsibility, Challenge and the Future.

August 1781 saw the publication of a manual on fox hunting that would become a classic of its genre. Hugely popular in its own day, Peter Beckford's Thoughts on Hunting is often cited as marking the birth of modern hunting and continues to be quoted from affectionately today by the hunting fraternity. Less stressed is the fact that its subject was immediately controversial, and that a hostile review which appeared on the heels of the manual's publication raised two criticisms of fox hunting that would be repeated over the next two centuries: fox hunting was a cruel sport and a feudal, anachronistic one at that. This study explores the attacks made on fox hunting from 1781 to the legal ban achieved in 2004, as well as assessing the reasons for its continued appeal and post-ban survival. Chapters cover debates in the areas of: class and hunting; concerns over cruelty and animal welfare; party politics; the hunt in literature; and nostalgia. By adopting a thematic approach, the author is able to draw out the wider social and cultural implications of the debates, and to explore what they tell us about national identity, social mores and social relations in modern Britain.

The Kenai is a world-class salmon river that attracts fishermen from all over the world, but is also the "everyman" river of the great fishing paradise of Alaska because of its accessibility. The Kenai River is special not only because world-record salmon are caught in its stunning green waters, but because it is on the road system and thus can be accessed by the average fisherman, not merely the well-to-do who pay huge sums to fish in remote Alaskan areas controlled by private lodges and that are approachable only by small planes.
In a state that takes at least a share of its identity from its image as The Last Frontier and concurrently as a fishing haven, the Kenai River is the lifeblood of a sporting world and industry that offers an incomparable fishing experience to the resident, the tourist, the hardcore fisherman, the beginner, and the expert. Fishermen in the Lower 48 states, seduced by images of gigantic fighting salmon, dream of some day fishing the picturesque waters of the Kenai River. Fishermen who live in Southcentral Alaska, including Alaska's largest city of Anchorage, plot their fishing seasons around the arrival of king salmon, red salmon, and silver salmon. To all of them, the Kenai is a magical river.
Not only is it the place of dreams, where an angler might catch a world record or world-class fish, it is, despite its nearness to the small cities of Kenai and Soldotna, still a wilderness. At one bend in the river there might be a hotel, a private summer home, or a forest since the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge also swallows the Kenai River.
The eighty-file-mile-long Kenai River is, more or less, two rivers. The upper river prohibits motorized boats altogether. The lower river features them. The upper river invites rafters and fly-fishermen. The lower river offers savvy guides who know each turn of the river, each rock's placement, and the opportunity to fish for 70-, 80-, or 90-pound salmon through specially developed styles appropriate to the area and the species. The upper river allows for Dolly Varden and rainbow trout fishing. The lower river emphasizes big salmon.
Each summer thousands of anglers fish the Kenai River. They bring millions of dollars worth of business to the Kenai Peninsula while following their dreams and bringing home stories of wilderness fishing adventures.

Joel Barber spent 20 years studying and collecting wild fowl decoys from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Mr. Barber's authoratative volume is the only text written for the true collector and contains all there is to be known on the subject: how to recognize the locality from which a decoy comes, the world of famous decoy makers, the scarcity of certain types of decoys and more.

Travel from Scottish streams to shark infested seas and from the frozen tundra to tropical reefs. There's every style of fishing, from the magic touch of the fly to blood-and-thunder battles with monsters of the deep. Shiver at ghostly tales from the river bank and marvel at incredible exploits with rod and line. There are stories of ones that got away as well as catches that set records. Discover a treasure trove of stories, invested with a drama and poetry that makes this essential reading for all fishermen, everywhere.

Whether you're a professional gunsmith or an enthusiastic amateur, you'll find everything you need to know to keep your AR perking in Gunsmithing the AR-15. Written by master gunsmith and best-selling firearms author Patrick Sweeney, Gunsmithing the AR-15 is your one-stop guide to repairing, maintaining and modifying America's favorite rifle. It's all here! * Hundreds of detailed photos * Maintenance * Repair * Accessories and modifications * Tips, tools and techniques * And more! Whether you're interested in simple tasks, such as disassembling and maintaining your AR rifle, or if you're ready to tackle more complex projects, such as rebarreling or converting your AR to a piston design, Gunsmithing the AR-15 tells you everything you need to know. Protect your investment and avoid costly mistakes, with Gunsmithing the AR-15!

This Report focuses on the New Guy. The person that needs more information. Before jumping into the sport of 3 Gun. The information in this report will give you the detailed information needed to get into the sport in an informed manor. The equipment selection criteria given in this report will save you the cost of this report many fold, you will not have to suffer the pitfalls of buying the wrong equipment many times over. Many people want to participate in 3 Gun/ Multi Gun Competition but before they attend a Match they have questions, they are that person that says I want to stop by a match and give it a look before I attend a 3 Gun match as a shooter. This report answers all of those questions. For those who want to have their own 3 Gun/ Multi Gun Competition, this Report lays out step by step details on how to Start and run your own Match. This report covers everything a New 3 Gun Competitor needs to know to get in the game. Answering the Why and how of Selecting Equipment and preparing it/ setting it up. For 3 Gun/ Multi Gun Competition.

In medieval Europe, falconry was perhaps the most popular form of hunting among the aristocracy. Owning a falcon, and the necessary falconer to go with it, was a status symbol throughout the middle ages. This book is the first broad history of English royal falconry in medieval times, a book that draws on forty years of research to provide a full description of the actual practice and conditions of the sport and of the role of falconers in the English royal household.

Robin S. Oggins begins with a description of the birds of prey, their training, and the sport of falconry. He provides a short history of early falconry in western Europe and England, then explores in unprecedented detail royal falconry from the reign of William I to the death of Edward I in 1307. The author concludes with an overview of the place and importance of falconry in medieval life.

This classic, practical book on bird dog training is now updated and expanded with material on the latest field-training equipment and live-game training techniques with released quail and recall pens. A useful chapter on the services and guidance offered by organizations for owners, amateur trainers, and those who wish to participate in field trials and other bird dog competitions is also included.
The Complete Guide to Bird Dog Training covers all pointing and flushing breeds, and also offers sensible approaches to buying a dog, bringing up a pup, yard and field training, and equipment. In addition, the helpful appendices list recommended books and periodicals, other literature, breed registries, organizations, and suppliers of equipment and accessories to help bird dog owners with all of their training needs.
Complete with dozens of instructional photographs throughout, The Complete Guide to Bird Dog Training is a gem of a book that any serious new or veteran owner or trainer of bird dogs should get their hands on.

With wry humor and rare insight, The Habit of Rivers tells the story of Leeson's passion for rivers, trout, and fly fishing, and his experiences as a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest - "the land of unceasing seasons." Leeson looks beneath the surface of fly fishing to explore questions that engage most fishermen: What is the strange gravity of a trout stream? Why are we so irresistibly drawn to rivers? Why does fly fishing seem such an aptly suited response? Above all, The Habit of Rivers is a book about ways of seeing the wonderfully textured world that emanates from a river. In pursuing these paths, Leeson finds everything from salmon, steelhead, and trout, to drift boats, art, insects, gravity, death, philosophy, books, fly tying, and microbreweries - and links them together with an intelligence that is provocative, witty, and illuminating. The Habit of Rivers begins with a deep respect for trout and trout streams, and ends in wisdom earned by hard and faithful attention to the natural world.

• New and specific presentation techniques beyond traditional dead drifting
• Long-line nymphing, no-line nymphing, downstream strategies, micronymphing, nymphing lakes, and designing your own imitations
• Instruction on hauling with weighted rigs, hammering, jabbing, tilting the rod plane, roll casting, elliptical casts, curve casts, downstream loading

No other form of fly fishing has broader application on so many types of water for both active and inactive trout. So argues Osthoff, who challenges the long-held notion that nymphing involves little more than dead drifting with the current. Osthoff advocates an active strategy of moving the nymph, applying effective casting and creative presentation techniques that will attract the most elusive trout. With comprehensive advice on rigging and prospecting, practice tips for a wide variety of casts, and strategies for precise control to bring your nymph to life, this is your guide to becoming a truly versatile angler.

Richard Jefferies is famous for his tales of country life. The Gamekeeper At Home is probably his best known work, truly reflecting those by-gone days when the Gamekeeper was a vital part of rural activities. He discusses the man himself and how he fits into the community and examines his relations with his family. His area of activity is covered - the fields, the woods, the meadows and the ponds and streams. The world around him needs protection from the predators that kill the game and disturb the balance of nature. There is contact with his dogs and other animals such as rabbits and deer as well as the traditional enemies such as the fox. All parts are brought together so the reader can sense the activity of the countryside and the efforts to keep its integral parts operating in harmony. This understanding is enhanced by the masterly drawings by Charles Whymper. List of Chapters: I. THE MAN HIMSELF - HIS HOUSE, AND TOOLS II. HIS FAMILY AND CASTE III. IN THE FIELDS IV. HIS DOMINIONS: - THE WOODS - MEADOWS - AND WATER V. SOME OF HIS SUBJECTS: DOGS, RABBITS, MICE AND SUCH SMALL DEER VI. HIS ENEMIES BIRDS AND BEAASTS OF PREY - TRESPASSERS VII. PROFESSIONAL POACHERS - THE ART OF WIRING GAME VIII. THE FIELD DETECTIVE - FISH POACHING IX. GUERILLA WARFARE - GUN ACCIDENTS - BLACK SHEEP

Expert angler Gene Kugach offers hundreds of tips and techniques for catching all types of freshwater fish based on his years of onstream experience. Filled with easy-to-understand illustrations, and geared for both the novice and the more experienced angler, "Freshwater Fishing Tips and Techniques" covers every aspect of freshwater fishing. 300 drawings.

How to Take Monster Bucks will reveal the secret strategies of men who consistently bag older age-class deer each season. There is a price to pay to be the best at any sport, and trophy deer hunting is no different. But this book will save you thousands of hunting hours in your pursuit of monster bucks. Special Features *Cackle to monster bucks *Double-call trophy deer *Find big bucks in cattle country *Take the smartest bucks on the land you hunt *Hunt late-season trophies *Find wall-hanging bucks on your kitchen table For more than three decades, John E. Phillips has hunted white-tailed deer across the nation. He has gathered information for his newspaper columns and magazine articles on the out-of-doors for the past 20 years. The award-winning author of 18 books, Phillips has made his living learning the secrets of how expert hunters take white-tailed deer.

From small creeks to the expansive Jackson River, Beau Beasley shows you where to fly fish in Virginia. Detailed maps, photographs, and Beasley's wisdom guide you through the many waters in the Old Dominion. Use this book to plan your next trip and then take it along with you!

For many hundreds of years Kazakh nomads have been grazing their livestock near the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia. The Altai Kazakhs are unique in their tradition of using golden eagles to hunt on horseback. The lifestyle of these hunters, known in Kazakh as burtkitshis, is changing rapidly, and over the last few years the award-winning photographer Palani Mohan has spent time with these men and their families, documenting a culture under threat. The special bond between a hunter and his eagle begins when the hunter takes an eagle pup from a nest high on the rock face. The pups are usually about four years old (a golden eagle can live to 30 years of age). It's important that the pup has learned to hunt and is not still dependent on her mother; but neither can she be too old nor experienced, or she will not learn to live with humans. The hunters take only female pups from the nest, as females are larger and more powerful and aggressive than the males. Adult female golden eagles can have a wingspan of up to 9 feet, and weigh over 15 pounds. The eagle pup gradually learns to accept food from the hunter, and once trust has been established, the hunter begins to train the bird. The hunters describe the eagle as part of their family. The eagle takes pride of place in the home most of the time except during the day in the summer months or the warmest part of the day in the winter months. While all the men in the family handle the eagle, only the man who took her from the nest hunts with her. Hunting takes place in winter, when temperatures can plummet to minus 40 degrees Farenheit. The birds are carried in swaddling, which the hunters claim keeps them both warm and calm. The strong bond between hunter and eagle is strengthened by the amount of time they spend together. Hunting trips can last many days, as the hunter and eagle trek up to a mountain ridge to obtain a good view across the landscape. Once the prey - usually a fox - is spotted, the hunter charges towards it to flush it into the open, then releases the eagle to make the kill. Hunters traditionally wear fur coats made from the skins of the prey their eagle has caught. The relationship between hunter and eagle typically lasts six to eight years, then the eagle is released back into the wild to breed. One hunter tells Mohan: 'You love them as your own, even when you set them free at the end.' In his book, which comprises an introductory essay and 90 dramatic duotone images, Mohan explains how the burkitshis are slowing dying out. Rather than endure the brutal winters, their children choose to move to the capital, Ulan Bator, for a better way of life. There are also fewer golden eagles in the Altai Mountains. Although the 'Golden Eagle Festival' takes place every October to showcase the ancient art of hunting with eagles, attracting tourists from across the world, there are only between 50 and 60 'true' hunters left. This book is therefore a timely, important record of these proud men and their magnificent eagles in a remote, unforgiving part of the planet.

Crowood Sports Guides are the perfect tool for anyone wanting to improve their performance, from beginners learning the basic skills to more experienced participants working on advanced techniques. These practical, no-nonsense guides will help you give you that all-important advantage. Archery - Crowood Sports Guides gives a clear explanation of bow set and arrow tuning; detailed advice on how to produce a good shot cycle; choosing the right bow and arrows and how to prepare physically and mentally for competition. There are photographic sequences clearly illustrating how to achieve good form and close up photographs of equipment and accessories. Contents include: practice tips for performance; helpful hints to improve scores; making the move from club to competition shooting and finally, how to prepare physically and mentally for competition.

Lord Purdey was shaking with anger. 'Bring back the lynx? Over my dead body!' The environmental protestors murmured, and Rory stepped forward. 'Your hunting has destroyed our hills and left them treeless wastes, devoid of wildlife. It's time that changed.' 'Listen, you lentil-eating cat lover,' Purdey barked through the megaphone, 'men like me own Scotland. If we want to kill anything that moves and turn the whole damn place into a theme park, we'll do it.' Someone from the group of protestors hurled a turnip. It struck Purdey and he crumpled to the ground. Just as the archaic class system he represents must eventually fall, Angus thought with a grin. In his first two bestselling books, The Last Hillwalker and Bothy Tales, John D. Burns invited readers to join him in the hills and wild places of Scotland. In Sky Dance, he returns to that world to ask fundamental questions about how we relate to this northern landscape - while raising a laugh or two along the way. Anyone who has gazed at the majesty of the Scottish mountains will know this place and want to return to it. Now, as wild land is threatened like never before, it's time we asked ourselves what kind of future we want for the Highlands.

Bobwhites in the Texas panhandle, prairie grouse in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Gambel's quail in New Mexico's arroyos, blue quail on the staked plains, and doves and Mearn's quail in Arizona. In these lyrical essays, Henry Chappell examines the bonds that exist between hunter, hunting dog, land, and prey. At Home on the Range with a Texas Hunter evokes a powerful sense of history and place and never shies from the responsibilities and ethical struggles every hunter faces.