Buck Fever - The Deer Hunting Tradition in Pennsylvania (Paperback, New)

A history and intelligent defense of deer hunting by outdoors columnist Sajna. "The goal," Sajna writes, "may be to kill a deer, but the actual shooting comprises the tiniest part of the experience." He goes back as much as 14,000 years to describe and explain that experience and examines it from numerous angles: the practical use made of every portion of the animal by American Indians; the ritualistic, quasi-religious aspect of the hunt for the "Monarch of the Woods"; the negative and positive roles of deer hunting in the ecological balance; and the author's personal experience in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania. "No thinking hunter," says Sajna, "is completely at ease with killing." Alternating historical chapters with sections on a recent hunting trip to the Allegheny National Forest, where he has hunted with his father since his youth, the author differentiates between the "market hunters" of a century ago and today's hunter-sportsman. The former would unrestrictedly, by any and all means, slaughter literally thousands of deer in a lifetime; the modern hunter may go for years before bagging that first buck. Sajna points out that not even 20% of whitetail deer hunters are actually successful. The "Pumpkin Army" - so named for the blaze-orange hats, coats, and leggings worn in the forest - is generally made up of white, middle-class males in search of camaraderie, challenge, recreation, and the proximity of nature and wildlife. Recognizing an imperfect system and that "hunting is a privilege, not a right," Sajna strongly urges American sportsmen to adopt the German system of "mandatory classes on every aspect of the sport before [the hunter] can obtain a license." A heartfelt, persuasive book that should be read by interested parties, for or against hunting. (Kirkus Reviews)

Every fall close to one million hunters enter Pennsylvania's forests and mountains in quest of the white-tailed deer. Some are seeking sport and companionship; others are stocking their larders for winter; many are conservationists who regard hunting as the most humane way of reducing overpopulated deer herds. They all face the increasing activism of animal rights advocates who are opposed to hunting in principle and who frequently picket and harass hunters.

This controversial subject is explored in depth by Mike Sajna, the outdoors columnist for "Pittsburgh Magazine" and a twenty-year veteran of Pennsylvania's "pumpkin army," the orange-clad throng that invades the woods every season. To explain the ethos and traditions of hunting he takes the reader to a typical deer camp in Warren County, in the rugged terrain of the Allegheny High Plateau. Starting with the trek north from their homes around Pittsburgh, he captures the sights and sounds, thoughts and feelings of three generations of hunters. With humor, affection, and insight he recounts the hunting lore, the camaraderie, the physical testing that make deer camp a unique experience.

General

Imprint:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	August 1990
First published:	August 1990
Authors:	Mike Sajna
Dimensions:	230 x 150 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	256
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-8229-5436-1
Categories:	Books
LSN:	0-8229-5436-2
Barcode:	9780822954361

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