Hunting literature recommendations sought???

CAnderson

CAnderson

Well-known member
I am looking for some classic duck hunting literature similar to Stiller's work on Upland Hunting.

Is anyone familiar?

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
I'm not familiar with Stiller but I would recommend Worth's "Big December Canvasbacks" as a great read. I also really enjoy MacQuarrie's stuff too.
 
A third to Duck Shooting. Here are a couple more you may like:

Shotgunning in the Lowlands-Ray P Holland
American Duck, Goose, and Brant Shooting-William Bruette
Dusk Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater, Wildfowling the Mississippi Flyway-both Edited by Eugene Connet
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Those look to be some good reads.

Has anyone read anything by Ruark? Or perhaps The Last of the Market Hunters?
 
David Hagerbaumer, "waterfowling these 50 years, especially brant" I really enjoyed this book, he was an illustrator as well, so they book was full of drawings.
 
The Last of the Market Hunters is a misleading title. The subject - Dale Hamm - was a criminal poacher, not a market hunter. The book glorified trespassing, over-bagging and the like. Although in the end Hamm "got religion," I found the book distasteful. There is a lot better stuff out there.

Jeff Churan
 
BDC by Worth is the best waterfowl book I have read.
And Worth is a DHBP member.
 
My list would be:
1. Anything by Worth
2. Successful Waterfowling by Zack Taylor
3. Old Duckhunters stories by MacQuarrie
4. "Mark" by John W Mackay- I picked this up at a garage sale last summer and enjoyed it. It is a look at duck hunting in the early part of the 20th century but is long out of press.
5. "The Duckhunters Book" Lamar Underwood. Another garage sale find and also out of press.
6. "A Roughshooting Dog"- Charles Fergus. Not about duck hunting, but a good story life with a working dog.

Those are the ones on my bookshelf that get read and re-read.
 
Outlaw gunner
The last of the market hunters
Waterfowling on the Chesapeake 1819-1936
Chesapeake Bay retrievers, decoys and long guns...tales from carrol's island gun club
More stories of the old duck hunters
Currituck, Ducks, Policticians, and outlaw gunners

I really enjoyed the one about Carrol's Island and the Outlaw Gunner. I still know a few guys that, many moons ago, gunned in this style to feed their familes. Also a few guys that guided our marshes in the same manner as in these books.

I agree with Jeff's opinion of the Last of the Market hunters. Hamm wasnt much different than the other outlaws, but the book does make him out to be a Robin Hood of sorts.
 
Van Campen Heilner " A Book on Duck Shooting"

Classic and one of my favorite's.
Click to expand...

A must have IMHO

Gene Hill "A Hunters Fireside Guide" not all on duck hunting but well written and one you cannot put down

Ruark, Worth, Gordon Mac are all well done and read more than once
 
The North American Waterfowler. Paul Bernsen. A how to book written back in the early 70's. Even came with a 45 record on calling ducks. It is the book that got me started.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Those look to be some good reads.

Has anyone read anything by Ruark? Or perhaps The Last of the Market Hunters?
Click to expand...


"The Old Man and The Boy' is one of my all-time favorite books.... Title of one chapter= "You Have to be Crazy to be a Duck Hunter". The sequel, "The Old Man's Boy grows Older" is good as well.

"Da Shootingest Gentleman" by Nash Buckingham is also terrific.

Frankly, I like the waterfowling and waterman portions of Michener's "Chesapeake" a lot too.
 
Looks like I got my work cut out for me. There seems to be a lot more reading than I would have imagined.

Thanks for the many suggestions. I need to write them all out in a list and leave it somewhere the wife can find it and make strategic purchases or make suggestions to others for gifting times of the year.
 
If you like Burton Spiller (the poet laureate of grouse hunting), you'll love Gordon MacQuarrie's "Stories of the Old Duck Hunters." The setting is northern Wisconsin, not New England, but it's the same genre of early 20th century outdoor writing, which is to say story telling. You'd probably also enjoy the "Tranquility Series" by Col. Harold Sheldon. He was another Derrydale Press author and a buddy of Nash Buckingham (they wrote the forwards to each other's books), but his titles are very hard to find. You shouldn't have any trouble finding stuff by MacQuarrie.
 
Excellent. Another for the list. I didn't realize I typed in Spiller's name wrong. Sorry if that posed any questions for some. Thanks for correcting.
 
Just wanted to follow up. . .i stopped into a small town hunting store and stumbled on a copy of A Rough Shooting Dog. The title sounded familiar from the books mentioned here, but I didn't have the list with me. I took. Chance and picked up a copy. It was a great little read. Really nice story about a guy and his 4-legged hunting companion. Good for me, because if I didn't have a dog, I don't know how much hunting I would do. They make every bit of it for me.

Since then I picked up Gordon MacQuarrie's Stories of The Old Duck Hunters. I am enjoying tht right now. I am also waiting for my copies of A Book on Duck Shooting and Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs.

Thanks again for all of the literary tips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top