Hunting literature recommendations sought???

All the books mentioned so far are very good and in my library.

Robert Ruark's OLD MAN AND THE BOY, and THE OLD MAN'S BOY GROWS OLDER are must reads you will really enjoy.

also good reading are

THE DUCK HUNTERS BOOK edited by Lamar Underwood

MISTY MORNINGS AND MOONLESS NIGHTS by Norman Strung

DUCK BOATS: BLINDS: DECOYS by Raymond R. Camp

DECOYS OF THE SUSQUEHANNA FLATS AND THEIR MAKERS by J. Evens McKinney

THE BEST OF BABCOCK by Havilah Babcock

DUCK DECOYS AND HOW TO RIG THEM by Ralf Coykendall
 
The reprint of Grinnell's "American Duck Shooting" by Stackpole Books is one of those books I come back to several times a year. The chapters on duck boat designs and battery shooting (with plans) are very interesting reading.
Other classics I keep going back to include a reprint of Coykendal's book "Duck Decoys and How to Rig Them", Don Zutz' "Modern Waterfowl Guns and Gunning", and Gresham's "The Complete Waterfowler". Also George Reiger's "The Wings of Dawn" and "The Wildfowler's Quest". I picked up a signed copy of Hagerbaumer's "Waterfowling These 50 Years, Especially Brant" and enjoy returning to it from time to time as fall approaches.......
 
Thank you for the additional recommendations. Ruark's were on my list and I continue to hear/read good things about his writings. I have added a number more to my list. As it appears, my reading chair is going to get a heavy workout in the years to come. I may just have a lifetime list of books to get through.
 
I see a lot of good recommendations....all appear to be good(especially Ruark and Ralph Cokendall)
...here are a couple others that you may or may not like...Modern Shotguns And Loads by Charles Askins,
...even though it is dated it still has many timeless bits of information...Shotguns by Elmer Kieth...you will
either love or hate Kieth's work but he made an impression on me at an early age...(in school I found myself
preferring Kieth to Shakespeare by a comfortable margin...
 
I received my copy of A Book on Duck Shooting last night. I bought it through Amazon as a used hardcover book. It was listed in acceptable condition. For the age of the book it was in very nice condition. Looking forward to reading it. My wife watched me open the book and saw the age on it, she simply replied, "look at you getting old books. Impressive."

I also picked up the Rufffed Grouse Association publishing they put out about a year ago. Looking forward to reading through that as well.

Hoping my son may take an interest in reading some of these books too. Would be nice to share some of the stories with him as we create our own.
 
If you want to read a book on waterfowling on how it was done way back in the day, look up The Fowler in Ireland by Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey which was originally published in 1882. Even though the information and stories come from Europe it's a fascinating read and it talks about techniques and game species that have long been off-limits here in the US (punt gunning, plover netting, etc.). My college library had a copy I would check out every now and again just because it was so neat to look back into the past of duck hunting. A free online copy can be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/haraoi_conal/...Wildfowl-and-Seafowl-Ralph-Payne-Gallwey-1882

Also, I'll throw in another vote for Successful Waterfowling by Zach Taylor
 
Non are Waterfowling books, but I just picked up these:

A Hunter's Road
a Hunter's Book of Days
Jenny Willow
The American Woodcock

I also spend a fair bit of time chasing upland birds, being a Setter guy and all. I probably should take a reprieve from buying anymore until I have read the ones I just picked up. Besides, I want the wife, kids and parents to have something on an easy list to pick up for birthdays or holidays!

Again, thanks for all of the great suggestions.
 
I think my favorite is "Duck Shooting along the Atlantic Tidewater" by Eugene Connett.
It is a series of stories from the turn of the century.
GREAT STUFF!! John
 
Good recommendations! Another good place to find old hunting stories is Google Books. Lots of old public domain articles and books from the late 19th and early 20th century. Try searing under wildfowling and you will get more results. One article I saw was from as I best remember from field and stream about the possibilities of ducking hunting from and airplane.
 
Reuters- thanks for the tip. Didn't know about Google books. I will have to take a look and see what I can find of interest.
 
Ditto Jack on Eugene Connett, Autumn Passages by DU with Norm Srungs short story Baymens Solance is one of my favorites. pg 229.... The Gorden MacQuazarrie triogy can't be beat. There's more but my brain has gas. I'll think of more.

Phil
 
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