daverichey June 15th, 2008

TITLE: Ask The Black Bear Guides
AUTHOR: J. Y. Jones
PUBLISHER: Safari Press
DISTIRBUTOR: Safari Press

CONTACT:
Safari Press
15621 Chemical Lane
Building B
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1506
WEBSITE: Safari Press
eMAIL: info@safaripress.com
PHONE: Phone (714) 894-9080
COST: $24.95 + S/H; Hardcover, 186 pages, dust jacket and black-and-white photos. Safari Press books are not sole in bookstores, and must be ordered directly from the publisher.

The author claims that nearly 1 million black bears are found on the North American continent, ranging from Mexico north through most states and into Alaska and across the broad expanse of Canada and most of the states. Although deer may be more prolific, the black bear is an animal of abundance. Hunting them is heart-pounding excitement.

The author, an expert hunter, draws on the knowledge of 12 top black bear guides and he asks straight-to-the-point questions and gets the answers that bear hunters want to know. Jones offers information on which firearms and calibers make the best firearms for black bears, and based on my experiences after personally taking 28 bruins during my hunting career, this book has much to offer sportsmen.

Among the bear guides mentioned are

1. Joe Jakab of Pittsburg, PA
2. Horace Lane of Lewisporte, NL
3. Don Lind of High Prairie, AB
4. Wayne Bosowicz of Sebec, ME
5. Wade Lemon of Holden, UT
6. Jerry Nykanen of Turtle Lake, WI
7. Darren DeLuca of Port Alberni, BC
8. Mark Galla of Wrangell, AK
9. Kevin Olmstead of Fort St. John, BC
10. Jimmy Rosenbruch of Gustavus, AK

Some of the basic questions answered in this book include:

• What should a hunter look for when seeking a black bear outfitter/guide?
• What are the most important single characteristic and the worst possible deficiency in a bear guide?
• What is your favorite type of hunter based on several factors?
• What is the most dangerous thing a client can do while hunting black bears over bait?
• What is your favorite rifle caliber for black bears?
• Tell us your method of field judging black bears for size?
• What is the most reliable way to determine sex when no cubs are present?
• What is your choice as a backup weapon when guiding for black bears?

Dozens of other great questions are answered.

This book is best suited for the beginning bear hunter. Granted, some individual answers from the guides may seem elementary but when dealing with a hunter who has never hunted black bears before, everything is new to them. Having said that, there are tips of wisdom for the more advanced and experienced bear hunter.

Sizing up a bruin isn’t easy, and it requires plenty of practice or hunting with a guide that does know how to look at an animal and rapidly determine just how big it is. I found the numerous mentions, and methods of determining head size, to be very informative and on target for new or veteran hunters.

Jim Shockey, one of my favorite Victoria Island (British Columbia) bear guides, wrote the foreword for this book. He praises the book and calls it Bear Hunting 101. It is a great title and filled with solid information, and covers bear hunting from all angles. It’s a keeper!

Tags: "j.y. jones", "safari club", bear, black, book, dave richey, guides, hunting, outdoors, review

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daverichey May 26th, 2008

TITLE: Best Birds Upland & Shore
AUTHOR: Worth Mathewson with artwork by David Hagerbaumer
PUBLISHER: Stackpole Books
DISTIRBUTOR: Stackpole Books

CONTACT:

Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921

WEBSITE: Stackpole Books
COST: $34.95+ postage;

Bird-hunting may still be months away, but a great gift for the upland and shoreline bird hunter in your life is this great hardcover 219-page book. It is a compelling read for many reasons: it can stir the mental juices of any bird hunter; it helps sportsmen recall similar outings that deserve to be remembered, and it sports the delightful artwork of noted wildlife artist David Hagerbaumer.

The author writes extremely well. He captures the mood of hunting these game birds, and his poignant prose makes the reader feel as if he is walking alongside the author to work in behind a stylish pointer or setter, looking up and ahead of the dog’s nose, expectantly awaiting the flush they know will soon come.

This book, amply illustrated by black-and-white drawings, covers such game birds as band-tailed pigeon, white-winged dove, mourning dove, bobwhite quail, Scaled or Gambel’s quail, Mountain quail, Mearns quail, Valley quail, ruffed grouse. blue and spruce grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, Lesser and Greater pinnated grouse, the ptarmigan (rock, white-tailed and willow), turkey, snipe, woodcock, chachalaca, sora rail, clapper rail, the gallinules (Virginia, King, Coot, purple and common), sandhill crane, ringneck pheasant, Grey partridge, chukar, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.

I love all types of bird hunting, but am particularly in love with hunting the wild turkey. Mathewson recounts one of his hunts for this king of game birds, and it is a minute-by-minute account of what happened. This is a superb bit of writing, and it is highly recommended for its keen attention to detail.

This book is not a fluff book, one filled with meaningless words or a rehash of similar stories that seem to be recycled all too often by too many people. This is great, original writing, and is something that can build a raging fire in your belly. It makes you want to read the book from cover to cover at one setting.

However, as has been my experience with great and wonderful outdoor writing, I want to savor it and make it last. I want to wallow in the pleasure of fine writing, pace myself so the experience of good reading will linger longer, and as is true with the really great hunting books, it’s my intention to read it at least once a year.

This is not a how-to book as much as it is a book of experiences. Some of the how-to is there but you’ll need to read between the lines because the author is skilled at working in tiny nuances that tell you what and why he is doing something.

The author knows how to write great copy, and anything that captures birds, dogs and fine firearms into one book, is good enough for me. I shall return to this book, and will do it soon, for another taste of fine writing coupled with excellent illustrations that take my mind afield, long before the law allows me to be there with a fine shotgun in hand.

It books were rated, as restaurants are, this one would reach the magic pinnacle of five stars. It’s that good.

Tags: birds, book, daverichey, hargerbaumer, mathewson, review, shore, upland

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