By Reid Bryant
Soft cover, 256 pages
Available from Rowman & Littlefield
1-800-462-6920
$39.95 + $5 shipping
This is a book about one of my favorite forms of hunting. Give me a British side by side 12-bore double stocked to fit me, some 12-gauge shells loaded with 3 drams of powder and 1 ounce of # 6 shot, and send me out after doves, grouse, quail, etc. and I am a happy man.
In this book, author Reid Bryant has set out to cover every aspect of this form of gunning so that all pertinent information will be at the reader’s fingertips in one book. There is a lot of ground to cover and to his credit, Reid does a good job. Every effort is made to bring the reader into the thrill and the joy of upland bird shooting. There is a big showcasing of uncaptioned photos by Brian Grossenbacher intended to capture the mood of upland bird hunting and convey it to the reader.
How the different game birds are hunted in different parts of the country are detailed along with the various bird species hunted such as grouse, pheasant, partridge, quail, and woodcock. There is a lengthy discussion of all the various types of shotguns employed in the pursuit of upland birds as well as the various gauges that they come in. This is followed by a general overview of the gun laws that the hunter may encounter.
The proper apparel for the bird hunter in various climes is well covered and this is an area of particular importance to the new bird hunter who has not already selected his hunting outfit. Veteran hunters who have not previously hunted a section of this vast country far from their normal stomping grounds will also find this section useful.
Where to hunt is always a vital point and there is a balanced discussion of public and private lands as well as preserves for those with deep pockets. How to find a place to hunt that actually has birds on it is another important point covered.
Dogs are a traditional part of bird hunting. I remember the many days afield that I spent with my faithful English Setter, Sandy. He was a natural hunter that did not require any training as he instinctively knew what was needed. A pure bred dog, he had a broader head than those wanting a show dog deemed desirable. That bigger head held a bigger brain that he put to good use in the field. Show standards are not always conducive to making a hunting dog. They ruined the Irish Setter, once a fine hunting companion and now bred stupid.
The book separates the pointing breeds and the flushing breeds and shows the different uses of each type.
The section on how to conduct oneself on a hunt with other hunters is one that all of us at some time or other will have wished certain others had read and heeded. Certainly every new hunter needs proper instruction on how to act and interact with his fellow hunters and that goes for a lot of older hunters as well. I remember one extremely expert shooter alienating his fellows by downing every bird before they could even get their guns up. No one wanted to hunt with him again nor did anyone hearing of it. When hunting with a group it is important that everyone gets birds and has fun. Nobody likes a showoff hogging all the birds or shooting over another shooters field of fire.
Finally there is a section on cleaning the birds and preparing them for dinner. Preparing birds for a taxidermist is an important topic rarely covered. Game birds often make most beautiful mounts and some are world class trophies. I remember in Germany when a hunter was allowed one auerhahn, the giant ice age grouse of Europe, in his lifetime. These were always mounted as the bird hunting trophy of a lifetime.
This book is an excellent overview and reference book on one of the most popular types of hunting in the country, upland bird hunting.—Jim Dickson
