My buddy Mark Kenyon at the Wired to Hunt blog had a post the other day on the Ultimate Recommended Reading List for Hunters. You can check out his post here. I wrote some thoughts back to Mark in a comment and thought I'd post this here. I might update in the next few weeks for hunting as well. 

My Thoughts on the Ultimate Recommended Reading List for Hunters

I think this is a solid, thoughtful list most hunters should appreciate and use. Thanks so much for putting it together. I’m a big believer in reading and books, especially to connect us to our history and traditions as outdoorsmen (and women). Here are some thoughts on your list and a couple additions.

I agree with almost every book on your list. My favorites are Rinella (everything he writes), all books by the Eberharts on deer hunting, Cameron Hanes’ Backcountry Bowhunting, all of the Eastman how-to’s and Jose Ortega y Gasset’s book. Also agree with Sand County Almanac – every outdoorsman should regularly read this book.

To your whitetail deer section, I’d add Joe Brooks’ Year-Round Trophy Whitetails. Similar to Everhart’s books but some slightly different approaches – good stuff.

I know you focus mainly on deer hunting (and I do as well), but I enjoy a great read. For birdhunters, I have a couple books to recommend:

Gene Hill was one of the greatest writers ever and I appreciate all of his books, but Tears & Laughter is my favorite. Gene’s fans will never look at their dogs the same way again.

Jim Fergus wrote two great traveling books – A Hunter’s Road and The Sporting Road about roaming bird-hunting lands with a yellow lab in an Airstream.

Rick Bass is a great writer (although he can be a bit depressing), and his books Colter and Brown Dog of the Yaak were fantastic. Fair warning – even tough hunters will break down after reading. Make sure you read in a quiet room with no witnesses.

Gordon MacQuarrie literally wrote the books on duck hunting and his three volumes (Stories of the Old Duck Hunters, More Stories of the Old Duck Hunters and Last Stories of the Old Duck Hunters) were solid semi-non-fictional tomes. I say semi-non-fictional because I’m not really sure the events happened, but they are great duck hunting stories. His biography by Keith Crowley will also give you insight into the man, who never really made a lot of money from his work, but changed the way we think about duck hunting.

For old-time writers, I agree with Jordan Seitz – Elmer Keith’s Hell I Was There is one of the greatest autobiographies ever. I’m never sure how much is true, but danged if Elmer wasn’t one of the greatest Americans ever to live. Wish he was still alive and could run for President.

In the same vein, I also admire Jack O’Connor. I know a lot of people either side with Elmer or Jack due to their long-running feud, but I admire both and appreciate all of Jack’s books. A Mizzou grad, Jack is known as the Father of the 270, but used a lot of other calibers. His books The Hunting Rifle and The Rifle Book are two of my favorites. Jack’s biography by Robert Anderson is also a great way to learn more about the man. I never met Jack, but I’ve held his guns and met his son Bradford and consider him to be a hunter we can all learn from.

For safari hunters, Robert Ruark is a great writer. His books Use Enough Gun and Horn of the Hunter are required reading for anyone heading to Africa on safari. Most hunters also remember Ruark for his Old Man and the Boy books, which are solid hunting and life stories of a boy and his grandfather.

For anyone liking the movie The Ghosts and the Darkness (which was a great movie), the book The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Col. JH Patterson was actually a better read than the movie. Just don’t try to sleep at night after.

Again, great list, Mark!