OT: The Duck Hunter's Book

[Derrick Stewart]

I was at the local Borders book store doing some Christams shopping and ran a cross a book " The Duck Hunter's Book" by Lamar Underwood.

I was wondering if anyone had read this book and if it was a worthwhile read?

Derrick

[Don Kaas]

This is a compliation by Lamar of old waterfowling stories. He has some more like the "Quail Hunter's Book" It certainly is a good selection of stories some of which are difficult to find elsewhere. I've shot with Lamar at the Nassau Gun Club a number of times and as you would expect he is a real student of sporting literature as well a quite the senior sportsman himself.

Derrick- my daughters gave me both The Duck Hunters Book and its companion volume, The Bobwhite Quail Book about 25 years ago for Xmas--Both companion books were first published in 1980, only one printing to the best of my knowlege- most likely scarce by now.

I consider those two great anthologies as with my Ray P. Holland series: Hunting in the Lowlands and Hunting in the Uplands- beyond price, sentiment of the gifting nonwithstanding

In the Duck Hunters Book you will read: Van Campen Heilner, Nash Buckingham, Robert Ruark, Ted trueblood, Gene Hill, Jimmy Robinson and other greats- visit the Delta marsh in Canada in 1955 with Clark Gable, etc. And the quail book is equally great, many of the same names as in the Duck book plus Havilah Babcock, Archibald Rutledge and others.

Unless the dealer wants a King's Ransom, or unless the book has been abused, I would recommend you buy it-and enjoy a good read with a glass of Dickel on the rocks of an evening- or two!!

[Derrick Stewart]

Actually it was a new copy and the price was $21.95. I just didn't want to buy the book and it not be a good read. I'll head to the store after shooting clays today and instead of a glass of Dickel I crack open the fifth of Knob Creek that I got for Christmas from a co-worker.

I never tell another gentleman how or where to spend his $, but that price, if the book is Mint or near Mint- is a steal. And Knob Creek and George Dickel and Maker's Mark will always be welcome in my tumbler- rocks- water back please- Have a safe New Year's and don't blister your trigger finger writing the check to BUY THAT GREAT BOOK- Suh!!

[C.O.B.]

The other two anthologies by Lamar Underwood are Hunting the Southlands and The Deer Book. They are all good reads and were published by Amwell Press out of Clinton, NJ. These were released in limited editions of 1000 copies for The National Sporting Fraternity and in trade editions.

I have the trade editions as at the time was uanble to afford the limited editions. You will not be dissapointed with your purchase.

[Dick Miller]

Derrick,
Your post reminded me that I have #581 of 1000 of "The Bobwhite Quail Book" that I ordered from "Doc" Shoffstall, the illustrator for the book, at a waterfowl festival in VA Beach. Don and I were Brittany fans at the time, and he kindly did signed pencil sketches of Brits throughout my copy. He also did a signed study of black ducks on a frozen salt marsh for me, and is one of my prized possessions.
Thanks for your post-- I'm going to spend the evening re-reading the book !

[Bill Murphy]

Dick, I had no idea that you could request pencil sketches at a book signing. I am going to be number one bitch at my next book signing. I gave you a big thank you for your suggestion.

[Derrick Stewart]

So Bill are you going to ask Destry to do some pencil sketches whenever he finishes his book?

Dick, I am glad I reminded you about the book. Was it only published in limited editions? Sounds like a nice read especially for a kid born and raised in NC. I sit and think about the first flush every year (unexpected) and how it made the heart race and the excietment felt as they got up and flew away. Boy those were the days...

Derrick- I have a trade edition of The Bobwhite book and it has the Shoffstall ils as well- both books were given to me as a set by my gals at Xmas - I'm more of a duck/goose hunter, being a Midwest Yankee (not by choice but by geography) and we don't have quail or doves to miss each season up "Heah in de Nawth"--but reading and re-reading those great stories by so many superlative writers now gone many years !

I'd almost give up another year of my life span to have one full quail season like Nash Buckingham, Lucius Waldrip and Hal Bowen Howard enjoyed circa 1908 or so. And to have lived as a younger man then and to have actually shot birds with them, Flash and Ticket and Dan-- or even later with John Bailey-to have known and both rode and shot with well- I was going to mention Hobart Ames, but he was a true Damn Yankee from Mass.- his family foundry made cannon balls etc for Lincoln & Co. back when- wonder how that sat with the folks near Grand Junction? But the love of the hunt, the gentleman that Mr. Bob is and always has been, perhaps overrode such regional differences, I would like to think so.

Make mine a fine English Pointer, steady to wing and shot, with an Osthaus tail, and a AHE 20 bore on the size O frame, 28" barrels open bored, straight hand grip with double triggers, 14 and 1/4" LOP to a leather covered pad and I would be walkin' in tall cotton forever.
I believe if you check abebooks.com- the amazon sector- I just found many copies, both trade, paperbacked and the deluxe- enjoy, not that I would ever suggest to a fellow gent'man here how to spend his money (unless of course he's sittin' at the same table with me for a game of Stud poker) goes with the territory there!!