NewlyMinted Report post Posted August 1, 2019 I love the outdoors, but my family (and my friends as I got older) just weren't hunters. My in-laws started showing me how to shoot a while ago, but they didn't hunt, and although really fun it never convinced me I should look at researching my first firearm. Fast forward about 10 years and my new girlfriend introduced me to her dad for the first time out in the field hunting quail.. and after bagging half a dozen that morning, went home and cooked them up - I was addicted. An 870, and a 10/22 later... About 4 years ago my co-worker started talking about his muzzleloader elk and javelina adventures and how his kids preferred his peccary sausage to anything else. He shared some mule deer steak with me a couple of years ago. He grew up hunting, and the outdoors is second nature to him, so our chats were enthralling, it was so different to how I grew up. Last fall, on a black friday deal, I bought a muzzleloader and started reading avidly, and heading to the range to figure out loads and get to know my front end stuffer. Here's the list in almost exact order: The Complete Blackpowder Handbook - Sam Fadal - pretty good general info on inlines that gets repeated over and over again in most muzzleloader books, and quite a bit on roundball (which I don't shoot) The Smoking Gun - Dan Allan - amazing. this was hands down the best get to know your muzzleloader, write clearly and explain reasoning, muzzleloader book I read. It's an eBook on my kindle, and I 100% recommend. DIY Elk Hunting Guide - Dan Allan - I bought because the one above was so great. Equally well written, and although I haven't seen an Elk yet have no idea how the infomation stacks up, it was great to see him break down public land, and areas within public land and offer advice on approaches and things to consider on a DIY hunt. I knew I was going to go after Coues as my first big game animal.. but it was cool to read. Diary of a Muzzleloader Hunter - Dave Sabrowsky - literally the best book that I read on my journey so far. It tipped me over any doubt I had (a) picking a muzzleloader as my first big game firearm and (b) picking deer as my quarry. He hunts whitetail in Michigan which is not a Coues and not Arizona, but the book is literally 10 years of diary entries on his hunt. It's like you are there. The disappointment, the wins, the in jokes, the struggles, the changing of regs, etc. It's a humbling insight into another hunter's mind and I'm grateful he published it. Beyond Fair Chase - Jim Posewitz - ok so in January 2019 I started to get serious. My hunter ed class was February and I had to make sure I wasn't just bumbling into hunting without understanding more about myself and the sport. Fortunately this book really just emphasized being ethical and moral in the way I'd expected. I learned great reasoning, and it reinforced why I wanted to hunt, and how I wanted to do it. A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold - I was told point blank that Ii had to read this, and I'm about 1/2 way through. It's a great book, and tribute to the history of modern conservationism. Do what's right, even if what's wrong is legal. Muzzleloading for Deer and Turkey – Dave Ehrig – great read and again good perspective on finding sign, stalking, and shooting deer. Coues White-tailed Deer - Annotated bibliography - Richard Ockenfels - I'm a scientist by training, and having this book was awesome. I could literally flick to a few pages, read the highlights and add to my growing lists of things to know or wonder about. How to Hunt Coues Deer – Duwane Adams & Tony Mandile – I was so excited this book even existed. I’d been listening to Dwayne on Jay’s podcasts and he just floored me with how much he knew and the depth of his experience. I am hopefully getting a glassing lesson from Duwane before my Oct. 11th hunt, but either way. Happy to have this in my library Hunting Butchering and cooking wild game vol. 2 – Steve Rinella – I really liked this hunting reference and explanation on how to do certain things even though dozens of you tube videos have shown me on repeat what to do The Perfect Shot North America – Craig Boddington – Also great info, and fascinating stuff. My legs when numb a few times as I kept this hand in the WC. Deer of the Southwest – Jim Heffelfinger – Oh man, this one was awesome. Between this book, tony & Duwane’s book, the bibliography and just getting out there I feel pretty good about my academic knowledge at this point on the coues. Now I just have to find the dang things right? Next to my bed that I have started or barely started are the 3 below: The still hunter – Theodore Van Dyke – written in the late 1800s amazing stuff Desert Solitaire – Edward Abbey – recommended haven’t started really. Restoring America’s Wildlife – US Dept. of Interior F&W – History and official reasoning behind the current model that makes our model the best in the world. Long list, but I’ve been reading the archive here. Threads from 2005, 6, and 7 to more recently in the last few years, and there is just a wealth of info. I want to thank everyone who’s shared their thoughts and opinions, and asked questions that have been recorded here. For a new hunter this forum has been amazingly helpful, and shows the importance of me exposing my highschoolers to the outdoors like I’ve been doing, but also taking them with me as I scout and look specifically for deer. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted August 1, 2019 13 hours ago, NewlyMinted said: How to Hunt Coues Deer – Duwane Adams & Tony Mandile – I was so excited this book even existed. I’d been listening to Dwayne on Jay’s podcasts and he just floored me with how much he knew and the depth of his experience. I am hopefully getting a glassing lesson from him before my Oct. 11th hunt, but either way. Happy to have this in my library If you have any questions about anything in the one above, just ask. Some of the info in it is dated, so don't bet the farm on anything. 😉 And good luck on your future adventures. You're certainly going about it the right way. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewlyMinted Report post Posted August 1, 2019 14 minutes ago, Outdoor Writer said: If you have any questions about anything in the one above, just ask. Some of the info in is dated, so don't bet the farm on anything. 😉 Thanks! I recognized your picture on other threads! It's been a great resource! Feel free to release a 2019 second edition . Figuring out sign is my current quest... Found plenty of poop, but not sure if Coues rub, and if they do I'm not sure if what I think a rub is, is a rub! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted August 2, 2019 2 hours ago, NewlyMinted said: Thanks! I recognized your picture on other threads! It's been a great resource! Feel free to release a 2019 second edition . Figuring out sign is my current quest... Found plenty of poop, but not sure if Coues rub, and if they do I'm not sure if what I think a rub is, is a rub! They rub...not always obvious or easy to find depending on the tree, cactus, whatever it is they rub on...I’ve seen some rubs in hardwood areas that looked just like eastern whitetail rubs. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted August 2, 2019 Nice list. I’ve added a couple of these to my list as well for future reads. A couple to consider... 60 Years a Hunter by Bill Quimby (RIP Bill...you’ve probably seen his posts in the archives too) American Buffalo by Steve Rinella Backcountry Bowhunting by Cameron Hanes (even if you don’t like him as a person/hunter/celebrity it’s a good book) Man on the Run by Zeke Pipher - not really hunting focused but a good read about balancing work, hobbies, and home life. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewlyMinted Report post Posted August 2, 2019 55 minutes ago, bigorange said: Nice list. I’ve added a couple of these to my list as well for future reads. A couple to consider... 60 Years a Hunter by Bill Quimby (RIP Bill...you’ve probably seen his posts in the archives too) American Buffalo by Steve Rinella Backcountry Bowhunting by Cameron Hanes (even if you don’t like him as a person/hunter/celebrity it’s a good book) Man on the Run by Zeke Pipher - not really hunting focused but a good read about balancing work, hobbies, and home life. Thanks! Those sound like excellent additions! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted August 2, 2019 Very cool and it sounds vary familiar as I have a similar story. Congrats on your new path. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted August 2, 2019 Also didn't grow up in an outdoor family, but since I was a kid i had a fascination with wanting to kill something and eat it. Went on a wim and got a bow during archery season back when you could still get a doe. I was instantly hooked! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeerarea33? Report post Posted August 2, 2019 When looking for Coues rubs just use the info in any book. But...... look a bit closer to the ground. They tend to be short lol. If you see a cactus (ocotillo) moving against the wind, pry a deer on its hinds eatin flowers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted August 2, 2019 12 hours ago, muledeerarea33? said: When looking for Coues rubs just use the info in any book. But...... look a bit closer to the ground. They tend to be short lol. If you see a cactus (ocotillo) moving against the wind, pry a deer on its hinds eatin flowers. They will also rub on Yucca. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted August 4, 2019 On 8/1/2019 at 3:21 PM, NewlyMinted said: Feel free to release a 2019 second edition . Not likely to happen even though we have sold out the soft-cover version of this one. I'm fully retired now, and doing the necessary rewrites and associated tasks would require lots of hours again. Why? Because it would all have to be put into the PDF files anew -- a major task. In the real world of book authors, they write the text and send it to the publisher to do all the rest. Not so with How to Hunt Coues Deer. When I did the original, I also did all the scanning of photos and then had to transform every image, including the digital ones, into print-ready tiff files. Then I had to edit the articles in the TALES section. A few were not too readable as sent to us. 😉 And of course, I also had to write the rest of the book from scratch and take some fill-in photos of equipment, etc. Once those things were done, it was on to the design and layout so everything fit on a page properly. Wherever text wraps around a photo, you're looking at least 10-15 mins. of work. The photo section took me about 8 days to size and caption them and then to do the layout. I did both for the covers and the inside pages using MS Publisher. The printer then converted those files to PDF files for the actual printing. IOW, everything about doing an entire book by yourself is a labor intensive endeavor. So now you know more than you wanted to know about why there will be no 2019 edition. 🤣 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biglakejake Report post Posted August 27, 2019 Campfires on Desert and Lava by hornaday is a classic Arizona Game Birds by David Brown anything by Jack O'Connor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
