Winter Reading List for Hunters and Anglers
By: Dean Taylor
Although many of us will spend our winters out on the ice, wintertime can be a pretty slow season for hunters and anglers as cold weather, closed seasons, and short days limit how much time we can spend in the woods or on the water. While filling fly boxes and ice fishing may be enough for some anglers to get through the winter, there are plenty of great books that can help you get your fishing or hunting fix while waiting for the seemingly distant spring. Though there are many missing from this list, here are five recommendations to get you back in the hunting and fishing spirit this winter.
1) A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold
Widely considered the father of American wildlife ecology and the creator of modern environmental ethics, Aldo Leopold and his Sand County Almanac is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Its discussions on ethics and our relationship to the outdoors is more relevant than it has ever been and its detailed examination of how and why we interact with our environment will even have you looking at a woodpile differently. This book is a mainstay in my car during hunting season and rightfully has its place next to the bible in some hotels and homes.
2) A River Runs Through It - Norman Maclean
Perhaps one of the most mainstream fishing books in existence thanks to the Brad Pitt movie adaptation, this book on family and fly-fishing is well worth a read this winter.
3) The River Why - Davis James Duncan
One of my personal favourite novels, this book is equal parts about spirituality as it is fishing, using a great coming of age story of a young fly fisherman to discuss the spiritual aspects of fishing and of moving away from home.
4) First Peoples in a New World - David J. Meltzer
While not exclusively about hunting or fishing, this book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the making of our modern landscape and the distribution of the animals that inhabit it.
5) Tenth Legion - Tom Kelly
Another one of my personal favourites, this book will get anyone who enjoys turkey hunting ready to get out in the woods. While some of the tips are a bit outdated, this book is worth a read for its imagery alone, perfectly encapsulating why we turkey hunt and the aspects of the hunt that make it so unique.