The bear and panther that populated the woods and canebrakes of the lower Mississippi Valley in the 1800s left a permanent mark on the collective memory of that region. Unfortunately only a relatively small number of writings from that time have survived that provide real insight into the habits of those creatures and how the early settlers of that region hunted them. Writer James T. McCafferty has added richly to that scant body of Southern lore by collecting some wonderful but previously overlooked articles by an antebellum cotton planter and physician and presenting them in his new book, Hunting Bear and Panther in the Old South: The Writings of Dr. Henry J. Peck of Sicily Island, Louisiana. McCafferty, author of The Bear Hunter: The Life and Times of Robert Eager Bobo in the Canebrakes of the Old South and numerous articles on hunting history, introduces Peck's writings with a brief biography of Dr. Peck (1803-1881) and an overview of his works. Besides Peck's writing on the life cycles and the hunting of the animals named in the title, the book includes articles on hog and deer hunting in his day. Readers will find in this volume rarely encountered details about the weapons and methods used by nineteenth century sportsmen, such as Peck's descriptions of the "fire hunting" of deer, the making of the knives used by bear hunters, and accounts of dangerous-and even deadly-encounters with panther and bear. One of the book's appendices adds Peck's personal investigations and thoughts on the early 18th century fights between the French and the Natchez Indian tribe that took place on or near the doctor's appropriately named Battleground Plantation. Hunters and lovers of Southern history will welcome this book.

Over a century ago readers of sporting journals in America and Europe relished the tales of Mississippi Delta bear hunter Robert Eager Bobo. Yet, in the years since, this most famous bear hunter of the late 1800s has been all but forgotten - until now. The Bear Hunter brings to the modern reader, not only the true chronicles of Bobo's bear hunting, but a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining picture of pioneer life in the nineteenth century wilderness of the lower Mississippi Valley sure to delight hunters, outdoors lovers, nature enthusiasts, southern history buffs, folklore fans, and anyone who just enjoys a good book. Come now with Bobo and a variety of captivating characters - including the notorious outlaw Jesse James - on their quests for black bear in an environment that now exists only on the pages of history: the wild, trackless, Mississippi Delta canebrake. Gallop at a breakneck pace through sloughs and swamps, where a horse's stumble over a cypress knee could mean sudden disaster; thrill to the savage chorus of the hounds as they pursue their game; charge into the cane to knife the bear before it can decimate the pack; taste the fear when the tables turn and hunter becomes the hunted; relax by the campfire on a frosty November evening and listen to the tales of wolf and panther and gun and knife; laugh, too, at comical stories of old time Delta backwoods ways; and, perhaps, shed a tear, as the inevitable tragedies of life visit your newfound friends. Let us not delay! The hunters are gathered; the horses are champing at their bits; the dogs are spoiling for a fight; Bobo is sounding his horn. It is time to ride.

Describes how black guide Holt Collier's plea for Teddy Roosevelt to spare the life of a bear led to the creation of the teddy bear.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A Sportsman's Journey lyrically and spiritually connects readers with the natural world. Donald C. Jackson explores the rhythms and ways of hunting and fishing, particularly in America’s Deep South, and in so doing helps readers understand and find meaning in why hunters and anglers venture far afield. Journeying alongside the author, readers will savor the magic of sunrises and the mystery of twilight. Hearts will quicken as deer drift from shadows and ducks circle a woodland pond. The ocean will challenge them as they fight large fish from the deck of a wave-tossed boat far out at sea. Restless winds will whisper messages during a spring squirrel hunt on a Mississippi farm. Bird dogs, old guns, old friends, and times shared with loved ones will remind anglers and hunters of those special, shared memories. Ancient forests and powerful rivers remind us of our fragile, ephemeral state. Quail hunts strengthen cherished relationships with companions. Encounters with a mountain man will take us into a world thought to have vanished generations ago. A gathering of anglers on a Gulf Coast fishing pier at night reminds us of those hidden communities that exist around us, and are often unrecognized or perhaps even unknown. Jackson reveals how all of us depend on the natural world and share very personal interactions with it and with each other. This book reminds us that rediscovering, resurrecting, and celebrating these primal linkages are the real reasons we explore the world.

Originally published in 1950, first-hand memoirs offer a rare look at ranch life and big-game hunts in the Davis Mountains of West Texas and the Gila region of Southwest New Mexico, 1880s to 1920s. Indexed with black and white historical photos.