In the hilarious tradition of Bill Bryson, one man's journey into the heart of hunting in America as he spends a season in dogged pursuit of the big buck.

A dedicated deer hunter “writes with humor and insight” about his adventures—and misadventures—in the wild (Orlando Sentinel). Every autumn, millions of men and women across the country don their camo, stock up on doe urine, and undertake a quintessential American tradition—deer hunting. The pinnacle of a hunter’s quest is killing a buck with antlers that “score” highly enough to qualify for the Boone and Crockett record book. But in all his seasons on the trail, Pete Bodo, an avid outdoorsman and student of the hunt, had never reached that milestone. Sadly, he had to admit it: He was a nimrod. Whitetail Nation is the uproarious story of the season Pete Bodo set out to kill the big buck. From the rolling hills of upstate New York to the vast and unforgiving land of the Big Sky to the Texas ranches that feature high fences, deer feeders, and money-back guarantees, Bodo traverses deep into the heart of a lively, growing subculture that draws powerfully on durable American values: the love of the frontier, the importance of self-reliance, the camaraderie of men in adventure, the quest for sustained youth, and yes, the capitalist’s right to amass every high tech hunting gadget this industry’s exploding commerce has to offer. Gradually, Bodo closes in on his target—that elusive monster buck—and with each day spent perched in a deer stand or crawling stealthily in high grass (praying the rattlesnakes are gone), or shivering through the night in a drafty cabin (flannel, polar fleece, and whiskey be damned), readers are treated to an unforgettable tour through a landscape that ranges from the exalted to the absurd. Along the way Bodo deftly captures the spirit and passion of this rich American pursuit, tracing its history back to the days of Lewis and Clark and examining that age old question: “Why do men hunt?”

In their formative years, whitetails develop an intimate relationship with their environment. Thereafter, these big game animals resonate in perfect harmony with their specific surroundings. Behavior patterns of timberland, mountain bred, prairie flats and farm country deer vary substantially. Whitetails behave differently depending on where they are hunted. Predominantly, habitat dictates habits and routines in daily activity. Deer patterns become relatively uniform and reasonably predictable in any particular region. Irrespective of where they live, all whitetails become creatures of habit. Dragan Vujic has hunted whitetails extensively in the checkered agricultural belts scattered along both sides of the border between Canada and the United States. He shares forty years of hunting experience in this informative book. Initially, Dragan examines and explores the common characteristics of farm country deer. Subsequently, he enumerates and analyzes the drivers and motivators of whitetail behavior. Thereafter, having integrated all of the relevant information, the author suggests several effective strategies for harvesting farm country whitetails. [email protected]

Records of North American Whitetail Deer is the definitive history book of trophy whitetail deer in North America. This greatly expanded fourth edition features: Over 7,500 listings of whitetail deer from the Boone and Crockett Club's Records Program dating back to the late 1800s up through December 31, 2002; that's nearly double the entries from the previous edition published just seven years ago. Over 35 new state and provincial records; geographic analysis of each state in the U.S., highlighting the top trophy-producing counties; individual state and provincial lists of typical and non-typical whitetail and Coues' deer; photos of all the state, provincial, and Mexican typical and non-typical whitetail deer records; numerous field photos of trophy quality whitetail deer; reproductions of typical and non-typical whitetail deer score charts with basic scoring instructions.

This book discusses ways to study deer habitats, scientific deer hunting strategies, methods of locating trophy bucks, and tips on field judging whitetails.

Color photographs and text describe the habitat and behavior of the whitetailed deer throughout the seasons.