Thread: Must have Classic hunting books.

What's everyone think are some of the must reads? Starting a bit of a collection but looking for some of the titles to look out for.

Hunter Climb High by Keith Severinsen and Deer Hunter by Joff Thomson are both good reads

My Stalking Memories by Major Wilson
If you are interested in a bit of history Bruce Banwell early books are a good start. ( e.g. Red Stags of Rakaia, Highland Stages of Otago, Wapiti in NZ)
Light reading Philip Holden has about 20. Pack and Rifle will give you a good taste of his stuff.

The Sharp Shooter, by Matt and Bruce Grant

You’ll learn no harm from the Hills, Of mountains, men and deer,
Anything by Charlie Janes.

A lot of good ones Hunter Climb High by Keith Severinsen was one of the first.
Got me interested in the 30-06.
Dad worked at Centre Hill so the Mavora bits were real interesting.
Drove into the Mavora Lakes a few years ago and remember him saying to get from Centre Hill to the furthest they mustered was about 9 hrs on horse.
Bit different now.
Pack and Rifle was the first I bought myself and was a good read.
Interesting to go the huts like the Harkness that he wrote about hunting from.
Mind you only got a .243 in the last couple of years.

Classics...
A Hunters Wanderings in Africa - Frederick Selous
African Game Trails - Theodore Roosevelt
Use Enough Gun - Robert Ruark

There are probably 3 main groups of NZ hunting books: ones from about the 1960s and earlier tell of huge deer and pig numbers before commercial helicopter and foot hunting, eg. "Hunting in New Zealand" by R. Forrester and N. Illingworth- THE classic!; "Two Dogs and a Rifle" and "Pighunting in New Zealand" by K. Cuthbertson; "The Venison Hunters" by M. Bennett; "Deer on my Doorstep" by C. Davey.
The second group is of "instructional" books, eg. "Red Deer in NZ" and "Stalking the Seasons Round" both by Lentle and Saxton.
The third group is of recent hunting tales- these are being churned out all the time and vary in quality, but some of the better ones are: "The Boar and the Pigdog" by R. Carr; "Game Trails" and "Classic NZ Mountain Hunts" both by D. McClunie, and "Tracks of a Hunter" by J. Royle.

I am very discriminating over the books that I buy, yet my NZ hunting book collection totals 126.

Is there a website from where these books can be ordered?

Originally Posted by Inder

Is there a website from where these books can be ordered?

Watch hunting books on Trade Me, the sort-after ones go for top $.

"Pack and rifle" is my top pick of all time. I've not read any of the new crop (last couple of decades).

I see a NZ Deer Heads just sold for $1900....

Awesome keep em coming. I've inherited the complete Banwell NZDA collection from a mate. And have pack and rifle, hunter for hire, hunting in NZ, stalking the seasons around, and amuri hunter. Got through a fair few but thought i may as well start a bit of a collection as i love the history of it all.

+ 1 for Bennet and his 'Venison Hunters'

@Stocky I have some of these, they were given to me by an older shooter, with the intention i should read then sell them on his behalf. Any funds would go direct to this retired gent, and help him get a new pair of spectacles. ( he really needs cataract surgery but I dont think he will get the funding for that.)

Hunting the hard way .... by Howard Hill

Big Game hunting in New Zealand.... By Gary Joll

Straight Shooting ....... by Jack Pollard

The Straight Shooter ......By Matt and Bruce Grant

The Book of Shooting for Sport and Skill

I can post up a photo of any you want to show their condition, all but hunting the hard way still have dust jackets.
I have no idea as to their value but put a price on it and anyone else can cry bullshit if it should go for more.