Buck Fever

by Sajna, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780822954361
• ISBN10: 0822954362
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1990-08-07
• Publisher: Univ of Pittsburgh Pr

Summary

Every fall close to one million hunters enter Pennsylvaniars"s forests and mountains in quest of the white-tailed deer. Some are seeking sport and companionship; others are stocking their larders for winter; many are conservationists who regard hunting as the most humane way of reducing overpopulated deer herds. They all face the increasing activism of animal rights advocates who are opposed to hunting in principle and who frequently picket and harass hunters. This controversial subject is explored in depth by Mike Sajna, the outdoors columnist forPittsburgh Magazineand a twenty-year veteran of Pennsylvaniars"s "pumpkin army," the orange-clad throng that invades the woods every season. To explain the ethos and traditions of hunting he takes the reader to a typical deer camp in Warren County, in the rugged terrain of the Allegheny High Plateau. Starting with the trek north from their homes around Pittsburgh, he captures the sights and sounds, thoughts and feelings of three generations of hunters. With humor, affection, and insight he recounts the hunting lore, the camaraderie, the physical testing that make deer camp a unique experience.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Winter Memories	3	(5)
North Country Trails	8	(9)
Of Mountains, Deer, and Lenape	17	(7)
Pumpkin Army	24	(17)
To Sell the Sky	41	(9)
Big Bucks, Falling Pants, and Carbohydrates	50	(16)
Recoil	66	(13)
Buck Fever	79	(18)
Leatherstockings	97	(13)
Counting Coup	110	(19)
Bearded Bards of Long Ago	129	(16)
Fate of the Forest	145	(15)
The Weight of Success	160	(6)
Monarchs of the Woods	166	(16)
Sparring	182	(11)
Computer Model	193	(8)
The Last Bite	201	(18)
Notes	219	(6)
Bibliography	225	(4)
Index	229