The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game

by Steven Rinella, John Hafner (Photographer)

Overview

A comprehensive big-game hunting guide, perfect for hunters ranging from first-time novices to seasoned experts, with more than 400 full-color photographs, including work by renowned outdoor photographer John Hafner  

Steven Rinella was raised in a hunting family and has been pursuing wild game his entire life. In this first-ever complete guide to hunting—from hunting an animal to butchering and cooking it—the host of the popular hunting show MeatEater shares his own expertise with us, and imparts strategies and tactics from many of the most experienced hunters in the United States as well.
 
This invaluable book includes
• recommendations on what equipment you will need—and what you can do without—from clothing to cutlery to camping gear to weapons
• basic and advanced hunting strategies, including spot-and-stalk hunting, ambush hunting, still hunting, drive hunting, and backpack hunting
• how to effectively use decoys and calling for big game
• how to find hunting locations, on both public and private land, and how to locate areas that other hunters aren’t using
• how and when to scout hunting locations for maximum effectiveness
• basic information on procuring hunting tags, including limited-entry “draw” tags
• a species-by-species description of fourteen big-game animals, from their mating rituals and preferred habitats to the best hunting techniques—both firearm and archery—for each species
• how to plan and pack for backcountry hunts
• instructions on how to break down any big-game animal and transport it from your hunting site
• how to butcher your own big-game animals and select the proper cuts for sausages, roasts, and steaks, and how to utilize underappreciated cuts such as ribs and shanks
• cooking techniques and recipes, for both outdoor and indoor preparation of wild game

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812994063
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/18/2015
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	26,318
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

In addition to being an expert chef known for working with wild game, Steven Rinella is an outdoorsman, writer, and television and podcast personality with an exceptional ability to communicate the hunting lifestyle to a wide variety of audiences. The host of the television show and podcast MeatEater, he is also the author of two volumes of The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game; Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter; American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon; and The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine. His writing has appeared in many publications, including Outside, Field & Stream, The New Yorker, Glamour, The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Salon, O: The Oprah Magazine, Bowhunter, and the anthologies Best American Travel Writing and Best Food Writing.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Steven Rinella.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

07/06/2015
Rinella (Meat Eater; American Buffalo) continues his winning streak of crafting passionate, informed treatises on outdoor living in this fascinating examination of hunting bear, elk, and moose as well as more commonly hunted species such as whitetail deer. Rinella thoughtfully walks fellow hunters through the process of choosing the proper weapons, selecting the right tools such as binoculars and navigation tools, the art of loading one’s pack, and getting permission from land owners before setting out on a hunt. Once in the field, readers will appreciate Rinella’s fine points on tactics such as stalking and using decoys as well as tips that can only come from a veteran, such as talking to backpackers for information on animal activity and shooting technique in order to ensure a successful hunt. Once they’ve downed an animal, Rinella offers detailed tips accompanied by helpful photos to aid in butchering for consumption or taxidermy. Surprisingly, the book’s weak spot is its final chapter, covering recipes for making the most of one’s bounty. Rinella doesn’t offer too many tips beyond the obvious grilled steaks and jerky, though wild pig hunters will appreciate his simple but flavorful recipe for smoked ham. It’s a minor flaw in a book that’s terrifically informative and is sure to inspire hunters to start poring over maps and readying themselves for their next hunt. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly