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Call of the Mild: Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner
When Lily Raff McCaulou traded in an indie film production career in New York for a reporting job in central Oregon, she never imagined that she'd find herself picking up a gun and learning to hunt. She'd been raised as a gun-fearing environmentalist and an animal lover, and though a meat-eater, she'd always abided by the principle that harming animals is wrong. But Raff McCaulou's perspective shifted when she began spending weekends fly-fishing and weekdays interviewing hunters for her articles, realizing that many of them were more thoughtful about animals and the environment than she was.
So she embarked upon the project of learning to hunt from square one. From attending a Hunter Safety course designed for children to field dressing an elk and serving it for dinner, she explores the sport of hunting and all it entails, and tackles the big questions surrounding one of the most misunderstood American practices and pastimes. Not just a personal memoir, this book also explores the role of the hunter in the twenty-first century, the tension (at times artificial) between hunters and environmentalists, and new models of sustainable and ethical food procurement.
So she embarked upon the project of learning to hunt from square one. From attending a Hunter Safety course designed for children to field dressing an elk and serving it for dinner, she explores the sport of hunting and all it entails, and tackles the big questions surrounding one of the most misunderstood American practices and pastimes. Not just a personal memoir, this book also explores the role of the hunter in the twenty-first century, the tension (at times artificial) between hunters and environmentalists, and new models of sustainable and ethical food procurement.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 7, 2013
Hunting gets a bad rap. At least in the U.S., liberals (full disclosure: I'm very liberal) seem to think of hunters as NRA-obsessed redneck whack jobs who think the world would be safer if everyone shot everyone else. I'll get my politics out of the way upfront: I believe in extraordinarily tight gun control, including extensive background checks and limits as to which types of guns can be purchased. I think buying a gun for "self-defense" is bullshit, and I'm disgusted by the fact that I live in a country where people are free to murder children on the street in broad daylight, without any fear of retribution. Actually, I think hunting is the only valid reason to purchase a gun.
However, in Call of the Mild, Lily Raff McCaulous dispels the "hunters as gun-crazed rednecks" stereotype. A liberal herself, she notes that only a small percentage of gun owners actually hunt, and that these hunters seem to care more about the environment than urban, vegan Prius owners. Raff McCaulou took up hunting, not because her parents hunted, but because she wanted to feel more connected to the source of her food.
I found this to be a thought-provoking memoir, especially since it presents a balanced viewpoint of what it means to hunt. Raff McCaulou notes the hypocrisy of animal-loving vegetarians who despise hunting on principle, as hunting is usually necessary for population control. She writes "Before I began to hunt, I thought of animals as individuals, with families and emotions and a whole slew of anthropomorphic traits. This strikes me as the environmentalist, vegetarian, animal lover's approach: Any death of any individual being is painful and bad. The trouble is, I now think of animals as members of a population and as individuals. It makes for a lot of hand-wringing. But maybe it's a necessary paradox; it's what makes me a responsible hunter." She also notes that, in one survey, 60% of self-identified vegetarians ate meat within the last 24 hours. Not that she's trying to skewer vegetarians. Instead, she calls into question the idea that the best thing for animals is for people to blindly adopt a vegetarian diet. Like most difficult issues, it's much more complicated than that.
This isn't a well-known book, which is a shame. I heartily recommend it, especially for foodies who dig the farm to table concept.
However, in Call of the Mild, Lily Raff McCaulous dispels the "hunters as gun-crazed rednecks" stereotype. A liberal herself, she notes that only a small percentage of gun owners actually hunt, and that these hunters seem to care more about the environment than urban, vegan Prius owners. Raff McCaulou took up hunting, not because her parents hunted, but because she wanted to feel more connected to the source of her food.
I found this to be a thought-provoking memoir, especially since it presents a balanced viewpoint of what it means to hunt. Raff McCaulou notes the hypocrisy of animal-loving vegetarians who despise hunting on principle, as hunting is usually necessary for population control. She writes "Before I began to hunt, I thought of animals as individuals, with families and emotions and a whole slew of anthropomorphic traits. This strikes me as the environmentalist, vegetarian, animal lover's approach: Any death of any individual being is painful and bad. The trouble is, I now think of animals as members of a population and as individuals. It makes for a lot of hand-wringing. But maybe it's a necessary paradox; it's what makes me a responsible hunter." She also notes that, in one survey, 60% of self-identified vegetarians ate meat within the last 24 hours. Not that she's trying to skewer vegetarians. Instead, she calls into question the idea that the best thing for animals is for people to blindly adopt a vegetarian diet. Like most difficult issues, it's much more complicated than that.
This isn't a well-known book, which is a shame. I heartily recommend it, especially for foodies who dig the farm to table concept.
June 20, 2015
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. When I first received it I was somewhat unenthusiastic because I am a hunter (at least I consider myself a hunter) and I have done it since I was able. At twelve years old I received a shotgun for my birthday and two years later I bought my own rifle. How could someone who was born and raised in the city and had a liberal background tell me anything I wanted to know about hunting?
I am blown away at the transformation that the Author went through as she moved to Oregon and not only learned to hunt, but became a hunter. I respect her decision and I hope that the way that she went about it will distill in my own mind so that my own hunting can be as meaningful.
The writing style is great. It reads like it was written by a journalist and flows very well. Each chapter is sculpted perfectly and links so well to the next that the entire book is enthralling and kept me reading for hours. I am very thankful as well for the notes section at the end that gives a comprehensive list of references because I hope to peruse many of those books and writings as well.
Well done, Mrs. McCaulou, and good luck with your future.
I am blown away at the transformation that the Author went through as she moved to Oregon and not only learned to hunt, but became a hunter. I respect her decision and I hope that the way that she went about it will distill in my own mind so that my own hunting can be as meaningful.
The writing style is great. It reads like it was written by a journalist and flows very well. Each chapter is sculpted perfectly and links so well to the next that the entire book is enthralling and kept me reading for hours. I am very thankful as well for the notes section at the end that gives a comprehensive list of references because I hope to peruse many of those books and writings as well.
Well done, Mrs. McCaulou, and good luck with your future.
August 25, 2012
Call of the Mild was SO much better than Girl Hunter by Georgia Pellegrini. Lily McCaulou moves from New York City to Bend, Oregon to work for a small newspaper. She expects this to be a pit stop in her career where she can get experience before moving on to bigger and better things. But, then she meets Scott, falls in love, and decides to stay in Bend permanently. While working for the newspaper in Bend Lily interviews and meets lots of hunters. Not growing up around guns Lily always assumed hunting was evil and hunters only cared about getting a trophy kill. But, she quickly realizes that the hunters she meets genuinely care more about the environment than she does. She starts to also realize that by eating meat, she's already participating in killing animals for food, so maybe hunting would be a more logical step than continuing to eat factory-farmed meat. Call of the Mild recounts Lily's story from her decision to move to Bend, all the way through her progression into hunting from buying her first gun all the way to shooting a bull elk. I really, really enjoyed this book for all of Lily's honesty about her fears about guns and hunting to the respect and awe she felt when killing and then preparing the animals she hunted to eat.
Some quotes I really liked from the book:
After talking about the typical life of a factory meat chicken compared to a wild goose she hunted and ate. "To me, the story of my chicken's life is an undeniably sad one, although I can't know what my chicken thought and felt...Here is what I do know: I bear responsibility for the death of my goose. But I bear responsibility for the entire life and death of my chicken. And one of those scenarios is more bearable to me than the other. My goose probably endured near-misses by other hunters and possibly cars. She endured hard, hungry winters. She may have lost a mate to hunting or to disease. Some of her goslings were probably snatched up by a fox before they could fly. But none of that was my fault. My chicken would never have lived at all if not for demand by meat eaters like me. No matter how little I saw of it, everything about my chicken's life and death was my doing. A natural death was out of the question because his entire life was, in a way, unnatural." (p.147)
People tend to get VERY upset and will protest over animals in shelters being euthanized, animals being used in science experiments, etc. "Anthrozoologist Hal Herzog writes that Americans 'kill 200 food animals for every animal used in a scientific experiment, 2,000 for for each unwanted dog euthanized in an animal shelter and 40,000 for every baby harp seal bludgeoned to death on a Canadian ice floe.'" (p.202)
"To me, hunting my own meat feels like saying grace before a meal and really, for the first time in my life, meaning it. I grew up in a household that said grace before supper: God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for our food. As a kid, I thought it was a little silly. It was the only time we ever mentioned God. And the imperfect rhyme bothered me. It is only since I started killing my dinner - watched it switch, in an instant, from living to dead - that I have felt truly grateful for a meal." (p. 209)
Some quotes I really liked from the book:
After talking about the typical life of a factory meat chicken compared to a wild goose she hunted and ate. "To me, the story of my chicken's life is an undeniably sad one, although I can't know what my chicken thought and felt...Here is what I do know: I bear responsibility for the death of my goose. But I bear responsibility for the entire life and death of my chicken. And one of those scenarios is more bearable to me than the other. My goose probably endured near-misses by other hunters and possibly cars. She endured hard, hungry winters. She may have lost a mate to hunting or to disease. Some of her goslings were probably snatched up by a fox before they could fly. But none of that was my fault. My chicken would never have lived at all if not for demand by meat eaters like me. No matter how little I saw of it, everything about my chicken's life and death was my doing. A natural death was out of the question because his entire life was, in a way, unnatural." (p.147)
People tend to get VERY upset and will protest over animals in shelters being euthanized, animals being used in science experiments, etc. "Anthrozoologist Hal Herzog writes that Americans 'kill 200 food animals for every animal used in a scientific experiment, 2,000 for for each unwanted dog euthanized in an animal shelter and 40,000 for every baby harp seal bludgeoned to death on a Canadian ice floe.'" (p.202)
"To me, hunting my own meat feels like saying grace before a meal and really, for the first time in my life, meaning it. I grew up in a household that said grace before supper: God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for our food. As a kid, I thought it was a little silly. It was the only time we ever mentioned God. And the imperfect rhyme bothered me. It is only since I started killing my dinner - watched it switch, in an instant, from living to dead - that I have felt truly grateful for a meal." (p. 209)
August 6, 2016
Overall I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone, unless you are a die-hard vegetarian or vegan (I was both at one time or another). At first I thought she had a very charmed life, easily getting a job at a newspaper across the country from where she was living, without having much "real world" journalism experience. This feeling continued as I read that she quickly made friends in her new home town of Bend, OR (doesn't happen to me as an introvert!), and was soon set up with a man who she fell in love with and married.
It all seemed so lacking in real life hardships! But later on in the book she has a number of personal adversities to deal with (I'll not say more), so I actually could sense her growing up and maturing as a person. She has an eloquent way of relaying these hard experiences with her developing relationship with hunting.
I really liked that she was so honest discussing her hunting experiences, from taking a safety course with kids, to describing her varying experiences with shopping for guns. Not to mention her moral dilemma, and examining why she wanted to learn how to hunt, and discussing the wide range of attitudes of hunters. She also discusses at great length how hunting can play a role in ecosystem management, an obviously provocative and sensitive topic. I appreciate that she considers hunting to be a privilege, rather than an inalienable right.
I did have a quibble early on when she discusses the negative environmental impact of eating meat. She states statistics which are attributable to conventional industrial meat production, without mentioning anything about small scale family farmers raising animals ethically, and responsibly stewarding their land. I do realize that pastured grass fed meat raised on small family farms is not available everywhere, and is usually more expensive than conventional, so is not accessible to everyone, but it seemed a glaring omission to me.
It all seemed so lacking in real life hardships! But later on in the book she has a number of personal adversities to deal with (I'll not say more), so I actually could sense her growing up and maturing as a person. She has an eloquent way of relaying these hard experiences with her developing relationship with hunting.
I really liked that she was so honest discussing her hunting experiences, from taking a safety course with kids, to describing her varying experiences with shopping for guns. Not to mention her moral dilemma, and examining why she wanted to learn how to hunt, and discussing the wide range of attitudes of hunters. She also discusses at great length how hunting can play a role in ecosystem management, an obviously provocative and sensitive topic. I appreciate that she considers hunting to be a privilege, rather than an inalienable right.
I did have a quibble early on when she discusses the negative environmental impact of eating meat. She states statistics which are attributable to conventional industrial meat production, without mentioning anything about small scale family farmers raising animals ethically, and responsibly stewarding their land. I do realize that pastured grass fed meat raised on small family farms is not available everywhere, and is usually more expensive than conventional, so is not accessible to everyone, but it seemed a glaring omission to me.
October 14, 2012
It is hard to imagine making the decision to hunt, to track an animal or wait for birds, rabbits, or deer to happen by and be prepared to shoot. I have long believed, however, that it is admirable and ethical to do so, to know and appreciate the animal one consumes. Lily McCaulou does just that. She attended classes to learn how to handle her guns, how to hunt for birds then mammals. She considered the environmental impact of her decision to hunt and balanced that with a green life-style. Call of the Mild is an interesting and thoughtful book.
November 12, 2012
I saw the author at the book festival and picked up this book on a whim, which worked out very well indeed. Lily Raff McCaulou is an east coast liberal who moves to Oregon and learns to hunt. This memoir is about her experience, but the beauty of it is in her thoughtful meditations on what it means to be a responsible part of the food chain. Compelling, sometimes surprising, and definitely thought-provoking.
June 25, 2012
I am so glad I came across this book.
I loved this book. Though I was drawn to it because of the "new hunter" aspect, there is so much more to this story. I did not want to put it down, and I did not want it to end. The author does a great job explaining how and why she got into hunting. As someone who is learning to hunt as an adult, I could relate to so much of what she talked about, especially all the emotions that go into your decision to hunt. This story is thought provoking, funny, and interesting, I would highly recommend it.
I loved this book. Though I was drawn to it because of the "new hunter" aspect, there is so much more to this story. I did not want to put it down, and I did not want it to end. The author does a great job explaining how and why she got into hunting. As someone who is learning to hunt as an adult, I could relate to so much of what she talked about, especially all the emotions that go into your decision to hunt. This story is thought provoking, funny, and interesting, I would highly recommend it.
April 8, 2013
I really liked this book and I'm excited to talk about it at book club. The author ruminates on many of the same problems and feelings I have about food production and consumption, conservation and environmentalism. I told my husband I might be interested in going pheasant hunting, maybe, after reading this book and he was so excited, he offered to take me to the trap range TODAY to practice.
June 28, 2012
Perfect in so many ways. Insight into personal development of really smart caring 20 something. Learnied alot about central Oregan, hunting philosophy and environmentalism. Much much more thought provoking and much less preachy than J.S. Froer's book.
September 18, 2012
Really enjoyed the progression of Lily's hunting skills and more importantly, where she learned them. I also enjoyed the environmental implications of hunting and how we are wrong to demonize hunters. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Bend and the forays into the wilderness.
March 10, 2021
The Call of the Mild is a great book. We see Lily who is a New York city slicker afraid of guns and is a “bunny huger” move to Oregon and become a great outdoors women. Throughout this book we go on a journey with Lily from getting her hunters ed, to not being gun shy and harvesting her first birds and elk. This book is a great book for anti hunters and hunters to read and understand a hunters perspective. A lot of people see hunters as cruel people that don’t care about animals or the environment and like killing animals for fun. There is more to hunting then just shooting animals. You learn survival and life skills that really no other experiences can teach you. After reading this book you see how the mindset of an anti gun and anti hunter changes. As Lily spends more and more time around hunters she sees that majority of hunters don’t just walk in the woods and shoot the first thing they see. She learns how hunters survey the land in and out of hunting season, how hunters support the government to protect their lands, forests, and animals, and how MOST hunters respect the animals and their harvest. Also throughout the book she realizes how humane hunting is and how much of a challenge it is. It’s easy for someone to go drive to the store and buy meat from an animal that was raised to stand in a pen fatten up and be killed, but it’s difficult to get up early go walk miles on end and probably not see one animal or track. I would I highly suggest reading this book if you are thinking about getting into hunting and or against the sport of hunting. This is a great book that people need to read and know about. Hunting is fading away and this book can really give it a major comeback in a very positive way.
September 30, 2019
Always like experiences/examples of people picking up skills that are polar to who they were and what they thought they were capable of and exploring it as whole.
January 31, 2023
I read this in college and changed my entire perspective on hunting and aided in my decision to stop eating meat. A super interesting read
June 10, 2012
I am happy to say this was one of my most enjoyable reads so far this year. The biographical story is of a young urban journalist who decides to choose adventure over comfort zone. She moves to the great Northwest for a job, and finds herself learning more than I think she planned on. While I found myself amused repeatedly by her prejudices (truthfully afraid that a gun will spontaneously go off) she also repeatedly made me think. I happen to be comfortable around firearms because I was raised around them. She had to truly be a seeker for the truth, confront superstition and hypocrisy in a very personal way to live and write such a fascinating memoir. I found myself repeatedly talking back to this book. Anyone who confronts her own prejudices in such an honest way is impressive. I found her descriptions of looking for the kind of hunters she would be comfortable learning from and hunting with reminded me of when I was learning to fly a plane. Some pilots are fly by the seat of their pants-don’t do the entire preflight, estimate the weight/ balance sheet instead of doing the work-I never wanted to step foot in their planes! Some hunters are the same, not thoughtful about where they are pointing their weapon, not thoughtful about their responsibility to be good stewards of the wildlife and land they depend upon and love. I imagine the people who involve themselves in any pastime can be divided into those who think and those who are irresponsible. The ethics of hunting, the responsibility to the world we live in, these were things I grew up absorbing from men and women who lived by codes that they had considered and were willing to discuss and defend. It was interesting to hear someone who had not experience this, enter this world in a thoughtful way. I really enjoyed getting to see thru her eyes, and consider a point of view I have always found puzzling from the inside.
When her husband tells her casually while she struggles on a hiking trip that she is in
“Fortitude Valley” I yelled aloud at recognition. Yes, who has not been in that particular valley? If you haven’t –you will be someday. Do not dismiss this book as simply a progressive’s journey into the world of hunting, like all great books, it is fundamentally about much much more. Family, choices, honesty, commitment and so much more. I also loved her use of research and fact finding to help her make choices.
I have to admit I was deeply amused by a reporter complaining about the shallowness of media reporting, amused and in total agreement! (pg 192)
Anyone who has watched, or tried to watch Portlandia, will recognize some of the over analysis that she experiences and describes. Of course any human will also have experienced the temptation to paralyze you self by over thinking your situation. Although, having lived a bit north of where she lived-I have to attest to the accuracy of her descriptions. It is funny, but it is also truthful.
To summarize, she is a truth seeker. This book made me think. This is one of the highest compliments I know how to give. I will remember her story and look forward to reading her next books.
disclaimer-I received a copy of Call of the Mild by Lily R McCaulou for free with a request to review it.
When her husband tells her casually while she struggles on a hiking trip that she is in
“Fortitude Valley” I yelled aloud at recognition. Yes, who has not been in that particular valley? If you haven’t –you will be someday. Do not dismiss this book as simply a progressive’s journey into the world of hunting, like all great books, it is fundamentally about much much more. Family, choices, honesty, commitment and so much more. I also loved her use of research and fact finding to help her make choices.
I have to admit I was deeply amused by a reporter complaining about the shallowness of media reporting, amused and in total agreement! (pg 192)
Anyone who has watched, or tried to watch Portlandia, will recognize some of the over analysis that she experiences and describes. Of course any human will also have experienced the temptation to paralyze you self by over thinking your situation. Although, having lived a bit north of where she lived-I have to attest to the accuracy of her descriptions. It is funny, but it is also truthful.
To summarize, she is a truth seeker. This book made me think. This is one of the highest compliments I know how to give. I will remember her story and look forward to reading her next books.
disclaimer-I received a copy of Call of the Mild by Lily R McCaulou for free with a request to review it.
March 7, 2013
I was given this book for Christmas by my husband who was a hunting guide. It was recommended to him by his mother. I wasn’t sure what to think about it as hunting is not really my thing, however I was pleasantly surprised with this book as it was fascinating and well-written and it made me think about my own choices in regards to where my food comes from. I have read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defence of Food” by Michael Pollan, both of which I also really enjoyed and this book belongs beside them on the bookshelf. I really feel that in today’s society we are so far removed from where our food comes from, especially meat, and most of us don’t think about meat in the form of the original living, breathing animal and what it goes through before it is slaughtered and ends up neatly packaged in the grocery store. In additional to these issues, a lot of our food goes to waste as well.
Although a meat eater, McCaulou, raised as a liberal gun-fearing environmentalist, always felt that harming animals is wrong. Many people feel the same way and will criticize hunters even if they hunt for meat, not just for the trophy. However these same people still will happily tuck into a store-bought steak or chicken, probably not really thinking about how that meat got on their plate. “Call of the Mild” is the story of the author who took a reporting job in Oregon and started to fly fish on weekends as well as meet hunters as a part of her job. She started to learn that most hunters had environmental consciences. This ultimately led her to learn to handle a gun and hunt and the book is a story of this journey, and her change in perspective towards hunting and the food we eat. From her experiences she learnt to have more of a feeling of gratitude to the animal that gave its life so she could eat and she found lots of meaning in the whole experience.
Whilst for the most part this book was enjoyable to read, it was not without it’s uncomfortable bits. On example is that she did compare the lives of a goose she shot and a store bought chicken. Chicken was on the menu for us that evening and it nearly didn’t get cooked! Let’s just leave it at that. McCaulou also went into quite graphic detail in regards to field dressing an elk as well.
I think that people in general take too lightly the ease by which we can obtain meat. Most of us eat meat every day, which is an increase from the past. This is why for some, McCaulou’s book may be uncomfortable to read, which just proves the point of how so far we are removed from nature.
As for myself, of late, I have tried to put more thought into where our food comes from, though by no means am I a person that will only shop in the organic section of the grocery store (mainly due to budget concerns). We purchase pork and beef from local farmers and a few years ago my husband shot a deer which made yummy garlic sausages and chops. “Call of the Mild” did make me think about whether or not to hunt (after all I am married to an ex-hunting guide) because I do believe a person should be questioning their relationship to meat, after all, “if you can’t kill it you shouldn’t be eating it.”
Although a meat eater, McCaulou, raised as a liberal gun-fearing environmentalist, always felt that harming animals is wrong. Many people feel the same way and will criticize hunters even if they hunt for meat, not just for the trophy. However these same people still will happily tuck into a store-bought steak or chicken, probably not really thinking about how that meat got on their plate. “Call of the Mild” is the story of the author who took a reporting job in Oregon and started to fly fish on weekends as well as meet hunters as a part of her job. She started to learn that most hunters had environmental consciences. This ultimately led her to learn to handle a gun and hunt and the book is a story of this journey, and her change in perspective towards hunting and the food we eat. From her experiences she learnt to have more of a feeling of gratitude to the animal that gave its life so she could eat and she found lots of meaning in the whole experience.
Whilst for the most part this book was enjoyable to read, it was not without it’s uncomfortable bits. On example is that she did compare the lives of a goose she shot and a store bought chicken. Chicken was on the menu for us that evening and it nearly didn’t get cooked! Let’s just leave it at that. McCaulou also went into quite graphic detail in regards to field dressing an elk as well.
I think that people in general take too lightly the ease by which we can obtain meat. Most of us eat meat every day, which is an increase from the past. This is why for some, McCaulou’s book may be uncomfortable to read, which just proves the point of how so far we are removed from nature.
As for myself, of late, I have tried to put more thought into where our food comes from, though by no means am I a person that will only shop in the organic section of the grocery store (mainly due to budget concerns). We purchase pork and beef from local farmers and a few years ago my husband shot a deer which made yummy garlic sausages and chops. “Call of the Mild” did make me think about whether or not to hunt (after all I am married to an ex-hunting guide) because I do believe a person should be questioning their relationship to meat, after all, “if you can’t kill it you shouldn’t be eating it.”
August 19, 2013
This is an interesting an affable read about someone who takes an 90 degree turn in life and comes up smelling like roses. Lily leaves a life in New York City, that only NYC can provide, to move to Bend Oregon to jump start her writing career as a journalist. The places are very different and it's at a time that Bend is becoming more gentrified. There's a fish out of water aspect, which I find a little tedious, but she doesn't dwell on that. She writes more about how her life evolves. What started as a year or two commitment becomes her home.
One way it evolves is that she learns how to hunt animals. Part-journalistic curiosity, part-justification for eating meat, part-this is what a lot of people do in my new hometown and part-the people who she befriends and loves in her new life, fish and hunt, and curiously enough are more environmentally aware than she thought. As we follow her new path from the very beginning, this includes how she arrives at the decision to even think about hunting to State run safety schools to learning to buy a gun in a shop, to her first shoot it seems only natural that she would be taking this path. It's very interesting how well the whole idea seems to come around organically. That she grew up in a hippie enclave on the East Coast that was incredibly left-wing and anti- gun, just goes to show what an open mind can accomplish. She could of been reared in such a way to only put hunters in her own pre-made box.
She delivers good arguments for hunters on a lot of environmental fronts and once she starts shooting her meals we are given quite a few statistics that if you saw The Corporation or any in-depth critique of the modern meat industry, you will recognize right off the bat. Some of the information I never wanted to see ever again and yet here it is.
One way it evolves is that she learns how to hunt animals. Part-journalistic curiosity, part-justification for eating meat, part-this is what a lot of people do in my new hometown and part-the people who she befriends and loves in her new life, fish and hunt, and curiously enough are more environmentally aware than she thought. As we follow her new path from the very beginning, this includes how she arrives at the decision to even think about hunting to State run safety schools to learning to buy a gun in a shop, to her first shoot it seems only natural that she would be taking this path. It's very interesting how well the whole idea seems to come around organically. That she grew up in a hippie enclave on the East Coast that was incredibly left-wing and anti- gun, just goes to show what an open mind can accomplish. She could of been reared in such a way to only put hunters in her own pre-made box.
She delivers good arguments for hunters on a lot of environmental fronts and once she starts shooting her meals we are given quite a few statistics that if you saw The Corporation or any in-depth critique of the modern meat industry, you will recognize right off the bat. Some of the information I never wanted to see ever again and yet here it is.
December 24, 2012
Surprisingly (to me) excellent book. Memoir by young person who grew up a Takoma Park, MD liberal, with a single prominent theme (her learning to fish and hunt after moving from NYC to Bend, Oregon for newspaper job) that concerns a sport in which I have zero interest. And yet it was fascinating to follow her story. Three hypothesized causes:
(a) She's a really good writer. I'll be curious to look up her other stuff.
(b) While a few of the details continued to strike me as gross (field dressing elk) or boring (tracking down recipes for using up the enormous amount of meat so generated; nuances of shopping for her first gun for shooting birds), much of the story is told in such a way as to be relateable for non-hunters -- trying to learn something new as an adult, fitting into the community in a new place, feeling ambivalent about the effects of your hobby, being passionate about something your spouse takes only a slight interest in, etc.
(c) the sidebars about her life are great -- falling in love, getting married, deliberating about having kids, ups and downs with sibs and neighbors. Author comes across as a great person and a pleasure to listen to about whatever is going on in her life, quite apart from the hunting riff.
Lots of hand-wringing about how it feels to kill an animal, but not in a self-pitying way. Interesting environmentalist spin summarized here:
"Hunting and angling teach us to understand the earth in a way that more passive activities such as hiking and nature-watching cannot. We must not lose our fluency with the natural world--because if we do, we will lose our greatest reason for protecting it." (p. 296).
(a) She's a really good writer. I'll be curious to look up her other stuff.
(b) While a few of the details continued to strike me as gross (field dressing elk) or boring (tracking down recipes for using up the enormous amount of meat so generated; nuances of shopping for her first gun for shooting birds), much of the story is told in such a way as to be relateable for non-hunters -- trying to learn something new as an adult, fitting into the community in a new place, feeling ambivalent about the effects of your hobby, being passionate about something your spouse takes only a slight interest in, etc.
(c) the sidebars about her life are great -- falling in love, getting married, deliberating about having kids, ups and downs with sibs and neighbors. Author comes across as a great person and a pleasure to listen to about whatever is going on in her life, quite apart from the hunting riff.
Lots of hand-wringing about how it feels to kill an animal, but not in a self-pitying way. Interesting environmentalist spin summarized here:
"Hunting and angling teach us to understand the earth in a way that more passive activities such as hiking and nature-watching cannot. We must not lose our fluency with the natural world--because if we do, we will lose our greatest reason for protecting it." (p. 296).
March 2, 2013
A fascinating book that is a good combination of informative, accessible, and thoughtful. It was an important book for me to read, I think: although I have many relatives who love to hunt, I have never done it myself and feel mildly uncomfortable about the whole thing. Also, despite being somewhat conservative by inclination, I am pretty anti-gun, and have often disdained hard-core gun-rights advocates.
Having said all that, the experiences of Ms. McCaulou felt like they were written just for me! Her journey from gun-fearing, animal-loving liberal to confident, tough game hunter felt organic, methodical, and illuminating. It changed much of her worldview...and it changed much of mine too! I finished the book with a much better understanding of true gun safety; of a hunter's goals, methods, and philosophies; of how conservationists and hunters have similar goals and need to work together more fluidly; or how killing our own food provides us with a more personal, intimate connection between ourselves and the animal kingdom.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to better understand the "hunting life," and who wants to see what place hunting has in modern society. It was an eye-opener. There were a few uneven chapters, but overall a very nice read.
Having said all that, the experiences of Ms. McCaulou felt like they were written just for me! Her journey from gun-fearing, animal-loving liberal to confident, tough game hunter felt organic, methodical, and illuminating. It changed much of her worldview...and it changed much of mine too! I finished the book with a much better understanding of true gun safety; of a hunter's goals, methods, and philosophies; of how conservationists and hunters have similar goals and need to work together more fluidly; or how killing our own food provides us with a more personal, intimate connection between ourselves and the animal kingdom.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to better understand the "hunting life," and who wants to see what place hunting has in modern society. It was an eye-opener. There were a few uneven chapters, but overall a very nice read.
June 15, 2018
Like Lily Raff McCaulou, I've felt obligated to test the premise of whether I could look down the barrel of a shotgun and pull the trigger for my dinner. A journalist raised in an urban, liberal family, McCaulou once held all of the stereotypical views of hunters: Rednecks. Uneducated. Obsessed with killing things. Right wing wackjobs. Trigger happy. These misperceptions apply to a very tiny percentage of American hunters today, and they unfortunately malign the rest of the shrinking population of people who bring a robust outdoor ethic to their quest to be connected to the wild in the most intimate way: through food. ... Continue reading on my blog!
September 6, 2014
My husband's uncle is an avid hunter. My husband hunts birds, and now my 10-year son is obsessed with hunting. He has taken--and passed--his hunting safety test, and will be joining his great uncle at deer camp in Oregon at the end of September.
Hunting is foreign to me, and we tend to fear that which we do not know.
The uncle is the one who recommended this book, and it was just the thing I needed to read. Not all hunters are a bunch of reckless rednecks. In fact, most hunters are ardent environmentalists.
I cannot say that I will be toting a rifle any time soon, nor do I ever envision being armpit deep field dressing an elk. But I do think that knowledge is power and acceptance.
Hunting is foreign to me, and we tend to fear that which we do not know.
The uncle is the one who recommended this book, and it was just the thing I needed to read. Not all hunters are a bunch of reckless rednecks. In fact, most hunters are ardent environmentalists.
I cannot say that I will be toting a rifle any time soon, nor do I ever envision being armpit deep field dressing an elk. But I do think that knowledge is power and acceptance.
May 22, 2015
Absolutely loved it. Although the author is somewhat annoyingly liberal, she brings to light important issues with regard to hunting. Ethical dilemmas, interest groups (like the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, etc...), conservation, and other aspects of hunting in a modern society where one can choose to buy their food in a grocery store -- these make for a thoughtful discussion. As both an animal lover and the daughter of a hunter, I appreciate her thoughtfulness and respect for hunting as a family and an American tradition.
November 1, 2014
I do not remember what caused me to want to read this book about a year ago, but I am really glad I did. A wonderful memoir of a young woman learning to hunt and sharing her views as to why. The book was also very well written and sourced giving evidence to this professional journalist by trade.
March 19, 2017
Learn to earn your dinner
This is an incredibly well written memoir that really gives you a great introduction to the philosophy and benefits of hunting. The author does an excellent job weighing the benefits and negatives of engaging in this ancient necessity.
This is an incredibly well written memoir that really gives you a great introduction to the philosophy and benefits of hunting. The author does an excellent job weighing the benefits and negatives of engaging in this ancient necessity.
November 7, 2021
If you despise hunters, have trouble understanding how someone can be gentle & loving and also hunt, or you buy meat for eating but don't hunt, please read this book!
What a fantastic read! It was a perfect fit for me. I was a vegetarian for close on a decade for ethical reasons (why would I ever decide to kill animals or cause them to be killed if there are dietary alternatives?), before taking up deer hunting last year. Early in the pandemic, shelves were empty and it was clear that city dwellers have little to no access to food unless it is produced & shipped to them. And if things get bad enough (say, during, a pandemic), why would they? Between that and impending climate disaster, the thought of watching my community starve to death felt more real than ever, and more horrifying than taking a life so that we could eat. So I took up hunting as a queer nonbinary person without any real access to folks who knew how to hunt.
With deer firearms season approaching again, my emotions become raw, and the horror of going out with the explicit purpose of taking a life is weighing on me. Hard.
So I really needed this book.
It explores the perspective of someone, outside the usual demographic, who took up hunting - in other words, who made an intentional decision to take ownership & responsibility for the cost of eating meat.
The book is well written, gripping, and is not about hunting in a narrow sense. It ties many & varied events from the author's life to hunting, and shows us how much of the human experience is so interconnected. From outdoorsy experiences, to small game hunting, philosophy of life, death and killing, to failures & culminating with the taking of big game, with so many attending emotions. How conservationism, hunting, wildlife preserves & people's ability to enjoy actual nature are not quite one and the same, but inescapably linked. How even vegetarianism&veganism have serious animal costs. How predators (think wolves... and humans) are necessary in any sustainable ecosystem. How human-made problems sometimes need human action to revert. How there is no perfect solution to every moral dilemma.
All these things are described with such wonderful insight & research, I can't help but recommend it.
It is impossible to convey the emotions that come from taking life, especially the mammalian life of social creatures, in words. It has to be experienced. But if I wanted to write down my experience of hunting, I wouldn't be able to do better than this.
I was saddened that the mentions of less sustainable hunting weren't further expanded upon later in the book (like the birds that are farmed & restocked every year so they can be hunted down), and I guess also surprised that killing small game didn't lead to more emotions - I know I sobbed and still sob a lot when thinking of my kills, but I did start with deer & didn't grow up thinking of them as pests.
But damn. Read this!
What a fantastic read! It was a perfect fit for me. I was a vegetarian for close on a decade for ethical reasons (why would I ever decide to kill animals or cause them to be killed if there are dietary alternatives?), before taking up deer hunting last year. Early in the pandemic, shelves were empty and it was clear that city dwellers have little to no access to food unless it is produced & shipped to them. And if things get bad enough (say, during, a pandemic), why would they? Between that and impending climate disaster, the thought of watching my community starve to death felt more real than ever, and more horrifying than taking a life so that we could eat. So I took up hunting as a queer nonbinary person without any real access to folks who knew how to hunt.
With deer firearms season approaching again, my emotions become raw, and the horror of going out with the explicit purpose of taking a life is weighing on me. Hard.
So I really needed this book.
It explores the perspective of someone, outside the usual demographic, who took up hunting - in other words, who made an intentional decision to take ownership & responsibility for the cost of eating meat.
The book is well written, gripping, and is not about hunting in a narrow sense. It ties many & varied events from the author's life to hunting, and shows us how much of the human experience is so interconnected. From outdoorsy experiences, to small game hunting, philosophy of life, death and killing, to failures & culminating with the taking of big game, with so many attending emotions. How conservationism, hunting, wildlife preserves & people's ability to enjoy actual nature are not quite one and the same, but inescapably linked. How even vegetarianism&veganism have serious animal costs. How predators (think wolves... and humans) are necessary in any sustainable ecosystem. How human-made problems sometimes need human action to revert. How there is no perfect solution to every moral dilemma.
All these things are described with such wonderful insight & research, I can't help but recommend it.
It is impossible to convey the emotions that come from taking life, especially the mammalian life of social creatures, in words. It has to be experienced. But if I wanted to write down my experience of hunting, I wouldn't be able to do better than this.
I was saddened that the mentions of less sustainable hunting weren't further expanded upon later in the book (like the birds that are farmed & restocked every year so they can be hunted down), and I guess also surprised that killing small game didn't lead to more emotions - I know I sobbed and still sob a lot when thinking of my kills, but I did start with deer & didn't grow up thinking of them as pests.
But damn. Read this!
August 5, 2019
This morning I finished reading Call of the Mild by Lily Raff McCaulou. It is a wonderful memoir of the author’s journey into hunting and learning how to appreciate her deeper connections to our ecosystems. In the process, I learned about our food, considered new perspectives on environmentalism and gun ownership, and learned about game species. Vicariously hunting with McCaulou was thrilling and frustrating and rewarding in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I also appreciated her call to arms regarding hunters and theoretical environmentalists working together to protect habitat, species and active knowledge of our ecosystems. It’s a great read.
April 3, 2018
Could have been a great book
I was excited to find this book as I too started hunting in my twenties without a hunting background, or even friends who hunted and thought it would be a story I could relate to. However, the authors views on firearms and even some conservation issues shows her lack of understanding on these issues. And her seemingly disparaging comments about "conservatives" are just unnecessary. I really wanted to like this book, but I just ended up annoyed with the authors constant whining about her emotions and what I feel is a disregard for her audience.
I was excited to find this book as I too started hunting in my twenties without a hunting background, or even friends who hunted and thought it would be a story I could relate to. However, the authors views on firearms and even some conservation issues shows her lack of understanding on these issues. And her seemingly disparaging comments about "conservatives" are just unnecessary. I really wanted to like this book, but I just ended up annoyed with the authors constant whining about her emotions and what I feel is a disregard for her audience.
November 7, 2018
A well-written, journalistic memoir about a change of locale, and mindset. Raff McCalou bravely confronts her views and personal bias (drawn from her urban, liberal upbringing) with an open mind, though her eventual ideological shift to embrace hunting seems fairly narrow (wrapped up in environmentalism, and rejecting non-hunting related gun rights). Still, if you enjoy solid journalism and a good story—and won't be offended by descriptions of hunting, field dressing, and butchering (or by the omitted Oxford comma)—Call of the Mild is intriguing.
January 23, 2023
I enjoyed this book. Mostly because it’s based in Bend but also because it offers a different take on hunting. My brother and dad are lifelong hunters but I’ve never understood the appeal. The author highlights a lot of uncomfortable truths about the meat we consume. Her writing is engaging and personal despite being full of stats that I ordinarily wouldn’t have been interested in. This made me want to be a journalist. Interesting how hunting is almost meditative to her, she’s not zoned out or anxious. Reminded me that I want to learn more about my environment.
January 4, 2024
Heck yeah! This is book is rad as all get out.
As a once Beast Coaster/Vegetarian relocated out west myself, I was stoked to read a parallel experience from another viewpoint. And, as it turns out, the Venn diagram of Lily's experiences has a slight bit of overlap with my own.
Read this book if you want to enjoy quality storytelling, explore the philosophical nuance of taking another living thing's life (especially as compared to the SAD - Standard American Diet), and, occasionally, laugh out loud.
Lily, you wrote an *amazing book. Can't wait for your next one!
As a once Beast Coaster/Vegetarian relocated out west myself, I was stoked to read a parallel experience from another viewpoint. And, as it turns out, the Venn diagram of Lily's experiences has a slight bit of overlap with my own.
Read this book if you want to enjoy quality storytelling, explore the philosophical nuance of taking another living thing's life (especially as compared to the SAD - Standard American Diet), and, occasionally, laugh out loud.
Lily, you wrote an *amazing book. Can't wait for your next one!
February 29, 2020
A wonderful exploration of what it means to feel closer to our own minds, hearts, homeland ecologies, and the ethics of being an omnivore in the politics and food cultures of today. Lily's writing is informative, honest, and full of great stories that both made me laugh (especially the Hunger Safety course chapter) and feel my own humanity.
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