The Still Hunter: The Classic Guide Book to Stealthy Hunting of Deer - How to Track, Shoot and Maintain Your Equipment and Hunting Rifle

by Theodore Strong Van Dyke

The Still Hunter is a classic guide to hunting deer in rugged terrain - dating to the late-19th century, many of this book's lessons remain valuable, relevant and highly useful to this day.

A book long appreciated by hunting enthusiasts all over the world, The Still Hunter was the first book of its offering detailed guidance and step-by-step instruction in a manner both lucid and demonstrative, at the time it appeared in 1882 deer hunting was a practice shrouded in exoticism and mystique. Theodore Van Dyke was a hunter of long experience; his words are straightforward, with the practicalities of killing game given without embellishment.

We are told in detail how to spot deer and track them through the wilderness. The methods deer use to blend into, and hide among, foliage and scenery are detailed, as are their typical movements through the rugged terrain they typically populate. Van Dyke tells of how to effectively pursue deer, and how stealth is crucial particularly as the hunter prepares to take his shot. A chapter for pursuits in snow is included.

By the 1880s, bolt-action rifles had become commonplace in both military and hunting contexts. The principles of loading, cleaning, maintaining and handling such a gun remain essentially the same to this day; the author offers an all-round masterclass on maintaining one's gun and other hunting equipment. Effective marksmanship, including how to take a good shot at moving game and control recoil, is likewise detailed.

Upon publication, The Still Hunter became a bestseller and was carried by thousands of bookstores, particularly in the rural and mountainous areas of the United States and Canada. Its vivid descriptions would inspire further guidebooks plus hunting biographies by the likes of President Theodore Roosevelt.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1904

About the author

1842-

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best deer hunting book I've ever read. The author has contempt for your meager skills, your 'tactics', your patience, your determination, and your reasoning. As much as he writes in the way of a frustrating mystery author--revealing the details of each case only after the detective has already solved the case--it is the appropriate way to talk about deer hunting. You do not know what you've missed until you've already missed it.

The author is humorous and eloquent, and full of great notions and contempt for the general knowledge held by moderately successful hunters. He explains shooting in a way that makes me feel like a finally understand it, as well as the implications of larger versus smaller bullets with more or less powder, how velocity, softness, and bullet shape affect killing power, and the best principals on which to buy a hunting rifle.

I'd recommend this book a lot of times over. It was one of Teddy Roosevelt's favorite, and it's easy to see why.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A total classic that came up a few times for me while researching books to read as a new hunter.

The value of this book today:
- Entertaining writing that walks the reader through hunts in the woods while pointing out mistakes made along the way
- As a historical example of American hunting culture's past (even some outdated things like shooting at uncertain targets)
- Conveys the attention and presence of mind needed while hunting (or simply enjoying the woods in a deeper way)
- The gear is interesting and still relevant. Proficiency with open sights and the use of homemade deer hide moccasins doesn't seem like such a bad idea today despite technological advances.

Also, this would be a killer gift for your hunter dad/uncle to skim by the fireside.