Bowhunting Library

Recently I found something I had been looking for a while.  In fact, for over three years I have searched it at least once every couple of months.  When I found it, I jumped on it.  So, I hear the question; “What is it?”

Pope and Young Bowhunting Big Game
Records of North America 1st Edition

I just received a first edition of the Pope and Young Record Book.  The Pope and Young Club sold out a while back, and I finally found one.  The reason I was looking for this particular book is the bowhunting history documented in it.  There are pictures and stories galore of some of the real names of bowhunting.  Fred Bear tells of several accounts of his bowhunting records.  There are pictures of both Art Young and Saxton Pope that I had never seen before. 

This book is now a valued addition to my bowhunting library.  A small library of books and periodicals is a great tool for the bowhunter.  During those non-hunting times, it gives you something to study and focus on, which carries itself to the field.  Some books will offer valuable information to help plan future hunts.  Many will tell of the tales of successful hunts that both inspire and allow the reader to step into the situation, which in turn will help the reader if a similar experience were to present itself.

So, in order to help you get your library started, or to build on your existing library, here are some of the books I keep on my shelf:

Bowhunter’s Guide to Accurate Shooting by Lon E. Lauber

This was the first book I bought when I began teaching myself how to shoot a bow.  Lots of valuable information ranging from the equipment used, to shooting technique, to equipment set-up and tuning, to how to hunt and where to aim.

The Archer’s Bible by Fred Bear

Fred Bear bringing in a carp while bowfishing.
This is one of my favorite photos of Fred Bear.

A book by the legend himself, Bear goes over equipment, hunting small and big game, bowfishing, safety, foundations of good shooting, and the principles of bowhunting.  One of my favorite photos of Fred Bear is in this book with him holding a carp at the end of an arrow.  This was long before bowfishing hit the craze it has now.

The Pope and Young Club’s Measurer’s Manual

Scoresheets and instructions on how to measure each of the North American big game animals.

Whitetail Wisdom

An all inclusive book about whitetails.  It goes over where to hunt them, when to hunt them, and their habits and activity.

The Perfect Shot-Mini Edition for North America by Craig Boddington

The Perfect Shot: Mini Edition
for North America by Craig Boddington

If you plan on hunting, this is a great book.  It shows different angles of different North American game animals.  The book then creatively shows bone structure and organ location on the same photos so you can get an idea of where and when to place the shot.  There is also an African edition that I will be sure to purchase if I ever am fortunate enough to try my hand at hunting the Dark Continent.

Boone and Crockett Records of North American Big Game Animals 8^th Edition

A record book that includes photos of record animals, as well as entries into the book, listing animal, owner, size, and area taken.  If you want to go after a musk ox, you do not hunt in California.  This book will show you where to go after the game you want.

Safari Club International World Bowhunting Record Book 1^st Edition

Same premise as the B&C record book, bur for animals taken by bow only around the world.

Bowhunting Records of North Carolina 1^st and 2^nd Editions



1st and 2nd Editions of the
Bowhunting Recordsof North Carolina
 compiled by the
North Carolina Bowhunter's Association.



These books will show the counties in the state where the largest game animals are taken.  Through data research you can also find the counties that are the most productive of record book game.  In planning a hunt, this allows you to narrow your hunting area down.  Many other states’ bowhunting organizations put out a similar book periodically.

Pope and Young Club Bowhunting Big Game Records of North America 1^st and 7^th Editions

Same as the B&C and SCI record books, except only bowhunting and only North America.

The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution of the United States of America

The three books remind me of why I have the freedom to hunt in this great land.

The Holy Bible

This book is the most important to me of all the others.  This book not only establishes my freedoms, but my very existence.  If there is ever a question, the answer can be found here.

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There are other books I intend on adding to the library.  For instance, I would like to eventually add each edition of the Pope and Young Record Book.  There are several books Teddy Roosevelt penned about hunting which I have in an e-book format that I would like to have in hard copy.  To build a foundation, you just have to start.  You would be surprised with the knowledge that can be shared and learned.

Would you like a nice fiction e-book based on a hunting setting?  Author David L. Samuel is providing two each of his novel Nightwolf and novella The Guilty as a giveaway.  That is FOUR lucky winners!  I have personally read both and they are great.  I downloaded them to the Kindle app on my smartphone, and then when I was sitting in the stand waiting for deer activity, I would read.  The reading time keeps you still and quiet, plus the books are so good, it makes you want to get in the stand more often in order to finish the book!  I won't giveaway details on the two books other than they both have bowhunting as part of the backdrop.  Rules are simple: follow either GiveEmTheShaft.com or BillHowardOutdoors.com and you are entered for your chance to win. Contest runs through November 30, 2011.

Bill Howard writes a weekly outdoors column for the Wilson Times and Yancey County News and the blog site Bill Howard's Outdoors. He is a Hunter Education and International Bowhunter Education instructor, lifetime member of the North Carolina Bowhunters Association, Bowhunter Certification Referral Service Chairman, member and official measurer of Pope and Young, and a regular contributor to North Carolina Bowhunter Magazine.