Meet the Jolly Boys—five men from northern Wisconsin who built a deer hunting shack in 1955 and established a tradition that has now lasted over six decades. Hunting Camp 52, affectionately known as Blue Heaven, is a place where every trail, rock, and ravine has its own nickname; every kill is recorded by hand on a window shade; every hunter happily croons along during evening songfests; and every rowdy poker game lasts late into the night. The outhouse is always cold, the porcupines are always a problem, and the vehicles are always getting stuck in the mud, but there’s nowhere else these men would rather be. In Hunting Camp 52: Tales from a North Woods Deer Camp, John Marvin Hanson—the son of one of the original Jolly Boys—recounts the sidesplitting antics, the memorable hunts, and the profound camaraderie that has developed over almost sixty seasons at Blue Heaven. Hanson also includes more than twenty recipes for gourmet comfort foods prepared each year at camp, from pickled venison hearts to Norwegian meatballs to the treasured recipe for Reali Spaghetti. As the Jolly Boys age and younger generations take up the mantle of Blue Heaven, Hanson comes to appreciate that hunting camp is not about bagging a trophy buck as much as it is about spending time with the friends and family members who matter most.

On the Hunt is the story of deer-hunting in Wisconsin, from the spear-throwing Paleo-Indians to the sportsmen of today. Meticulously researched by one of the state's most prolific outdoor writers, On the Hunt covers subsistence and sport hunting, deer camps, changing deer management policies, and recent developments and controversies, from human encroachment on deer habitat to CWD. Range maps and charts tracking annual herd populations and harvest goals complement Willging's engaging storytelling. Drawing from Department of Conservation papers, hunting magazines, newspapers, historic photos of classic deer camps, and the personal stories of hunters and deer managers, On the Hunt offers a fascinating glimpse into a distant and not-so-distant past, when the hunt joined men in almost mythical unity and bucks were seemingly larger than life. An ardent sportsman with nearly 25 years of hunting experience, Willging understands that deer-hunting is as much about the smell of the woods in autumn and the meticulous cleaning of a fine rifle as it is about bringing home a whitetail. His story of how Wisconsin's own World War II flying ace, Richard Bong, squeezed in a few days of hunting while home on leave vividly illustrates the sport's powerful pull on hearts and minds. Willging also engagingly conveys the important tradition of the deer-hunting camp, from a humble two-man shack in Chequamegon National Forest (like the one he shared with his best friend, Steve) to the grand old Deer Foot Lodge founded in 1912 in Vilas County. On the Hunt is perfect preparation for the avid sportsman's annual fall trek with friends and family into the woods.

Louis Friedrich had no idea back in 1939 what he was creating when he purchased property in Michigan and built a hunting camp he called Singing Hills. It was just a rustic cabin in the woods, but over time it grew roots into the heart of an entire family. Learn about the colorful characters that have graced the camp over the years in this hunting camp memoir. Hear the rich and funny tales from days past about poachers and pranks, bears and bucks, and even voices from the great beyond. The author's life was upended at age 3 when his mother died and he had to leave home and live with relatives. The hunting camp was his rock throughout an unconventional childhood. It also served as a bridge to maintain his relationship with his father, and later in adulthood, his own son. Join the author on a journey that will make you laugh and cry. "That Hunting Camp" will show you how a cabin in the woods can mean so much more to a family than one could ever imagine.

A photographic journey alongside hunters in Wisconsin, Blaze Orange captures the joy, excitement, and camaraderie of deer hunting in the state.

Stories of sportsmen past come to life in History Afield, an account of the many and varied sporting pursuits that are part of the Wisconsin tradition. Author and outdoorsman Robert Willging shares more than two dozen tales of Wisconsin sporting history, highlighting the hunt for waterfowl, upland birds, and deer; trout fishing in wild north Wisconsin rivers; and recreating at early Wisconsin lakeside resorts. Anecdotes of fishing exploits on our plentiful waterways and presidential visits to northern Wisconsin reveal a unique slice of sporting culture, and chapters on live decoys and the American Water Spaniel demonstrate the human-animal bond that has played such a large part in that history. Tales of nature’s fury include a detailed account of the famous Armistice Day storm, as well as the dangers of ice fishing on Lake Superior. These historical musings and perspectives on sporting ethos provide a strong sense of the lifestyle that Willging has preserved for our new century. Featuring first-hand interviews and a variety of historic photos depicting the Wisconsin sporting life, History Afield shows how the intimate relationship between humans and nature shaped this important part of the state’s heritage.

In the bitter cold of 1985, two buddies embark on a hunting trip from suburban Detroit to rural Michigan, unaware they would soon become the hunted. Darker than Night tells the chilling true story of the mystery that haunted a community and baffled the police for two decades. The eerie silence surrounding their sudden disappearance is broken after nearly two decades when a relentless investigator inspires a terrified witness to break her silence. The witness narrates a haunting scene that had unfolded years back, pointing fingers at the prime suspects–the Duvall brothers. With no bodies unearthed, the justice system is riveted by the startling revelations during an electrifying trial in 2003. The brothers, Raymond and Donald Duvall, had bragged about the murders, evocatively explaining how they dismembered their victims and fed them to pigs. Despite the shocking confession, the case holds its ground purely on a single witness's account, taking the courtroom through a labyrinth of dark secrets and sinister acts. This gripping thriller presents a vivid tale of crime that reveals the devastating power of evil.

Follow the trails of hunters—the original storytellers—as they interpret signs, examine tracks, and chase and catch their prey (or fail to). Readers can curl up with the best authentic hunting fiction and non-fiction, bringing the great Mount Kenya and the prairies of the American Bison into your living room. From Theodore Roosevelt and Gene Hill to Rick Bass and Charles Dickens, remember classic hunting tales and discover new stories of hunters’ luck, camaraderie, and use of smarts on the trail. The thrill of the chase and the passion for outdoor living are elegantly brought together in this exquisite volume, certain to delight both hunters and short-story aficionados. With work by more than one hundred of the world’s most eminent authors and hunters, including: Theodore Roosevelt Zane Grey Ted Nugent Aldo Leopold Rick Bass Philip Caputo Geoffrey Norman Gene Hill And many more!

From the Introduction: "There is not a successful deer hunter in the world who has not come up with his own peculiar methods -- some of them secret, some not -- for beating the long odds of killing a deer. The Ojibwa Indians of the Great Lakes figured out they could attract deer by smoking wild aster in a pipe, the smell of which was like the scent of a deer's hooves. Other tribes -- such as the Choctaws and Cherokees in the Southeast -- would carry skinned-out deer heads on their belts, which they could wear over their heads whenever they needed to make a stalk (this is no longer an advisable, or legal, technique). They used decoys and calls, and they knew that banging a pair of antlers together could summon a buck during the rut. In this book we have tried to compile some of the best information and most interesting pieces written about deer in Sports Afield since the magazine was founded in 1887. There were not as many deer to hunt back then, but over the last quarter century deer populations have boomed in nearly every state but Alaska and Hawaii, and so have the articles written about them. Many of these pieces originally appeared in the Sports Afield Almanac, which was introduced by Editor Ted Kesting in 1972; others appeared as departments or short features. All told, more than 250 deer hunters contributed, making this, we hope, a very unique look at what is now America's favorite game animal. Some of the contributors-like Dwight Schuh and Peter Fiduccia, Tom McIntyre and Ted Kerasote-are what we would call pros. They have hunted, studied and written about deer all their lives. Others are just guys who wanted to share a couple of their best deer-hunting secrets. Do not be surprised if you turn up some contradictory views. There's more than one way to shoot, skin, and cook a deer; but it may be that the best way of all is the one you have to figure out on your own." "This is the finest book on whitetail hunting that I have seen." -- Larry Myhre, Sioux City Journal