Fantastic book overall!! Topics covered include side by side to autoloaders to various kinds of ammo for all types of birds. Great read from an honest author!

Barsness has written the best current overview of shotguns for hunting: not sporting clays, trap, etc. He is not aligned nor does he show a marked prejudice for a particular type of shotgun like the side by side which is so prevalent today. He explains the advantages and downsides of various guns and does a particularly good job on the very important, if not vital, subject of stock design and fit. Although I think you can find much of this information elsewhere, Barsness brings it together in a very concise format and cuts through the "poppycock." Plus, the photos are great!

Please excuse my spelling, it's terrible This book is terrific. I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. It is a fine collection of stories ranging from the great soilbank days when Kansas alone had 4 million birds to the Royal hunts in Europe where an average daily bag mesaures in the thousands, It has stories more like mine where the average hunt ends with tired dogs and few birds. The book through it's many differant authors also explores the ethics associated with hunting. This book is for the bird hunter who's cleaning his gun for the third time this week when hunting season isn;t for 6 months. It's for the guy who can't stop dreaming of how his new pup will do his first time out. It's for the guy who spends more time with his dogs than with his wife. All hunters will enjoy this book, but the true bird hunter won;t be able to put it down.

Don Thomas writes as well about wildness and the sporting life as anyone alive today. Although he is probably better known for his bowhunting books, he writes just as well about bird hunting, and, in this case, flyfishing.

This is not just a list of fish taken and patterns used. It is a book about the flyfishing experience, of people and places and, of course, fish. Thomas has a naturalist's eye, and is fascinated by wild creatures and the places they inhabit.

There are too many flowery, sentimental flyfishing books on the market, written by Norman Maclean wannabes. This book is not one of them. Thomas is not a yuppie rhapsodizing about trout. He is a gifted writer who understands wildness and can convey what this wildness means to him.

It is one of the better flyfishing books out there. Anyone who loves the pursuit of fish would love this book.

I found Optics for the Hunter to be educational. I learned several bits of information that helped me feel like I was making an educated decision in purchasing both a binocular and rifle scope. It does not really help you choose between the various products within a mfg line (like between the various Leupold models) you'll have to figure that out for your self.

It does provide valuable info on mounting scopes as well. I am glad I bought it.

My friend turned me on to this book. It really does have everything you need to know before buying rifle scopes and binocular. Easy to understand objective opinions on all hunting optics. If your in the market for optics or you need to know where your currently owned optics fit in, then you'll want this book. Highly Recommended. AAA+++

This is one of the best books on optics I have ever encountered. It is filled with knowledge for the layman, but it is detailed enough to satisfy the expert. Barsness walks the reader through the pros and cons of various styles and brands of binoculars, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and rangefinders. He does not hesitate to make explicit comparisons between various makes and models, and he helps the reader make informed decisions about quality vs. price. Do yourself a favor and study this book before buying another piece of optics-related equipment.

I was inspired by the compilation of bird dog stories found within this book. If you enjoy the excitement, fear, despair, and elation associated with the training, ownership and running of all breeds of bird dogs, you will enjoy this book. The authors help you relive the moments you have endured with your own dogs in addition to helping you imagine the hunts you have yet to experience. This is a definite must read for bird dog enthusiasts.

I borrowed this book from a friend and had a tough time putting it down. Great stories from writers who truly love their dogs. A few of the essays are sad, but all of them allow us to share a part of a fellow dog lovers life with his best friend. Definitely a must read.