Writers Share Recommendations Of Books All About Nature

Some of us have a little more time on our hands these days, and what better way to fill it than with a great book?

Sam, a “Larry Meiller Show” listener, asked for recommendations of books on the great outdoors, and our wildlife writers delivered.

Dean Bortz, editor of Wisconsin Outdoor News, is a fan of Ivan Doig, an American author and novelist known for fiction and nonfiction books set mostly in his native state of Montana. Bortz recommends starting with Doig’s “This House of Sky.” A memoir about growing up in the American west. Below are some of his other suggestions.

Bortz Also Recommends Doig’s:

• “The Sea Runners,” a novel about four Scandinavian indentured servants who escape from Russian Alaska, steal a canoe and head toward Oregon,1,200 miles away.
• Trilogy of “English Creek,” “Dancing at the Rascal Fair” and “Ride with Me, Mariah Montana,” which follows the McCaskill family and covers the first century of Montana’s statehood from 1889 to 1989.
• “Bucking the Sun,” the story of homesteaders driven from the Montana bottomland to work on one of the New Deal’s most audacious projects, the damming of the Missouri River.
• “Mountain Time,” which checks in once again with the McCaskill family in a more current timeframe.
• “The Eleventh Man,” which follows the starting lineup of Treasure State University’s football team as they become involved in World War II.
• “The Bartender’s Tale,” the story of a single father, his son and the appearance of a girl who may be his daughter.
• “Sweet Thunder,” set in 1920 and looks at the relationship between a newly married couple as they take over a house that soon becomes a money pit.
• “The Last Bus to Wisdom,” about the bus trip of a young boy and his great uncle.

Other Suggestions From Bortz:

• John Ozoga’s “Whitetale Deer” series: “Whitetail Spring,” “Whitetail Summer,” “Whitetail Autumn” and “Whitetail Winter.” The author spent more than 30 years of his career as a wildlife researcher studying whitetail deer and the books follow the lives of the deer through the seasons, looking at how they interact with one another and their habitats.
• Bob Willging’s “On the Hunt: The History of the Deer Hunting in Wisconsin.” Topics include hunting, deer camps, changing deer management policies, and more.
• Bob Willging’s “History Afield: Stories from the Golden Age of Wisconsin Sporting Life,” which has more than two dozen tales of Wisconsin sporting history. The stories feature the hunt for waterfowl, upland birds, and deer; trout fishing in wild north Wisconsin rivers; and recreating at early Wisconsin lakeside resorts.
• Larry Ramsell’s “A Compendium of Muskie Fishing History,” Vol. I and Vol. II, featuring the history of the fish and the drama around world records.

Pat Durkin, a freelance writer and editor, and president of the Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Association, recommended two classics. He said he was lucky to acquire them as a kid: “A Century of Wisconsin Deer,” and “Bow & Arrow Big Game Hunting in Wisconsin.” Both were published mid-century by Otis Bersing.

“These are rich with great information on the early deer management in Wisconsin,” Durkin said.

He also suggests “The Vegetation of Wisconsin,” by John T. Curtis.

“So much of the information we have on Wisconsin plants comes from this book. They are really fascinating,” Durkin said.

He said many times he goes back and looks at these books and realizes many of the things we think are new were being worked on by our grandfathers, including plant ecology and deer management.

Tim Eisele, a full-time freelance outdoor writer and photographer, highly recommends “When Things Happen — A guide to Natural Events in Wisconsin” by Randy Hoffman.

“Randy is a retired DNR (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) naturalist who has worked on state natural areas for many years,” Eisele said. “The book takes a different approach to phenology. Instead of recording first arrivals or last departures, it focuses on when it’s the best time to observe and experience natural events.

The book includes the full range of biological diversity, from lichens to mammals. Each month is divided into thirds and has a primary article featuring prominent events during that period of time. Smaller articles and snippets of events during that time are also featured.

Eisele also recommends the classic “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold, the book many credit with launching a revolution in land management. It has sold more than 2 million copies and remains a foundational text in environmental science.

“Just as it is a requirement that Wisconsin residents pay taxes, I think it should be a requirement that every Wisconsin household have a copy of ‘A Sand County Almanac’ in the household,” Eisele said.

Leopold is considered the father of wildlife ecology and spent most of his life in Wisconsin. He is best know for the idea of an ethical, caring relationship between people and nature.

Dan Small, a host and producer of the public television show, “Outdoor Wisconsin,” and contributing editor of Wisconsin Outdoor News, recommends two books that are compilations of the columns by Gordon MacQuarrie, outdoor editor for the Milwaukee Journal from 1936 to 1956. The books — “Right Off the Reel” and “Dogs, Drink & Other Drivel” — are published by, and raise money for, the Barnes Area Historical Association.

One of Small’s other favorites is “Letters from Art: Art Hawkins Standing Tall in the Shadow of Aldo Leopold” by Ken Blomberg. Hawkins was one of Leopold’s graduate students. The book examines letters between the two and shows the role Leopold played in molding his students and the evolution of his thinking.

“It’s a fascinating collection of letters,” Small said.