A couple recommended books for the outdoors lover.

The first, On the Ridge: Stories from a New England Hunter, by Joseph J. Judd, goes for $10.95 and is published by Whitney Acres Editorial.

Joe Judd, a dedicated hunter and conservationist from Western Mass., got his start in outdoor writing as a columnist for the West County News in his beloved Shelburne. Although Judd hunts most all game, he is well-known and respected in the turkey hunting community. For many years, he has been on the pro staff of Quaker Boy Game Calls and has conducted turkey hunting and calling seminars throughout New England. He has hunted his favorite game bird throughout the country.

His book, 126 pages long, is an easy and enjoyable read. Judd has a graceful, conversational writing style that makes his book a wonderful bed stand companion for any sportsman. He also is a reflective man who has obviously given a lot of thought, not just to hunting as a way of life, but to the human condition and the role of conservation in the hunting heritage.

A chapter called “A Special Old Man” is memorable and moving. Judd writes, “Not able to speak, I studied him for a few seconds, trying to feel what he was feeling, but the emotions were overtaking me. I knew he wanted to travel the woodlands and run the high ridges again.”

All in all, On the Ridge is a worthy book that deserves space on any sportsman’s shelf. For a signed copy, send a check for $10.95, plus $2.00 for shipping to: Joe Judd, 261 Skinner Rd., Shelburne, MA 01370 or email the author at: jjontheridge@comcast.net.

The other book, Further Meanderings of a Snake Meadow Editor, by Paul E. Chase, retails for $29.95 and is published by Peter E. Randall Publisher.

Paul Chase, a retired Conn. bank executive, is a man whose life has been fully immersed in his avocation: upland bird hunting. It is what made this wonderful collection of stories and reflections possible. As a member of the Snake Meadow Club in his hometown, Chase edited his club’s quarterly newsletter for 28 years, hence the name of his book. Art Wheaton, a Maine guide and lifetime upland hunter and friend of Chase’s, writes the book’s prologue: “He is one of us, a kindred spirit who savors each moment afield, from good friends, good campfires, good conversation and good prose; all kept filed together into a great memory hymnbook.”

A collector of rare sporting books, classic sporting art, high-end shotguns and lover of famous and not-so famous gun dogs, Chase has a fully rounded, encyclopedic knowledge that makes the book a rich, informational source for devoted upland hunters. For example, Chase devotes a chapter to his favorite classic sporting dog artists and a chapter on classic sporting books.

The book is aptly named, for it does meander from topic to topic, but in an engaging way with charm and grace. No book that I know of or have read shines such a bright light on the life and thinking of successful, accomplished people who find their joy and fulfillment in bird covers with well-trained dogs and good company.

Further Meanderings of a Snake Meadow Editor left me enlightened about, and more appreciative of, so many aspects of upland hunting history and its rich heritage.

It will you, too. The book can be purchased from the author at 860-848-8008 or via email at: pchaseatroute163@att.net.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program, “Maine Outdoors,” heard at 7 p.m. Sundays on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www.maineoutdoorpublications.net. 

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