A Hunter's Heart: Honest Essays on Blood Sport

First, I will admit a few authors were annoying. Nothing irks me more than then superiority preaching of those who believe if you dont get animals at as spiriutal level as I do, you should not be allowed to hunt. It reminds me of Bode bashing warchild not getting the spiritual side of surfing. Anyway, to each their own. Maybe the Robertsons, as they blast ducks out of the sky on tv, are enjoying a spiritual moment of connecting with nature, having made their own calls and now tricking their prey in like our ancestors have done for thousands of years. Or maybe they are sick rednecks who like blasting animals to death. I suspect most hunters are the former, but many, likely most, cannot articulate this like these writers. I feel like I am in this camp. I found myself underlining sections, writing notes in the margins, something I havent done since college. Many authors captured what I feel about hunting in different ways. In the end, when I'm hiking or camping or otherwise in the woods or wilderness I feel like I'm an observer of nature. But when I'm hunting or even scouting, I feel like I'm part of nature, and that is how it is supposed to be.

Great book to pickup for a short read as it is a collection of relatively short essays. Some of them are better than others. I am glad I have it on the shelf. Does a good job of exploring hunting as a sport in many different forms and from many different points of view.

I really, really enjoyed reading this book. It's a wonderful compilation. I'm not a hunter (although I do hunt animals and birds for photographs) but I've always been interested in and fascinated by hunting: why people do it, how they do it, what it means to them and how they feel about it. And the hunter's relationship with his/her game. Very good read.

Written in 1996 there have been a lot of positive changes toward hunting since then. I enjoyed it but the philosophy was outdated.

Terrific collection by Petersen. When you are done with this check out David's writings. He's a guy worth following. Informed, infelligent and truly concerned for the Earth. He has a way of explaining why we hunt and why it's important that speaks from the heart. Great read.

A great mix of stories and philosophy.

If you are a hunter or not, you will find yourself in one of these stories.

I've never read another book that made me think about who I am and what I do more... in a good way.

Pro or anti. It doesn't matter this book will make you stop and think. Give it a read if you want to challenge your preconceived notions of hunting.

I love it, best hunting book I have bought yet. Love the collaboration of different artists and authors.