Turning Feral: A Modern Journey of Hunting, Trapping, and Living Intentionally in the Wilderness

First, I read this book in one day. His story gave me so much hope and excitement for transforming my own lifestyle in so many ways… (baby steps for me though). Hanson shares his raw, and sometimes even emotional, experiences as he learns to become more self-reliant and “feral” through navigating his relationships with humans and nature.I believe the experiences and lessons he has written for us in this book are so impactful and inspiring for any person who may be a little curious about what it takes to become even a bit “feral” or more reliant on ancestral customs and ways of life.I need more.Thanks for the great insight!

As someone who is also what Zach refers to as an “adult onset Hunter” I picked this book up hoping to read a story similar to my own about someone who went searching for deeper meaning in life by returning to nature. I wasn’t prepared for the level honesty and vulnerability he showed in telling his story. Zach details the arc of his life leading up to, during and after his transition from busy tech worker to self reliant outdoorsman. But he also talks about the hard stuff - the self doubt, the learning curves and the challenges that were no doubt painful at the time but allowed him to grow as a person. It’s a quick and entertaining read written in a very personal voice, like you’re sitting with him having a beer while he shares his story. Well worth the time.

What a great story about getting back to nature! I definitely recommend reading.

This is why men head for the mountains, and find a match. Hansen was born a trapper. The civilization that he lived in pointed him west, like hundreds of others in our National history and thousands of others still unnamed. With Colter, Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, Joe Meek, Joe Walker. They didn’t escape so much as head for their spiritual home.Zack’s is a remarkable spiritual and emotional metamorphosis.Good on ya, Zack.

Zachary does a great job explaining his transition from suburban drone into a new journey of discovery out west. Honest, authentic, and raw.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved reading about Zach's journey to discover his long, but not lost dreams he had while in his grandfather's cabin. He spells out the evolution from a white collar tech worker like myself to becoming part of a community in rural Idaho and all the things he learned along the way.I really enjoyed the descriptions of how Zach engrossed himself in knowledge from a book and then had nature change his plans, but he persevered and found the community around him as his real teacher.I'd recommend this to anyone who wishes to learn more about become closer to the food he or she eats and wants to, in some way, throw off some of the dependence one has on the "normal" life we currently live in 2023 USA. Zach shows that it is not only possible to throw off some of that dependency, but most of it, and in a relatively short period of time. You don't need to be born into that way of life!Also, if you love Jeremiah Johnson, like me, you'll be hooked from the time he mentions it in the early pages.

It seems ironic that an industry expert in AI found his primal calling in a nearly off-grid community living off of the land. Nevertheless his journey resonates in more ways than one can imagine to the rat race we in the western civilization has grown accustomed to. What is amazing is how he has managed to dovetail both lifestyles to make it work.An avid outdoorsman myself in various hunting and fishing pursuits, I found accurate his characterization in the barrier to entry in such pursuits. That the barriers are less about access and ability, but more about an individuals conviction, natural curiosity and grit (or lack thereof) that will keep them from finding themselves in the outdoors.I learned a lot despite my experience as an outdoorsman.... trapping is certainly next on my list!Great read and highly recommended. Particularly recommending reaching out into the outdoor and/or conservation community as you will find an outstanding network of people... using this book as an inspiration to do so.

The Rocky Mountains were once described as “The Marrow of the World”. Sadly, the comforts of modern life have robbed its taste from our lips. If you find yourself imprisoned, deprived, and malnourished, as Zachary Hanson did, this book is your map to freedom.Zach entrusts his readers with sacred memories of a man's ups, downs, challenges, and victories as he transitions from the prison of modern comfort to the freedom of our primal roots. Beginning with childhood curiosities brought on by mountain man legends, he documents the progression of a big game hunter. His story should be studied in-depth, from bow failures to not knowing how to gut a deer and nearly losing a mortally wounded bear to becoming a seasoned and successful hunter.His story crescendos as he finds himself working a wolf trapline in the remote regions of Idaho. Knowing it would be the ultimate manifestation of woodsmanship, he set to trapping the illustrious and dangerous animal. While doing so, he often found himself with bloodied hands from a successful hunt as he responded to emails from those wanting to follow his example. Zach had pioneered a new path, seamlessly transitioning from Zoom and Slack to skinning game and stretching hides.In Turning Feral, Zach shows what it is like to be a modern-day Mountain Man. You can read this book if you want an inspiring story of a man broken from divorce who transformed his life into something with much more depth and meaning. Yet, if your soul years to reclaim your God-given place on the landscape, this book is required reading.

As someone who originally grew up in a rural area, as a boy I would read Hemingway, London, Ruark, Corbett, and Capstick. As an adult who now works in both corporate and higher education settings, the call of the wild howls often as each mundane day passes.This book tells the story of a man who answered that call, an individual who had the courage to walk away from the trappings of modern life, relocate to a remote region and provide for both himself and family.Written in clear and authentic prose, this is a book for all those people who look to the mountains and sense that there is a place for them in that wilderness.

Extremely well written, engaging and entertaining account of one persons transition from corporate tech worker to seasoned woodsman. This book is for anyone wondering what it would be like to live life with a deeper connection to their natural environment and to have a greater level of self sufficiency.