Details the lives of Bill Pinnell and Morris Talifson, fur farmers in Montana, gold miners during the Great Depression, and renown Kodiak brown bear hunters.

Outdoor tourism is one of Alaska’s biggest industries, and the thousands of people who flock to the state’s dramatic landscapes and pristine waters to hunt and fish are supported by a large and growing network of guides, lodges, outfitters, and wildlife biologists. This book honors more than sixty of those remarkably colorful characters, past and present, people whose incredible skills were their calling cards, but whose larger-than-life personalities were what people remember after the trip is over. Taken together, these portraits offer a history of outdoor life in Alaska and celebrate its incredible natural beauty—and the people who devote their lives to helping us enjoy it.

FIELD & STREAM, America’s largest outdoor sports magazine, celebrates the outdoor experience with great stories, compelling photography, and sound advice while honoring the traditions hunters and fishermen have passed down for generations.

The years from 1820 to 1920 saw the sport of bear hunting at its greatest flowering. Much of the country was still wild enough to support large numbers of both black and grizzly bears, who in turn supported a remarkable assortment of bear hunters. Some, like David Crockett and Theodore Roosevelt, became internationally famous. Others, like Wilburn Waters and Holt Collier, are almost completely forgotten, though their exploits were just as extraordinary. "The Bear Hunter's Century "brings to life the hard, thrilling lives, of these men. Not just a book of adventures, this a fascinating social history told with wit and style, a penetrating examination of the often inaccurate lore of bear hunting, and a celebration of the amazing skills developed by the best bear hunters.

I met Darrell Farmen in 1975, when he was serving on the Board of Game. Over the next few years, Darrell shared remarkable stories about Alaska's hunting past. I have since hunted Kodiak several times, stayed in the cabins at Karluk Lake and read all the names on the cabin walls from successful hunters guided by this extraordinary outdoorsman. Perhaps, one day you will be inspired to do the same. I am extremely thankful that Darrell has written about his Kodiak adventures. In these pages, Darrell takes you hunting with him, and makes sure you learn something along the way. In addition to the hunting stories, he delineates with great humility many of the trials and tribulations he and others faced. You will understand the harsh Kodiak climate that Darrell and his clients endured and the skills they required to withstand these hardships. If you have hunted bears on Kodiak Island or even dreamt about hunting there, this book is a must-read. Ted Spraker