Join author Ken M. Blomberg as he recollects nearly half a century of the hunt in his backyard grouse paradise. Marshaling years of experience, he explains how logging roads often lead to grouse and, just as often, to nowhere. He paints an uplifting portrait of an old hunter dragging his creaky body through unforgiving terrain. And with spirit and humor, he tells of boon companions sharing stories around a campfire or nervously slumbering to a wolf country lullaby. The Badger State's thriving upland bird population beckons hunters from across the country. Novice and veteran hunters alike will draw delight and inspiration from a relatable love affair with gun dogs, upland birds and Wisconsin.

An enchanting collection of stories of ducks, decoys, and hunting on the Fox River of Green Bay. Featuring personal reminiscences, poetry, and vintage photos.

Wingbeats and Heartbeats is a wingshooter's odyssey to the wild places where, at the end of the day, the companionship of faithful gun dogs and good friends matters more than a bulging game bag. In this sometimes humorous and sometimes poignant collection of essays, Dave Books celebrates a time-honored connection to the land and the hard-earned hunting rewards of an outdoor life. Through these essays, readers tag along on adventures in the forests of Wisconsin and Minnesota, the fields of Iowa and North Dakota, the prairies of eastern Montana and Nebraska, the mountains of western Montana and Idaho, and the deserts of Arizona. Books also writes of the game birds that hunters pursue and admire: grouse, quail, woodcock, doves, chukars, Hungarian partridge, and waterfowl. A heartfelt tribute to the freedom and magic of the hunt, Wingbeats and Heartbeats is a book that has much to say about work and fun, success and failure, and the sights, sounds, and smells of a day afield.

Like that earlier grouse hunter Aldo Leopold, Mark Parman takes to the woods when the aspens are smoky gold. Here, in an evocative almanac that chronicles the early season of the grouse hunt through its end in the snows of January, Parman follows his dog through the changing trees and foliage, thrills to the sudden flush of beating wings, and holds a bird in hand, thankful for the meal it will provide. Distilling twenty seasons of grouse hunting into these essays, he writes of old dogs and gun lust, cover and clear cutting, climate change, companions male and female, wildlife art, and stumps. A Grouse Hunter's Almanac delves into the mind of a hunter, exploring the Northwoods with an eye for more than just game. "Notable and quotable. Parman stakes out original territory and provides a vivid snapshot of the Northwoods."—John Motoviloff, author of Wisconsin Wildfoods: 100 Recipes for Badger State Bounties "Extremely rich and detailed. Parman puts forth original and genuine experiences."—Richard Yatzeck, author of Hunting the Edges

Inspired by August Derleth’s seminal book The Wisconsin, Richard D. Cornell traveled the Chippewa River from its two sources south of Ashland to where it joins the Mississippi. Over several decades he returned time and again in his red canoe to immerse himself in the stories of the Chippewa River and document its valley, from the Ojibwe and early fur traders and lumbermen to the varied and hopeful communities of today. Cornell shares tales of such historical figures as legendary Ojibwe leader Chief Buffalo, world famous wrestler Charlie Fisher, and supercomputer innovator Seymour Cray, along with the lesser-known stories of local luminaries such as Dr. John "Little Bird" Anderson. Cornell gathered firsthand stories from diners and dives, local museums and landmarks, quaint small-town newspaper offices, and the homes of old-timers and local historians. Through his conversations with ordinary people, he gets at the heart of the Chippewa and shares a history of the river that is both one of a kind and deeply personal.

Drift back to an era when the speed limit in Milwaukee was an edgy four miles per hour and Madison lawmakers could poke at hogs to punctuate the tedium of legislative sessions. Martin Hintz makes even the slow times of the Badger State fly by in this collection of Wisconsin's forgotten memories. Taste the world's first batch of pink lemonade (made with the dye of a circus performer's pants) and witness the tragic death of the world's last wild passenger pigeon. Track down ancient Algonkin legends like the great serpent that swam up the Mississippi looking for copper, and drop in on modern legends like Les Paul, whose guitar spun records into gold.

For a traveling bird hunter, October is heaven on Earth. It's Randy's favorite month. He is a story-teller, dog trainer, wingshooter, and wandering bird dog man. Every fall, he turns his truck north and west to match wits with grouse, pheasant, quail, and Chukar. He takes us through the years and the dogs. He tells the stories of coveys flushing, roosters cackling, quail running, shotguns, family, and even one unlucky yard chicken. He will take you west to Montana and Arizona, north to Michigan and Wisconsin, and south to Georgia. You will feel the wind, hear the exploding flush, smell the prairie, see the sunset, and taste sweet victory in the win. Puppies grow up, and old dogs die, but the yearning and restlessness never leave until that glorious month of October.