The Total Deer Hunter Manual (Field & Stream): 301 Hunting Skills You Need

I've read most books on deer hunting out there and this was by far the best. Covers everything from the deer, their senses, what they eat, etc to finding deer and creating a plan to hunt them. This is a great book for beginners to moderate hunters and will get you started on the right track. From there I'd suggest the book mapping trophy bucks and read up on hunting bedding areas and specifics to the type of terrain you will be hunting more in depth. The format of this book makes is a pleasure to read as well with great images to explain everything. I would recommend doing a quick search on terrain features such as saddles, draws, ridges, benches, etc if you are not familiar with them this book mentions them without a description of what they are.

In my opinion this is a great book. I shot my first doe and buck at age 12 and 13. 15 years passed with very little deer hunting on my part. I decided to take up deer hunting again. I bought the book a few months before the 2014 season. Within 20 minutes of reading I had learned more than I ever knew before. The book is organized into a few main parts, then further broken down into short paragraphs about each one of the tips or "skills". This makes for a very easy read and fit my reading style. In other words, it is easy to pick up for a few minutes at a time. In fact, my 3 year old daughter likes this book as much as I do. Most night's she would say, "Let's read the Deer Book." After reading this book I was able to better prepare for the season. I scouted, planted a food plot, made fake scrapes, learned to read the "signs", put up 2 stands, learned what worked best to cover my scent, etc.. Not that the book taught me everything but it helped me quite a bit. This year I saw more deer than ever and learned more than ever. We have deer on our property, but they are often difficult to find during the season. As an example 2 family members that hunted the same land for many, many years were very shocked to learn that I was seeing 2-3 deer every time I went and even 9 deer one night. I did manage to get a big 6 pt to visit my scrape site Mid October and got 4 great pictures on my trail cam. That buck disappeared until late November where I got a shot. My first Tennessee Deer and the biggest buck of my life (not huge compared to many states but good sized for my area at 135 lbs field dressed, roughly 3.5-4 yrs old) and my first season back hunting. I attribute a lot of that to this book and persistence in the field. Overall it is a great book and one that I will likely re-read for many years to come. Just buy the book already! Thanks for reading, Bryan

I’m just getting into hunting, that’s why I bought this book. I can’t really say if is what one needs as I am inexperienced. It’s very interesting to read just to learn about the species and the body of knowledge that goes into deer hunting. The book is beautifully constructed with a strong binding and little metal tabs on the corners of the cover. The photography, graphics, maps, charts etc. are all very impressive and detailed. The text is very well written and reads easily and has a subtle humor here and there which is great. This seems to be a great book for any aspiring hunter and would make a great addition to any survivalist pack or coffee table.

Hands down the best hunting book I've ever read. For someone that didn't grow up in the sport and has had to play catch up, this book is thorough, knowledgeable, and takes you through ALL aspects of hunting from the deer and its behavior, land management, hunting strategy and plans, to field dressing. The best thing about this book is that it has USABLE KNOWLEDGE unlike other hunting books that tend to skim the surface or is written for the experienced hunter.

I bought this gift as a Christmas present for a big deer hunter. It really has everything he needs to know and more. Note: It talks a lot about Mule deer too (which we don't have in Texas) but always good to learn more. It also had these cool metal tips on the corners of the cover which really added a nicer look to the paperback version of the book. Definitely worth the money, high quality book with great information.

Great info and pictures. I gave it 4 stars because I bought new and the build of the book came in pretty rough and banged up. It was probably used. Oh well. Still a great read and definitely useful information.

Great book

These books are the best. My son reads them cover to cover.

I am a lifelong deer hunter from maine.picked up alot of good stuff,also well written.love this book.great quality for the price.highly recommended.

Offers some clarity other books are clearly lacking. It is to the point and still doesn't beat you to death with complex information or charts. Really just simple easy to read and very useful. It breaks down topics to the root of the matter and simplifies subjects beyond commercials, advertisements and brand names. Very easy read when scouting and prepping for season.

I've read most books on deer hunting out there and this was by far the best. Covers everything from the deer, their senses, what they eat, etc to finding deer and creating a plan to hunt them. This is a great book for beginners to moderate hunters and will get you started on the right track. From there I'd suggest the book mapping trophy bucks and read up on hunting bedding areas and specifics to the type of terrain you will be hunting more in depth. The format of this book makes is a pleasure to read as well with great images to explain everything. I would recommend doing a quick search on terrain features such as saddles, draws, ridges, benches, etc if you are not familiar with them this book mentions them without a description of what they are.

In my opinion this is a great book. I shot my first doe and buck at age 12 and 13. 15 years passed with very little deer hunting on my part. I decided to take up deer hunting again. I bought the book a few months before the 2014 season. Within 20 minutes of reading I had learned more than I ever knew before. The book is organized into a few main parts, then further broken down into short paragraphs about each one of the tips or "skills". This makes for a very easy read and fit my reading style. In other words, it is easy to pick up for a few minutes at a time. In fact, my 3 year old daughter likes this book as much as I do. Most night's she would say, "Let's read the Deer Book." After reading this book I was able to better prepare for the season. I scouted, planted a food plot, made fake scrapes, learned to read the "signs", put up 2 stands, learned what worked best to cover my scent, etc.. Not that the book taught me everything but it helped me quite a bit. This year I saw more deer than ever and learned more than ever. We have deer on our property, but they are often difficult to find during the season. As an example 2 family members that hunted the same land for many, many years were very shocked to learn that I was seeing 2-3 deer every time I went and even 9 deer one night. I did manage to get a big 6 pt to visit my scrape site Mid October and got 4 great pictures on my trail cam. That buck disappeared until late November where I got a shot. My first Tennessee Deer and the biggest buck of my life (not huge compared to many states but good sized for my area at 135 lbs field dressed, roughly 3.5-4 yrs old) and my first season back hunting. I attribute a lot of that to this book and persistence in the field. Overall it is a great book and one that I will likely re-read for many years to come. Just buy the book already! Thanks for reading, Bryan

I’m just getting into hunting, that’s why I bought this book. I can’t really say if is what one needs as I am inexperienced. It’s very interesting to read just to learn about the species and the body of knowledge that goes into deer hunting. The book is beautifully constructed with a strong binding and little metal tabs on the corners of the cover. The photography, graphics, maps, charts etc. are all very impressive and detailed. The text is very well written and reads easily and has a subtle humor here and there which is great. This seems to be a great book for any aspiring hunter and would make a great addition to any survivalist pack or coffee table.

Hands down the best hunting book I've ever read. For someone that didn't grow up in the sport and has had to play catch up, this book is thorough, knowledgeable, and takes you through ALL aspects of hunting from the deer and its behavior, land management, hunting strategy and plans, to field dressing. The best thing about this book is that it has USABLE KNOWLEDGE unlike other hunting books that tend to skim the surface or is written for the experienced hunter.

I bought this gift as a Christmas present for a big deer hunter. It really has everything he needs to know and more. Note: It talks a lot about Mule deer too (which we don't have in Texas) but always good to learn more. It also had these cool metal tips on the corners of the cover which really added a nicer look to the paperback version of the book. Definitely worth the money, high quality book with great information.

Great info and pictures. I gave it 4 stars because I bought new and the build of the book came in pretty rough and banged up. It was probably used. Oh well. Still a great read and definitely useful information.

Great book

These books are the best. My son reads them cover to cover.

I am a lifelong deer hunter from maine.picked up alot of good stuff,also well written.love this book.great quality for the price.highly recommended.

Offers some clarity other books are clearly lacking. It is to the point and still doesn't beat you to death with complex information or charts. Really just simple easy to read and very useful. It breaks down topics to the root of the matter and simplifies subjects beyond commercials, advertisements and brand names. Very easy read when scouting and prepping for season.

I'm still reading it. So far, I'm enjoying this book. Great item to lay on the coffee table & pick up to read.

All my life I have never seen a white tail buck. I am a forest officer in Germany and I'm an avid hunter in the German Black Forest, teeming with red deer, roe deer and wild boars. I bought the book because I'm interested in American wildlife and hunting methods. The deer hunter manual is really a great book. It's very informative, the pictures and drawings are beautiful. It's a great pleasure to read it and to learn about the American hunting methods. Some of the tips are certainly very useful for hunting red deer in the Black Forest.

A must have for the novice Whitetail hunter. You can skip around the book and read about whatever topic. Perfectly illustrated in full color and gives a lot of useful advice. I walked into the woods with a little more confidence for the hunt

About To Look Through all the stuff they Have, Because if they treat all there stuff like this Amazing Book, I Mean The Book Was Individually Packed! Excellent Condition! Will Buy From Them Again!.

Looked new.. fast shipping..these people are great.

Bought for my adult son for Christmas and he LOVED it!

gift

good

I got this book for my dad for Christmas and I'm glad he leaves it in the bathroom for "light reading" because I like it too! The topics cover a wide range and the pictures/illustrations are great. Everything is very colorful and glossy, and I like the heft of the book (it has little metal corners, nice touch!).

Bear in mind that I'm not much of a hunter. That said, I would argue that many of the "skills" referenced are beyond anything I'm ever going to do. I won't be buying a plot of land specifically to load the soil with minerals and chop down trees so I can make some "suggested" bedding areas or what have you with watering holes and all that jazz. However... What it does cover in terms of scouting an area, what to look for, the information on current deer behavioral studies regarding migration during various parts of the season and so forth, should in theory help me find a deer to turn into dinner. Come hunting season, I guess we'll see. Sidenote - I'm not a hunter but I do know guns, and their commentary on hardware, what to look for, within what price range you can achieve certain marksmanship goals, etc... was on point. No hurt feelings regarding the purchase price.

My husband purchased a bow and wants to learn to shoot and hunt. He asked for this book for Christmas. He's been reading and enjoying it since he opened it.

This book is great. Lots of new information from researchers and experts in the field. There is a good balance between basic information and more advanced lessons to be learned.

Good general book on deer hunting and techniques.

Everyone who hunts whitetails should give this a read!

This book has a lot of good information, but towards the end it starts getting repetetive.

AWESOME - a MUST HAVE for experienced and novice hunters, I have bought extra copies for fellow hunters. If you don't have a mentor, this book is for you.

This is a must have for all deer hunters. No matter what your experience level is, you will learn from this book. It is truly amazing.

delivered on time & as expected.

Such a valuable resource, more so than any other deer hunting book I've read.

LOVE this book. I've read it 4 times since the fall. I would review sections every weekend after a hunt. Great pictures, great tips, good quality of materials.....highly recommend for a intermediate to novice hunter.

Offers a lot of good tips for hunting these sometimes elusive creatures.

Gave this as a gift to my dad and it was very well received. Such a gorgeous book with fabulous thick pages and colour. I had purchased a similar one from a bookstore last year so I knew what I was getting and wasn't disappointed. In terms of content I'm not sure if it's great as I do not hunt, but I did enjoy flipping through the pretty pages! Seemed like lots of neat details were included

great info

Nice book that has a lot of good basic information on deer. Some subjects I wished they had a bit more information. It seems that they covered some subjects more than others but overall I think it was a great book.

Easily one of the easiest and best read resources in my conservation library. Seasoned pro or amateur alike will appreciate this book.

I learned so much information that will make me a better hunter! Great book!

I have read numerous books on whitetails and whitetail hunting. This is the best all around book that I have read. The ideas and topics are brief, but contain sufficient information to convey the idea to the reader. It is also organized in a very logical manner (the deer, the plan, and the hunt). I would recommend it to beginner and more experienced hunters to learn new skills or refresh the ones they have. Great illustrations as well. Will re-read several times I am sure.

Super

Great book came in quick

My son loved this book. He has hunted deer for 20 years and enjoys reading the great information given. It is a book he can share with his children now, as they start hunting.

Good information

The best book on the market.

I got my now 11 year old son this book (and the Ultimate Survival Manual) for Christmas 2016, he still reads it on car trips or whenever he has free time. He likes to read up on how to be a true, manly outdoors-man and LOVES these books. Great buy for a young hunter!

Good intro to hunting with illustrations to help a young hunter grasp the basics of hunting and tactics.

it was a gift and my husband totally loves it and can't put it down

Very informative!

Great book lots of information.

Great Book very in depth

Thanks

I love this book. It is a compilation of skills & knowledge which address all aspects of deer hunting. It is the total package.

Well written, and provides additional information even for the expert hunter.

Great book everything you need to know to harvest

Easy and quick to read, very good content and a keeper for reference.

extremely satisfied with purchase

Great reading

Very informative. Most if not all of the information is backed up by studies or research. -FM

Very informative.

Great Job!

Very informative deer hunting manuel. Complete with color photos. Highly recommend.

Great book!

Great book great quality, this is a gift and I am sure he will love it. Crisp text and pictures!

Great book packed with tons of great tips and strategies.

Alot of information great book

I do not hunt, but I purchased this as a gift based on the reviews. It was a hit!

Great guide for novice and experts!

This book is my new deer hunting bible. I'm a new hunter and with this book I was able to get my first buck which scored 167 2/8. This book works#

Great product

lots of good information.

great construction, beautiful photos, and worthwhile info!

Absolute must if you hunt any deer.

I don't even hunt and I spent all afternoon paging through this book (rather than wrapping it for my husband)! Really interesting and great pictures. He is a VERY seasoned hunter, and I highly doubt he will find this boring. It is really well made too, nothing like I expected. It is heavy, thicker cover than most paperbacks, and even has nice metal tips on the corners. Will make a great gift for any hunter. I am already buying more copies for friends/family!

The book is in great shape very nice

I bought this for my son, who is new to hunting and he said it taught him a lot and recommended this book to his friends.

My husband loved it

Very useful tips. Shipped fast.

I 've hunted deer in Osage county Missouri since 1969 and have taken oodles of deer and eaten lotsa venison.. I probably didn't need to buy this book but I'm glad I did. I know it's a very good book because it affirmed my observations about the animals' habits, successful hunting techniques, apprpropriate guns and cartridges and archery equipment---I've tried most of them---and how to field dress these great hunting trophies and much, much more. as a successful deer hunter, I can tell you that what is contained in this book actually works out in the field. from now on, when folks ask me how to hunt deer, I'm just going to tell them to read this book, sight their rifle in and sharpen a knife or two because they'll be needing them.

endless facts to make you a better hunter

If I was going to teach a beginner class on deer hunting then this would be my textbook.

laot of good info.

Fast shipping and just as described

What a great series of books.

GOOD

Great book. It's the deer hunting for dummies.

Well written for any hunter. Excellent diagrams, lots of fun Humor and good data for a quick cross country look.

Great reference material

Exactly what I was looking for

It was everything that was advertised and more. Im very happy with this purchase and will buy from this seller again.

Very nice book for the money.

Great book, gave these to my deer camp buddies as early xmas gifts. Brought these to Deer camp to give to everyone. They make fun of me reading in my treestand but if I am reading on how to get more deer that is okay.

Christmas gift and they loved it and they said there was new information that they were not aware of. when hunting deer

Love it lots of great tips and love that they set the record straight on things like deer noses, eyes and ears. Only wish there was more about management, doe hunting, things about making mounts like the skull mount. Love it tho great book for a deer hunter in your life !

Great book

Great info, my sons gonna loveit

I bought this for my son who found it informative. Good condition.

I am new to deer hunting, but have had to desire to do it my whole life. This book has been very educational to me and I would recommend it to anyone who is also just getting started. Found out about this book through my Outdoor Life magazine subscription, they wanted two payments of ~$20. This price was much more affordable.

I bought this for my husband for Valentine's Day. He loved it and reads it all the time. He even got a copy for a friend's birthday so that they could "read it together" (they hunt together regularly).

Very informative book to even the educated hunter. Great layout. Makes me want to go hunting right now!!

Great all around bible Excellent documentation and images to help in getting an understanding of the hunt.

It is written in a way that does not bore you into not reading anymore

The book was very helpful. It started out showing you everything that you always wanted to know deer for the novice hunter to the experienced hunter form what kind of rifle you should use to how to set up and wait for that Big Buck. A must have for all or you deer hunters out there.

Lots of helpful stuff for the new guy. Stuff that will help you follow more advanced hunters conversations and answers basic questions so you don't embarrass yourself. A ton of pics and maps and it's also surprisingly well made.

Being brand new to deer hunting I had no idea what to expect from this book. Let's just say I am extremely pleased with what the authors brought to the table! Everything from where deer live, eat, and sleep, to how to clean em and cook em when you harvest one is covered in this book. I feel superbly confident in the skills that Dave and Scott have given me to go out next season and harvest my first buck.

Excellent information but I wish it were organized in a more meaningful way. If so, I'd have given it 5 stars. Still, an excellent reference.

Full of great information!

The title says it's the total deer hunter manual, but it's mostly geared toward whitetail and hunting in the woods. I'm hunting mule deer in the desert. There are a few mentions of mule deer/ deserts in this book but problably less than 4 pages

Very informative with good diagrams and pictures. I learned a lot and intend to use it as a reference. Plus, a fun read.

Very informative book and easy to read. I learned a number of new tips to use when hunting this fall.

Wealth of information, well organized, easy to understand, and lots of pictures. Worth every penny. I highly recommend this book for any outdoorsman. Full of current information on deer aqcuired from recent studies over the last few years. KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

I really like it I can say before I receive it.Also I can save $5.It can give more detail for me. let me say thanks,

More than enough information. With may pixs and illustrations.

A lot of fundalmentals but overall a good guide. It been over 40 years since I hunted so it is a good refresher for me.

I bought this for a friend who was into hunting and he was enthralled with the book

I have hunted for about 3 years, but am self-taught. Thirsting for some more knowledge, I've picked up a few books about deer hunting. This one was BY FAR the best. What I liked: - The book starts out very strong with a lot of facts and biology. I especially liked learning about the deer's senses (their vision/smelling capabilities). The smell-testing with dogs was very interesting. - A wide scope on everything related to deer hunting. Lots of different opinions and tactics presented. What I didn't like: - The book gets repetitive and peters out at the end. - The book has a very loose organization to it. Since it's essentially 301 semi-independent sections, going back to reference a certain subject is difficult since you have to read through 301 items in the table of contents to find it. Plus, the same subject may be addressed multiple times in different spots. Overall, my knowledge of deer has increased ten fold from reading this book. I've recommended it to my friends, and plan to re-read it next season. There's a lot of info in it!

Very good book. I credit it with helping me harvest a nice doe this year. Likes: - good content - excellent graphics and illustrations - thick glossy pages, attractive metal trim corners - great gift Dislikes / opportunities for improvement: - focuses almost exclusively on patterning and finding bucks. - would like to see some additional equipment reviews e.g. "best for the money", "best value", "editors choice" - would like to see more information on using topo maps - would like to see pictures of wild plants deer eat/prefer Overall, it's a very good book, and I'd highly recommend for hunters of all skilll levels.

Interesting book. Has some good points, I guess it shows you should use a good proof reader to catch all the misspelled words. Field and Stream usually does a better job.

This was a great book. Easy to read and many good tips. I give it four stars because I only have public forest land to hunt. I live on less than an acre, so tips about planting alfalfa and rye grass do me no good. In fact, if I had enough open land to plant crops, I doubt I would need help from a book to hunt deer. I wish someone would come out with a public forest land hinting guide. I would recommend the book however, because there are some good tips.

The quality of this book blew my mind! It has metal corner protectors like you'd see on an old bible. The illustrations are amazing, the material is interesting and useful. The cover has an embossed look that screams of quality. It's easy to follow and understand. I can't say enough about it. A must have for any Deer hunter! Heck it might just be the only book you need!

Great book pictures are beautiful, a lot of tips based on research and experiment great book weather your new to hunting or a veteran there is just do much information in it, I got the hard cover good binding, broken down easy to understand and written with some humor...

Nice book, beautifully done. Not sure why all the five star reviews. I can see this is very good for the people who don't read very well. You can flip around and get a little tidbit here and there. Not too much info for the sport type hunter, but lots of good info the for people with land who manage their herd. Happened to find one used for $10 so I'm very happy with it, but there are better reads out there...if you are into such stuff.

Great book! I picked this up as an impulse buy thinking it might be interesting, and I love it! I've been hunting whitetail since I was a kid and this book has some great strategies and techniques I can't wait to try this fall. I have had many fire side chats and debates at the deer lease on what to do and what not to do, it's nice to have a book that spells it all out. It rules out the silly folklore of what your granddad may have taught you but it also confirms some of the tips and tricks that your grandad knew from experience. This book would also be great for beginning hunters with lots of illustrations on how to set up a location to hunt to what to wear and how to process your animal... Can't say enough good things about it, just buy it and enjoy!

I thought after 20 years deer hunting and reading countless articles I didn't really need or want this book. I was wrong, it is well written and I learned some new things. Yes, it has the basics for someone starting out, but it also had those small thoughts and skills of one with years of experience. Good pictures, diagrams.

Really good book. I've read it a few times now and still pick it up once in a while and skim through it. Everything you could possibly wonder about deer and deer hunting is answered in this book. Scott Bestul and Dave Hurteau did a phenomenal job. It's very well written.

Very helpful

I cannot wait for my boyfriend to open this for christmas! he loves field and stream and this book looks to have it all

Very useful book. I have read mine cover to cover several times. Great information worth every penny.

Unusually good book. Great information base.

I wanted to develop my farm to better support deer and this book provided a lot of useful information. It is not just about food plots etc. but that is what I was looking for and it covered that in a comprehensive manner. The other information on deer hunting was of less value to me but I did learn quite a bit reading it. It is well constructed and the layout/format makes it an easy read, I found the balance between details and general overview to be good and anyone from novice to fairly experienced would learn something from it.

This is a great book to read. As my great uncle put it "you can never know to much about whitetail deer". The only problem that I have with this book is that they constantly talk about shooting "Trophy Bucks". I hunt deer to feed my family not a trophy for my wall.

I'm new to deer hunting and have bought this manual in order to learn about the hunt. The manual has a lot of good and useful information, excellent photographs with descriptions and plenty of advice. I highly recommend this deer hunter manual to every hunter.

Pour la lecture! Les images sont belles, le contenu est bon et les trucs également. Cependant, mal adapté pour kindle sur un cellulaire. Les phrases apparaisent sur les les autres pages ce qui empêchent de bien lire le contenu des autres pages. Acheter le vrai livre.

I'm a newbie, and there is heaps of info, great photos, and good tips in here. All the bases are covered, and I would highly recommend.

Nothing in this book is going to make you a better deer hunter. Total joke of a book, not even toilet reading material , unless you want to poop with rage

Great graphics, good tips, well organised, and concise. Excellent to read at the John's, as you can read only one skill at a time (good luck). For more on the beast and less on the hunt, try Whitetail Advantage bu Samuel and Zaiglin, ...

Excellent book. Easy to read or peruse. Excellent format & illustrations

Bonne lecture pour un chasseur!

Great read, even for the avid hunter! This book is put together very well, keeps you wanting more after every page! Not the first Field & Stream manual I have and won't be the last. Always something to learn from these type of books!

Liked the material and the imagery helped my understanding.

There's something to learn for everyone and amazing pictures of deer and wildlife in the book. Lots of diagrams too not just words very interactive

Field and stream make some of the best informal books out there. Love them all

Great book, lots of knowledge, enjoyed reading it, and am pumped for the coming season

good deer hunting book for the new hunter

As a new hunting enthusiast I love the wealth of information provided on this manual. Also the quality of the material/paper used is excellent.

Amazing detail and easy to read. Highly recommended.

Very professional. Trust Field and Stream, the great branding of outdoors!

Everything you need to know about deer hunting. So i am told. Worth a buy. Oh and it has pictures.

Very happy with purchase. Seller very good to deal with.

Gave as a Christmas gift. Very nice and informative book. Recipient liked it very much.

Informative!

Great book for the American Hunter. Still good for Canadian Hunters but does not consider the climate of Northern Ontario where I hunt. Lots of good info nonetheless.