Arizona Game Birds

Rating:
Summary: "Arizona Game Birds" by David E. Brown
Review: When I first picked up "Arizona Game Birds" a couple of years ago, I looked at it as a serious textbook on Arizona's upland birds (partridges/pheasants, grouse, turkeys, quail, cranes, pigeons and doves). And it certainly is: with it's good-quality black-and-white figures, carefully designed maps, generous captions and an extended bibliography supplemented by a sufficient index, it ranks far above average when compared to similar scientific references. But this book is a lot more than a textbook: it is a unique comprehensive guide offering a straightforward path to both the novice and the expert through the complex, and at times confusing, interaction between the birds and their habitat. The general pattern Brown lays out in his clear, figurative language for each species in terms of life history, distribution, management history and hunting strategies is unsurpassed in the literature, a knowledge and expertise which can only be accumulated through decades of experience in the field as a wildlife biologist, AZ G&F game manager and a hunter. This book has served me as a faithful companion for not only planning hunting trips into new areas, but also to better understand the many biotic communities in the Southwest. Such information does not come easy, and one has to always work for it. Above all, I consider Brown's hunting anecdotes among the best put on paper. Loaded with practical advice and written with respect for the quarry by a true gentleman hunter, these short stories take you right into the field. Read e.g. about Brown looking back to Ward's Dove Night in Tuscon during the early 1970es and you will understand why this fine book is on my shelf standing right next to such classics as Jack O' Connor "Game in the Desert" and Charles A. Sheldon's "Wilderness of the Southwest". May it never go out of print!