{"id":14428,"date":"2017-09-02T18:13:57","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T18:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=14428"},"modified":"2017-09-02T18:15:19","modified_gmt":"2017-09-02T18:15:19","slug":"the-big-book-of-big-game-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-big-book-of-big-game-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Book of Big Game Hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n
\"BGB-6\"
John Barsness hunting one of his favorite places, the Missouri Breaks.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"jbbb\"
John Barsness<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you were going to write a book about big game hunting \u2013 a big book about big game hunting \u2013 how would you know what to include? If you\u2019d hunted all over the world, for all sorts of big critters, with all sorts of rifles, you\u2019d have the experience to author such an encyclopedia. If you were one of the most prolific writers on the subject you\u2019d also know what to write about, partly because answering correspondence from your many readers teaches you what they want to know.<\/p>\n

For example, did you know the \u201cearly season hunting of plains whitetails often involves mule deer tactics.\u201d Or that \u201cAlmost anything in Africa is negotiable.\u201d and \u201cthe biggest complaints of many PH\u2019s are that Americans shoot too slowly, and don\u2019t know how to shoot offhand, even when resting their rifle over shooting sticks.\u201d I also bet you did not know that, \u201c\u2026some 21st<\/sup> century elk hunters actually choose to use smaller cartridges and cup and core bullets on elk.\u201d or that the bonding of a bullet, \u201c\u2026 does NOT guarantee exceptionally high weight retention, or deep penetration.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll bet that you, like many hunters who hunt on their hind legs instead of their ass, appreciate the limited heft of lightweight rifles. Some also struggle getting those rifles to shoot from the bench. Did you know that really<\/em> lightweight rifles, \u201ctend to shoot more accurately when using an even softer rest than the typical sandbag.\u201d and that a common bath towel might just improve your groups.<\/p>\n

\"BGB-4\"
Barsness working with a double rifle during a hunt in Ireland. He holds the position of Grand Poobah at the lodge of rifle loonies. <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This of course is just a sampling of the tidbits you\u2019ll find in The Big Book of Big Game Hunting<\/a>. And, as is often the case with any endeavor, little things like these matter. This book deals with lots of little and big<\/em> things as they relate to big game hunting, and they\u2019re the things Barsness has found big game hunters want to know, because they\u2019re the answers to questions he\u2019s been answering for years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spent time in the field with John Barsness shooting prairie dogs, black bear, and mule deer, in Montana. We\u2019ve hunted whitetails in West Virginia and Texas, and fallow deer in Ireland. I\u2019ve watched him masterfully work a fly rod in the Deschutes River of Oregon, and seen him just as skillfully run a rifle in New Zealand. However, I\u2019ve spent much more time reading the words he\u2019s written; words I trust because I know they’re based on experience as opposed to speculation.<\/p>\n

However, Barsness is no Jack O\u2019Connor; he\u2019s better. Better for me because his writing style reflects the passion of a workingman who practically lives off the wild game he and his wife have taken. He\u2019s no Townsend Whelen either, because he has much more big game hunting experience. And, Barsness is no Elmer Keith because he knows what punctuation, alliteration, and declarative sentences are.<\/p>\n

\"BGB-3\"<\/a>
Barsness’ latest book. Click the image to order.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I learn stuff when I read Barsness because the lessons are craftily hidden in stories that are enjoyable to read. They come across as sharp and clear as peeing on an electric fence, but with the refreshing smoothness\u00a0of a gin & tonic at an African campfire. After you read The Big Book of Big Game Hunting<\/a>\u00a0you\u2019ll look at big game hunting in a different way because you will know more about it. Then, you will probably order The Life of the Hunt<\/a>, which is one of the five best hunting books ever written. When you do, tell John a hillbilly\u00a0sent you, and he might even write an exceptionally snide comment inside the front cover.<\/p>\n

\"RiflesRecipes_logo\"<\/a>
Barsness, who has written for every major outdoor periodical, and his wife-chef Eileen Clarke, a hunter who has authored\u00a0more wild game cookbooks than maybe anyone ever, operate the website Rifles and Recipes.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you were going to write a book about big game hunting \u2013 a big book about big game hunting \u2013 how would you know what to include? If you\u2019d hunted all over the world, for all sorts of big critters, with all sorts of rifles, you\u2019d have the experience to author such an encyclopedia. If you were one of the most …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2579,2522,2500],"tags":[2761,625,395,351,63,2179],"class_list":["post-14428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","category-hunt","category-shooting","tag-big-game-hunting","tag-elmer-keith","tag-hunting","tag-jack-oconnor","tag-john-barsness","tag-townsend-whelen"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-3KI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15295,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/a-text-book-for-rifle-loonies\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":0},"title":"A Text Book for Rifle Loonies","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Back before Wal-Mart and big box sporting good stores ran the little guy out of business, you could walk into a real\u00a0gun shop and become educated. Often there was no one behind the counter; you\u2019d find several gents huddled around the wood stove pontificating on things like growing green beans\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Empty Cases Exclusive"","block_context":{"text":"Empty Cases Exclusive","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/empty-cases-exclusive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/barsness.jpg?fit=868%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/barsness.jpg?fit=868%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/barsness.jpg?fit=868%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/barsness.jpg?fit=868%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10759,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/modern-hunting-optics\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":1},"title":"Modern Hunting Optics","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In 1999 Safari Press published Optics for the Hunter. Timing could not have been better because hunters were just then getting serious about riflescope. They wanted to know about bright scopes, reliable scopes, eye relief, field of view and even how to properly mount a scope. They were also getting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"JBOpticsFrontCover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/JBOpticsFrontCover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7708,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/sausage-second-only-to-bacon\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":2},"title":"Sausage – Second only to Bacon!","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The first time I hunted Montana I hunted with my friend John Barsness. We were bear hunting and on the second day of the hunt shot a nice one. It was an incredible western experience but it was one made even better by the food I ate. You see, John's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"cook books\"","block_context":{"text":"cook books","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/cook-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hunter and Chef, Eileen Clarke","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Eileen-Clarke-207x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8458,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/where-have-all-the-great-gun-writers-gone\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":3},"title":"Where have all the great gun writers gone?","author":"gunwriter","date":"March 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There was a time, not all that long ago because I can remember it, when the profession of writing about guns and the outdoors was looked at in an entirely different light. There were men who penned words and there were readers who anxiously awaited their publication. Pulling a gun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cooper","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Cooper-202x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10688,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/cyber-monday-for-shooters\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":4},"title":"Cyber Monday for Shooters","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"They say that tomorrow is the biggest on-line shopping day of the year. It won't be for me; I'll be deep in the Allegheny Mountains looking for a buck and a bear. For those less fortunate who might be looking to pick up a gift for their shooting or hunting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Books on the AR\"","block_context":{"text":"Books on the AR","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/books-on-the-ar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Scan.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12100,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/empty-cases-welcomes-nosler-as-a-sponsor\/","url_meta":{"origin":14428,"position":5},"title":"Empty Cases Welcomes Nosler as a Sponsor","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My first claim to fame \u2013 if you want to call it that \u2013 was working as the compiling author of the book, Rifle Bullets for the Hunter. It was without question the definitive source for hunting bullet information and, I got to work with some very\u00a0respected gun writers: Boddington,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Hunting bullets\"","block_context":{"text":"Hunting bullets","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/hunting-bullets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"980x250-web-banner-Nosler-eat-organic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/980x250-web-banner-Nosler-eat-organic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/980x250-web-banner-Nosler-eat-organic.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/980x250-web-banner-Nosler-eat-organic.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/980x250-web-banner-Nosler-eat-organic.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14428"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14437,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14428\/revisions\/14437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}