Misery Loves Company: Waterfowling And The Relentless Pursuit Of Self-Abuse

by Bill Buckley

This book takes a fun-filled look at the foibles, follies, pratfalls, and unpredictable world of the duck hunter, from the time his alarm rings at 3:00 a.m. until he stumbles into freezing marsh water two hours later, swamping his waders but not dampening his enthusiasm for the sport. Why do duck hunters do it? Sit in driving rain for hours awaiting ducks that may never come? Shiver in freezing boats and blinds in the most inaccessible, not to mention inhospitable, environs imaginable?
Author-photographer Bill Buckley writes about these magic moments with humor and verve, but it is his brilliant color photographs that steal the show. The hapless hunter who watches helplessly as his partner's Suburban backs out of the driveway-and over the gun case that holds his favorite shotgun. Click! The faithful retriever that elegantly lifts its leg and makes a sop of the hunter's blind bag. Click! And the pained expressions on the faces of duck hunters caught in the act of "enjoying" their favorite sport. Click.
Waterfowlers who sometimes question their own sanity can now take heart. "It's all right," Buckley writes, "if you like standing in swamp muck for hours on end. It's okay if your family thinks you're weird. Who cares if your girlfriend diagnoses you as obsessive-compulsive or sadomasochistic?
The important thing is, you're not alone."

112 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Bill Buckley lives in Bozeman, Montana, and has been an avid waterfowler for more than 25 years. Buckley's photography is published in numerous outdoor magazines.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Quick Read, coffee table picture book really. A bit dated but I laughed out loud at a few of the photos and commentary. Humorous to those of us that "Live the Life" non-waterfowlers may not appreciate the book as much.

[Caley Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short tongue-in-cheek salute to duck hunters and hunting.