Hunting the Hard Way

by Howard Hill

Archery conjures up many images―Robin Hood, the American West, wild safaris in Africa, and the simplicity of nature on a brisk October morning. Howard Hill brings to life all of these images with exciting stories about the thrill of the hunt, oneness with nature, and the adventure of the great outdoors. Hunting the Hard Way, considered by many to be the most sought-after archery title, is now back in print and full of the thrilling escapades of a bow and arrow purist.

Genres: Adventure

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[Jouni Virtaharju · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a hunting aficionado interested in getting into bow hunting in the future, I wanted to read this classic 1953 bow hunting novel. The book has not received its reputation because of its quality. It is a mixed collection of unrelated hunting stories and a couple of chapters on technical aspects of bows and arrows. The author does not really share a lot of his expertise: he states that stalking is critical, but does not really cover the topic in any length. The book is not written very well and the time of the writing clearly shows. In fact, I was rather amused by the mismatch between the book title and the hunting stories: The author states that bow hunting is the 'hard way' but you really cannot tell that from the stories. The boasting storytelling style is such that I had trouble believing many of his stories with over 100 yard shots at moving animals. Anyway, I do know Howard Hill's skill was close to incredible.

Still, the book has its merits. Best element is the enthusiasm of the author that can be sensed through the stories. The book has that fascinating 'boyish charm' that kept me reading till the end. And I also kind of enjoyed the old-fashioned elements that nowadays are politically incorrect, for example when the author tells how he beat his wife in scoring more rabbits in a day.

[Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm interested in archery, but not hunting, and read this book hoping to learn something about his way of shooting. There is some information on his method of aiming and hunting with the bow, I guess there are few things that are new for eithers hunter or archers.

Except for being a master with the bow and an accomplished bowyer, the author is also very good at story telling. I don't know how credible they are, but they are all great stories for sharing around the camp fire.

[Lee Pheifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of stories and thrilling tales from the life of Howard Hill

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively short read that generated equal amounts of interest and doubt. The stories in it are engrossing and more often than not action-packed. But they can't all be completely honest-to-goodness nonfiction. That said, my favorite was Chapter 22- "Gator Hunting with Osceola", and the section on hunting wild boar is a close second. The how-to sections of the book are, to my way of thinking, even more engrossing than the hunting stories.

[Jackshunkwiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunting the Hard Way is a collection of hunting stories by Howard Hill. I really liked this book for its interesting but short hunting tales. All of the stories were short, packed with meat, and had some out of the ordinary, or amazing ending.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool

[Celeste George · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life this guy has lived.