Game in the Desert

I loved this book. The writing is excellent and it evokes nostalgia for the good ol’ days. Very informative about big game in the Southwest.

It would be wonderful, if at the end of our careers, we could, each of us, look back at our work and be able to say we were as respected and admired in our fields as the late Jack O'Connor was in his. Even his enemies were giants. O'Connor, born in the Arizona Territory (not even a state yet) in 1902 and lived, grew up, was educated, married, began his family, became a college professor, in the American Southwest, primarily Arizona, though he also lived and taught in western Texas for a while. He also hunted in free time in the Mexican state of Sonora. All of this is desert country, and from his earliest days, O'Connor was self professed 'desert rat," (though curiously, later he publicly wrote he was NEVER happy with the desert heat, and was much happier living in Idaho, the state he and his family 'fled' to in 1948, where he lived for the rest of his life)This book was O'Connor's first non fiction book..( He had previously published two novels) and he writes knowningly of the various game animals of the desert regions. About the time this book was published in 1939, (in the text he refers to writing it in 1937 and revising it in 1938) he became the shooting/hunting editor of Outdoor Life Magazine, a postion he would hold for the next 30 odd years and would become, argueably, the most infulentail of the so-called 'gun writers' of the post WWII period. His feuds, with Elmer Keith (one of the few who could challenge O'Connor's claim to pre-emience) and Col. Charles Askin, were the stuff of legend.'Game in the Desert' is interesting. This is a young O'Connor, writing at 35, revising at 36. publishing at 37, and the clear prose for which he was known was already present. Clear consise thoughts, 'weeping' (in print) for the vanishing game, (mostly..a bit more on this later) His gloomier predictions on the collared peccary, ak "javelina" happily did not come true, since the animal is increasing in numbers here in US at least..The Elk has been reestablished over much of it's range, and record numbers of pronghorns are brought in every year. His prediction that the desert bighorn would hold out indefintly in Mexico seems a bit optimstic, considering the news from Mexico though that country is taking a firmer approach to game conservation now, so perhaps there is hope...I was interested in Jack's 'condemnation' of the mountain lion, predicting it's eventual extinction and basically cheering it on. he thought killing a mountain lion saved 200 deer a year. Curiously, though, despite this condemation, O'Connor himself killed only one mountain lion in his life. And by 1961, had swung completely over to the other side, considering the mountain lion a part of American West, and esstentail for a healthy deer herd."Game in the Desert" is an interesting book, one needed to be read by more than one sort of person. For O'Connor fans, of course, it is not only a must read but a must have. But naturallists will find it interesting too, to see how an observer viewed the animals in question, (both mammals and birds are covered), the 'natural historian' will find the look back at pre WWII Southwest interesting...the amatuer historian may enjoy it for the same reason...it is a photograph of Depression era America

Book arrived in very good condition and was exactly as described.

Beautifully written book about big game in the arid South of the United States and also northern Mexico. The book was written long ago (1930s I think) so it is interesting from a historical viewpoint but not very relevant to today. This book is all about the habits, numbers and trophy quality of big game for the given era and area, and is not a compilation of hunting stories. It also does not cover rifles, ballistics etc.

This was one of O'Connors earlier works, and focus more on the animals and geography of the deserts of Arizona and Northern Mexico than hunting. Very interesting and informative. Jack was Americas premier hunting and shooting writer, and his writing is still valid and worthwhile.

The information contained is somewhat dated which is no surprise give the book's age. But reading Jack O'Connor is a good idea for any hunter or anyone with a general interest in the outdoors.

He paints a picture that is easy to see and even easier to follow his footsteps. Very descriptive in all explanations and very down to earth.

Must read for hunters who chase Notth American big game. O'Conner is one of the best gun writers of all time and this is probably his beat book in my opinion.

Excelent book