The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game

Very insightful, and helpful information for the price.

I bought and watched a video from another person that was a great beginner's tool. Having that base helped me understand some things better when I went thru this book. A LOT of great info in here, and I found it well-organized and presented, too. From gear to prep info, on to various animal species (and I felt the amount of species included was quite large), then butchering and cooking. There was a lot of actual hunting info, like stands and blinds and various weapon types, and traits of the various animals covered. It also covers things like licenses and legal differences between state laws, etc.The butchering is where I got more than from that video I watched, because this book takes it further from just field dressing or boning. That's the subject I wanted more info on, too, so I found it quite handy. The recipes are a nice bonus. And all throughout there are some excellent photos.I'm mostly interested in this from a prepper's perspective. It does go into differences in skinning if you're going to tan the hide, but of course does not go into much about tanning itself. It's rather large and heavy to carry, so is best studied prior to need, but is, I feel, a very good instruction tool for preppers or new or medium-experienced hunters.

Has so much good information

Rinella has become a household name for us not only because my husband listens to him frequently and even the kids enjoy M.E. Trivia but mainly because no matter the resource, he is full of knowledge and not just the kind an internet search gives, the kind you have to know people who *know* what they are doing, to learn. Recommend for new preppers, established hunters as a hand reference and dads who just want to take down a big game when they grow up.

This book does a great job of breaking down hunting best practices from start to finish. The format is great and Steve does a nice job keeping things simple. Highly recommend!

Got this for my husband for Father’s Day. Perfect condition, large colorful pages, book was awesome.

As a new hunter and huge nerd, I've been on the lookout for really good, soup-to-nuts resources that would help me grow as a hunter. In the midst of that search, I encountered Steven Rinella's podcast and TV show. I've enjoyed them both thoroughly and was excited when I found his books since I was certain I'd enjoy them, too.If you're a new hunter, these books are a great purchase though - if I'm being honest - they fell just short of what I was truly hoping they'd be.The positives are many...At a technical level: The writing is excellent. Topics are covered in depth and with excellent clarity. In the midst of every discussion, great stories and anecdotes are woven such that you feel like you're reading a beautiful cross between a manual/textbook and a hunting memoir. It's an engaging read that I found hard to put down. The book is VERY well organized and the ideas flow into one another in a very sensible way. As the author states, you'll want to read this book from cover-to-cover without skipping things. Concepts and illustrations build on the material that came before it, and there's a lot of information you can apply from one discussion (say hunting something as seemingly foreign to me as an East Coaster like bighorn sheep) to another (like the more recognizable whitetail deer).Similarly, the last section of the book on butchering is clear, detailed, and beyond helpful... Principles for butchering large animals are presented in general terms where needed so you can apply concepts to whatever animal is in front of you. But specifics are given where appropriate, too.In addition to the technical aspects of the book, it's absolutely beautiful. The photography, layout, and colors draw you into the book and make it all the more engaging. I'm not usually someone who gets into aesthetics, but this book's got 'em and I'm sure people who enjoy that more than I do will be well-pleased.Throughout the authors make a beautiful case for conservation of both these beautiful animals and the public lands on which they can survive and be enjoyed by us all.But, there are a couple of places where I felt the book just fell short of being EVERYTHING I'd hoped. For one thing, there's nothing on identifying sign and tracking... There's reference to rubs, scrapes, trails and the like in the varied sections on different animals. However, I can't think of a place where a photograph of any of them. As a novice woodsman, a big part of locating productive grounds and the animals that inhabit them will include being able to know what to look out for (short of an animal's silhouette slipping through the brush) and how to read the story it's trying to tell you. For example, I found what I thought was a scrape in the woods and, all excited with my newfound woodsman skills, showed it to another hunter. At a glance they said, "That's not a deer scrape. It's from a turkey." I'm sure that I'll make more mistakes like that in the woods until I have more experience - after all, nothing's better - but I think this is a definite gap in the book's content as a 'complete guide'.I also think a little more practical examples might've been helpful... I'd have appreciated something like an example hunt for one of the more popular animals in the book (say elk, mule deer, or whitetail). Seeing pictures of a map and how the authors dissected it, where they entered, what they found scouting, how they approached the hunt based on that info, etc would've help me put the excellent information in the book in order inside my head.So, if you're a new hunter, I think this book is a must read... I'm sure there are other, species-specific books that will include more nuggets pertaining to your animal of choice. But, I'm also confident that none of them will do more to make you a well-rounded hunter and put you in a better position to utilize the game you harvest than these books will. AND you'll just have a ton of fun reading it along the way.(Side note: I have a decent background in firearms use and think that the firearms treatment here is very good - especially for the novice. However, I wonder whether some of the information - like understanding caliber, cartridges, etc - would've been better treated in a separate volume in order to focus more on the hunting-specific aspects of shooting or to leave room for some of the topics I thought were omitted. It's hard to figure out if I'm being biased here, so I just offer this as a note rather than a praise or critique.)

Looking for a comprehensive book about hunting that covers everything from preparing for a hunt to butchering your own trophy? Then I’d recommend you buy a copy of Steven Rinella’s new book The Complete Guide.I’ve enjoyed reading Rinella’s work over the years, so it was no surprise to me that the book is well written. What did surprise me is that it’s nearly 400 pages of excellent tips and techniques to turn the beginning hunter into a well-prepared outdoorsman.If you’re new to hunting, Rinella breaks down the basics of gear, scouting, and tactics. He not only covers rifle hunting, but also gets into the basics of archery as well. His advice is quite sound and he pulls from other hunters to strengthen the wealth of knowledge contained inside the covers.For more seasoned hunters, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the vast amount of North American big game species that the author has hunted over his life. Most of us haven’t had the opportunity to chase Dall Sheep in the mountains of Alaska yet, so the book provides us with a nice introduction to mountain sheep hunting.The book ends with several recipes for big game. Rinella hosts an excellent show on the Sportsman Channel called “Meateater”, which often shows him cooking wild game in unique, creative methods. If you’re like me, cooking isn’t your strong suit. So this book adds a lot of value by doubling as a wild game cookbook.Whether you are looking for a hunting book, survival guide or a wild game butchering/cooking book, check out the new Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game.

Awesome guide, it’s always great to learn tips and tricks to wild game butchering.

Great book made for the American market not our English one. Good info concise to the point small sections that give a good grounding. Got this one becasue a friend of mine bought me the other which is equally excellent.

O Livro aborda diversas táticas para caça e o preparo dos animais na cozinha mateira. Excelentes dicas de culinária rústica e orientações para os amantes da vida ao ar livre. Bastante ilustrado com fotos fantásticas. Recomendo a publicação.

Fantastic book full of great info and recipes, well written and fun.

Super Buch für Jagdanfänger sowie Fortgeschrittene.Eher auf die Jagd in den vereinigten Staaten ausgelegt aber trotzdem viele nützliche Informationen.