The Still Hunter

The Still Hunter is a classic guide to hunting deer in rugged terrain - dating to the late-19th century, many of this book's lessons remain valuable, relevant and highly useful to this day.


A book long appreciated by hunting enthusiasts all over the world, The Still Hunter was the first book of its kind: offering detailed guidance and step-by-step instruction in a manner both lucid and demonstrative, at the time it appeared in 1882 deer hunting was a practice shrouded in exoticism and mystique. Theodore Van Dyke was a hunter of long experience; his words are straightforward, with the practicalities of killing game given without embellishment.


We are told in detail how to spot deer and track them through the wilderness. The methods deer use to blend into, and hide among, foliage and scenery are detailed, as are their typical movements through the rugged terrain they typically populate. Van Dyke tells of how to effectively pursue deer, and how stealth is crucial particularly as the hunter prepares to take his shot. A chapter for pursuits in snow is included.


By the 1880s, bolt-action rifles had become commonplace in both military and hunting contexts. The principles of loading, cleaning, maintaining and handling such a gun remain essentially the same to this day; the author offers an all-round masterclass on maintaining one's gun and other hunting equipment. Effective marksmanship, including how to take a good shot at moving game and control recoil, is likewise detailed.


Upon publication, The Still Hunter became a bestseller and was carried by thousands of bookstores, particularly in the rural and mountainous areas of the United States and Canada. Its vivid descriptions would inspire further guidebooks plus hunting biographies by the likes of President Theodore Roosevelt.