Complete Guide to Game Animals: A Field Book of North American Species

This is a review of the 2nd edition, 1981. The 1st edition came out in 1968. The book's six main sections are: (1) pouched animals, (2) carnivores, (3) seals and walrus, (4) rodents, (5) hares and rabbits, (6) hoofed mammals. The specific animals discussed are: (1) opossum (2) black bear, Alaskan brown bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, raccoon, gray and red wolves, gray fox, arctic fox, coyote, jaguar, mountain lion, lynx, bobcat (3) harbor seal, walrus (4) woodchuck, yellow-bellied marmot, hoary marmot, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, arctic ground squirrel, prairie dog, porcupine, brown rat (5) cottontail rabbit, varying rabbit, arctic hare, jackrabbit, European rabbit (6) collard peccary, European wild hog, elk, whitetail deer, mule deer, moose, caribou, pronghorn, bison, bighorn sheep, Dall's and Stone's sheep, mountain goat, musk-ox. For each animal there is a short paragraph or two of general comments, then subsections on description, distribution, travel, habits, senses, communication, locomotion, breeding, birth and young, life span, sign, enemies, human relations, trophy records, table fare. The section on distribution includes a map of North America displaying the distribution as of 1981. An example of table fare: "That fox squirrels by the millions are eaten each year is proof of their palatability. I have never eaten one myself, but suspect that it would not differ from the gray squirrel, which is very good." (pg 295) We are given a photo of almost every animal, and sometimes photos of tracks, scat, front and rear paw, hoof and forefoot. There is no discussion of how to hunt these animals, nor how to butcher or prepare them. But there is mention of possible health concerns. For example, in the section on cottontail rabbit, we are told about tularemia, a disease that "is caused by a parasite that affects the rabbit's lymph glands, liver and spleen" and to take care while cleaning rabbits to avoid contacting the disease. This is a very handy reference and worth looking for in the used book market.