Stories of the Old Duck Hunters

I told my wife that if I am ever in a coma clinging to life, she should play these tapes. I can't say enough about MacQuarrie and his story telling ability. No one can describe better the experience of huddling in a pre dawn duckblind as wings whistle overhead in the darkness. Nor what it's like to feel the sure pluck of a brown trout at your fly during a spring rain. You will feel the glow of the woodstove and relish the ache in your arms that comes from rowing your boat back to the cedar cabin on a North Wisconsin lake. MacQuarrie's literary voice, the subject, and characters of his stories make my heart ache for a time that I was born too late to experience. Buy this trilogy. If you are a hunter or fisherman you will never regret it. If you aren't but take time to listen to these stories, you might find yourself looking at old shotguns, bamboo flyrods, and bluebill decoys in a different light. You might even find yourself in sleeting rain on a North Lake someday as wings whistle overhead.

This is for anyone who is ever thinking about buying a book with stories by MacQuarrie in it. Buy it and don't look back. MacQuarrie wasn't an advertiser like so many things are today. He wrote about everyday people and their love of the out doors. You must be careful though because after you read MacQuarrie it will be hard to find someone to out do him. I never heard of him before I found a book that Zack Taylor compiled with the stories of MacQuarrie flyfishing. Buy anything you can find by him and you won't be sorry. Enjoy MacQuarrie in your private times when you need things to be enjoyable and he'll never let you down.

This trilogy is probably the best rendition of hunting fishing adventures that I have ever read. These stories contain no grandiose panoramic gushing descriptions of landscape or sunsets, just simple, clarity. A great read.

Most outdoor writing is a bit boring: ". . . and then he hit my Royal Coachman like a freight train,[etc.]. . . ." Not these stories! MacQuarrie puts you right in the stream or field with him, without effort and with great, subtle humor. Only when he mentions an automobile do you realize these were written in the 20's and 30's. He wrote with the parsimonious beauty of Hemmingway. Read only one story per night, lest you get through the three volumns too fast.

For anyone who has spent any time in the outdoors or wishes they could, these stories are great. All three books are a collection of Gordon MacQuarrie's short stories that appeared in print in the 1930's through the 1950's, in outdoor magazines, ie Field & Stream. The stories take place in northwestern Wisconsin, and include duck and deer hunting, as well as many fishing stories. Having spent time in this great area, the author paints great pictures of the country, as well as bringing out the true appreciation of the outdoors. These books also show the views of true sportsmen in regards to conservation, and the understanding of our responsibility to nature. And lastly, quite a few chuckles along the way. I can tell you that I have re-read these stories many times through the years, and will again... enjoy.