On the Hunt

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Stories from the Golden Age of Wisconsin Sporting Life

Robert C. Willging

Stories of Wisconsin’s sporting heritage and history come to life in this rich account of the many and varied pursuits that are part of the state’s sporting and outdoors tradition.

208 pages, 6 x 9, 30 b&w photos
Hardcover: $24.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-429-6
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-570-5
Publication Date: 8/1/2011

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Description

Author and outdoorsman Robert Willging brings the people and places of Wisconsin’s storied outdoors past to life. Drawing on dozens of first-hand interviews and accounts, he explores the richly varied history of sporting pursuits, from hunting for waterfowl or deer to trout fishing in wild northern Wisconsin rivers to vacationing at family-operated lakeside resorts, and more. Featuring a variety of historic photos depicting the Wisconsin sporting life, History Afield shows how the intimate relationship between humans and nature shaped this vital piece of the state’s heritage.

Willging's tales of hunting exploits and presidential fishing visits to northern Wisconsin reveal a unique slice of our sporting culture. His moving depictions of nature's fury include a detailed account of the famous Armistice Day storm and the dangers of ice fishing on Lake Superior, while his chapters on live decoys and the Wisconsin-bred American water spaniel explore the human-animal bond that has played such a large part in this history. These musings and perspectives on sporting ethos offer a strong sense of the lifestyle that Willging has preserved for today's readers and outdoorspeople.

Author Bio

Robert C. Willging

Robert C. Willging is a freelance outdoor writer and the author of On the Hunt: The History of Deer Hunting in Wisconsin. His work has appeared in Deer & Deer Hunting, The Boundary Waters Journal, Wisconsin Outdoor Journal, Wisconsin Natural Resources, High Country News, Turkey Call, WildBird, The Trapper & Predator Caller, Fur-Fish-Game, Wisconsin Outdoor News, and other publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and a master’s degree in wildlife sciences from New Mexico State University. He also worked as a wildlife biologist for the US Department of Agriculture. He lives in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

History runs deep in northern Wisconsin, and Willging has carefully chosen a cross-section of stories that have tremendous appeal. Sad to say, the state’s sporting past has long been neglected or taken for granted, but Willging brings together evocative stories from past generations, firmly connecting the reader to northern Wisconsin’s rich sporting heritage.

Brad Larson

Director, Oshkosh Public Museum

“Willging gives readers a personal glimpse of Wisconsin’s outdoors heritage by putting us alongside our forebears as they slap mosquitoes, row for safe harbors, scramble onto solid ice, or risk their family’s savings on resorts, bait shops, and other dreams. After mining historical records and his personal interviews for detailed insights and dormant secrets, Willging trusts his storytelling skills to bring bygone people and their times back to life without embellishment.”

—Patrick Durkin, columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Wisconsin Outdoor News, and Oshkosh Northwestern

“In History Afield, Willging revives some familiar tales and unearths a few surprises as well, in a vivid style that brings the past to life.”

—Dan Small, host/producer of Outdoor Wisconsin and Outdoors Radio