Customer Reviews

American Man-Killers: True Stories of a Dangerous Wilderness

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you are looking for a taste of reality (pun intended), then this is the book for you. Go into the aspect of nature that is not portrayed by some so called animal documentaries and animal hugging cute movies. As a hunter, I am well aware of the reality of cause and effect. I am also aware that people don't like to look at what they would call the gory side of nature. Yes, more often than not papa bear eats baby bear; and in some cases papa bear eats Mr. Smith who lives down the street. Don does a good job of revealing this fact by documented accounts. These accounts are chilling, gory, and suspenseful. He also throws in some humor throughout this book. The book is not for the faint of heart. But in a country where a lot of people have lost their touch with nature, I feel it is mandatory reading. Yes mother nature is beautiful. But she can also be cruel, incompassionate, and down-right mean.

I can't accuse Mr. Zaidle of sensationalism. What could be more sensational than the subject matter itself? I've read many books of this genre, and Mr. Zaidle's humorous writing style definitely takes the edge off of some pretty gruesome stuff. I read this type of book to educate myself because I,personally, enjoy surviving. I've seen people in my town shove their young child toward antlered deer with an apple in their hand. I've seen toddlers and Rottweilers playing in the same yard. What people don't know can hurt them,and their loved ones. What people, like these unenlightened parents, could learn from this book could save them a lot of grief. No, not all animals are killers,but, they can be. If you put a bicycle helmet on your kid, there are other precautions you could take as well. Enjoyable book to read. I highly recommend it!

Zaidle is on the right track in disabusing people of Disney notions, but he goes too far the other way, and reinforces some other Hollywood notions about blood-thirsty beasts. I've walked right next to wild moose dozens of times, and have run smack into bear on the trail more than once. Trust me, it is FAR, FAR more dangerous to drive down the Seward Highway or up the Parks Highway to get to your trailhead than it is to hike on that trial.

Zaidle would have you believe the bear, moose, dear, etc. all "want your blood" (not to mention cats, dogs, salmon, trout, sea bass, herring etc). In fact, most bear are scared of to death of people (only the two-year olds and garbage bears aren't), and the moose just don't give a damn about you.

From time to time a bear will attack a hunter after a botched shot, or while the hunter is cleaning his game. Sometimes they'll try to break into a cabin to get food. But these attacks are rare, and the vast majority of the time the bear looses. Most of the on-trail attacks involve sows with cubs, and these can usually be avoided if you know how to behave.

Unlike some tigers, bear do not target people for food. If an adult grizzly *really* targeted you for its next meal, it would stalk you and nail you from cover. You'd never see it coming. This is an animal that can weigh a thousand pounds and still run faster than Jesse Owens. It would hit you hard enough to snap your spine like a twig. This never happens, at least I've never heard of it. Even children survive most bear attacks. It's more likely you have something the bear wants, or that the bear is protecting something from you, like a moose kill or cubs. Sometimes the bear is just tossing you around for fun. Unless it's real hungry, or has gotten to used to people, it's not going to like the taste of you one bit. There are exceptions, of course..

With moose, the only attacks I know of have been from mothers protecting their young. Wolves? 99%, perhaps all, of these reports are really attacks by the extremely dangerous wolf/dog hybrids, which lack the fear but don't have the domestication. Domestic dogs? I suspect this has more to do with the owner than the dog. Stern discipline, the right breeding, and kindness are the keys. Some of the half-wild rots and shepherds out there should be shot down, along with their owners, but this doesn't make the breeds bad.

Bottom line, don't go into bear country expecting to feed the bear (this is likely to get *you* shot, by a local), or to gun them down for no good reason (which is likely to get you charged with a criminal offense). Use all your senses. I've always heard bear long before I've seen one. Don't wear the god-damned bells (they annoy the crap out of me, and keep you from hearing). Talk, or whistle loudly from time to time instead. And don't bother with the pepper spray. Experience shows it rarely works, and it may give you a false sense of security. Either don't carry anything (which is what most locals do when they're not hunting), or carry a very, very large weapon and know how to use it. Shotguns with high-powered slugs are ideal. As far as handguns, .44 Magnums are designed to kill people, and may or may not work on a bear. Try .454 or .50 AE instead (even though these are a lot more expensive than a shotgun, they are easier to carry). Hunting rifles are too clumsy at close range, and may just go in one end and out the other. A hunter's 30.06 was all they found of him in one incident earlier this year.

Bear, moose, and other potentially dangerous wildlife are wonderful creatures. They aren't human, but that doesn't mean they don't feel pain, desire, etc. Part of learning to respect animals is learning to understand that they aren't put here for you--either to entertain you or feed you. You are simply not that important.

I love a good, scary story. Stephen King at the top of his game, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker. Yet, after having read scores of horror novels, none scared me in quite the same way as American Man-Killers-the scariest book I ever read. Why? Because American Man-Killers isn't something created by man's imagination. It's real. The cougars, bears, wolves, alligators, and even our friends the dogs are real. The horror of the injuries and deaths they've caused is real. From the vicious attack on "Bear" Moore, the Grizzly Hater, who walks away from a bear attack with half his face hanging off, to the author's account of watching a piece of his own flesh swallowed like so much meat, American Man-Killers is a testament to the wiles and strength of killer animals. Yet, intense as the subject material may be, Don Zaidle makes the reading easy by interjecting his own "smart-elbow" view of life into the text. And he blends the horror and the humor as easy as cream lightens coffee. American Man-Killers was written to warn us, to inform us, and even to entertain us. Read it, and you'll remember how you felt after seeing Jaws-you won't go back in the water ... I mean the woods.

Don Zaidle shook me up like a grizzly shakes a
full-grown human being in its massive jaws. He
led me down a country path (or was it a city
street?) to show me a real-life horror:
Americans, who have prided themselves as the
hunters, are, in fact, the hunted.

Don respects nature's creatures. He's been
stung, bitten and mistaken for an entrée by a
four-legged "friend." His personal anecdotes
show that he hasn't just cracked a book; he's
got on-the-job experience. He encourages
readers to take off their rose-colored
amusement-park glasses and see animals for
what they are. They're cougars, bears, deer
and miscellaneous man-killers, not Simba,
Gentle Ben and Bambi. If that's all you get
out of his book, then he's done his job. But
there's so much more. He's a talented
storyteller with whip-cracking wit and a sense
of humor that rivals the best comedians who
make you laugh because it's better than crying
or cowering in the corner.

This book is not just for outdoors folks.
People with little or no experience with
hunting or camping can learn a thing or two.
If you're a gun dummy like me, you might get
lost in his talk about gauges, slugs, chutes,
muzzles and the like. But don't skip those
parts or you'll miss some gems.

For PC cops who get their panties up in a
bunch about politically incorrect language, a
word of warning: You'll probably get offended
... especially if you happen to like your
mother-in-law. Don's got more mother-in-law
jokes than a Georgia anthill has fire ants.
But don't let that stop you from reading. A
stinging delivery doesn't make the message any
less valid.

After reading American Man-Killers, two things
are certain. I'll never again sit in the open
night air without wondering what creature is
licking its chops and watching me from beyond
the reach of the back-porch light. And after
reading the story about a family dog that
devoured an infant's face, I'll never look at
my pet chow the same way again.

_American Man-Killers_ by Don Zaidle is a `must read' for two types of people: those who have spent some time wandering among the creatures of woods and forest, and those who haven't.

This isn't just another `outdoorsy' book written by some crusty ol' Texan -- this is a crusty ol' Texan sharing the benefit of his research, documentation and personal experience in an attempt to impart some understanding of things in the wild that often make no sense. Zaidle's tone is one of "I'm doing you a favor here, so pay attention." That tone is unquestionably justified as he takes us from serene settings of outdoor bliss to the gore of what can (and does!) happen to good people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. And sometimes, he points out, your own back yard is the wrong place -- and anytime can be the wrong time.

From the Dedication ("To the victims. . .") to the last sentence, AMK will keep you spellbound with incident after incident highlighting Mother Nature's most unsavory secret -- that she has spawned several beasts with total disdain for human life. More disturbing still, their favorite prey seems to be children. Make a note that `beasts' includes Fido and Tabby, for there are several passages devoted to `domesticated animals', though Zaidle makes it clear he's unconvinced such animals exist in any context you may find comforting.

Interspersed with stories of carnage (you'll want to read this book before deciding if its appropriate for your kid to use for a school report) are tips and hints from everything about how to hunt to how to prevent being hunted and what to do should you find yourself in that wrong place. There is also humor. Sometimes using gallows humor, other times self-deprecation, and still more often just being plain funny, Zaidle weaves a sense of whimsy that contrasts sharply to the horrors of attack, disappearance and death.

AMK is chock-a-block full of facts and statistics to back up Zaidle's opinions. Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention he's an *opinionated* crusty ol' Texan? If you can't find anything in AMK to offend at least one of your sensibilities, you aren't paying attention. I suggest you go back to the beginning and read it again. It may save your life one day -- or that of your child.

Oh, and if you're curious about which of those two types mentioned in the first paragraph I fit into, the answer is I count myself among those who have done some wandering in the wild. Right now, I also count myself lucky to have managed to remain unscathed by all the hidden dangers. But I don't feel safe in my backyard anymore. .

I'M NOT GOING IN THE WOODS ALONE AGAIN..EVER LOL
JUST KIDDING...EVERYONE SHOULD REALIZE WHAT REALLY IS OUT THERE WAITING TO EAT YOU.

I can't remember when I enjoyed a book as well as I did this one. Dons style of writing really appeals to my particular tastes. His no non-sense and common sense attitude are something that I really appreciate. I am anxiously looking forward to more of his literature.

Zaidle flavors these shocking accounts of animal attacks on humans with intelligence, astonishing research, a sense of humor, and delightful use of language. Ann Brandt author of Crowfoot Ridge

I've spent over 40 years visiting the wildest areas of North America still left. Mr. Zaidle's book is based simply on sensationalism and propogates a fear of the wild that seems to have always been inherent in the human condition. I feel much more comfortable sleeping out of doors in the wilderness of Alaska or Idaho (where predators still abound), than I ever feel walking through places such as Central Park (surrounded by the urban predators). I feel Mr. Zaidle has done a great disservice to his readers by instilling a false sense of fear, when our few wild areas left should be approached with a sense of reverance and awe. Please stick with your day job Mr. Zaidle