Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge [Hardcover]

Buddy Levy (Author), David Fleming (Illustrator), Jack Hemingway (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1999

As a young boy, Buddy Levy accompanied his father into the pre-dawn twilight to hunt birds—particularly the chukar partridge. That youthful experience marked the beginning of Levy's reverence for the chukar and his indefatigable passion for hunting it. Here, Levy presents a lyrical and honest look at the world of hunting this "gorgeous, complicated, strong-flying" bird. He explores the complex (and controversial) layers of hunting through powerful descriptions of the hunt itself, the natural history of th ebird, the grueling physicality of upland pursuit, the companionship of a worthy bird dog, and thoughtful reflections on the enduring allure of sport hunting.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pruett Publishing Company (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871088827
• ISBN-13: 978-0871088826
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,821,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Buddy Levy is the author of the forthcoming River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon (Bantam Dell, 2011) and Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Bantam Dell, 2008), which was a finalist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 2009. His previous books include American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett (Putnam, 2005, Berkley Books, 2006); and Echoes On Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Pruett, 1998). As a freelance journalist he has covered adventure sports and lifestyle/travel subjects around the world, including several Eco-Challenges and other adventure expeditions in Argentina, Borneo, Chile, Ecuador, Europe, Greenland, Peru, Morocco, and the Philippines. His magazine articles and essays have appeared in Backpacker, Big Sky Journal, Couloir, Discover, High Desert Journal, Poets & Writers, River Teeth, Ski, Trail Runner, Utne Reader, TV Guide, and VIA. He is clinical associate professor of English at Washington State University, and lives in northern Idaho with his wife Camie, his children Logan and Hunter, and his black Lab Dugan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lofty opinion of himself, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Hardcover)

Like the high canyon slopes that chukars can be found at, Buddy Levy has a similarly lofty opinion of himself when chasing chukars. There are a lot of things I liked about this book - the technical material on chukars and their habitats, strategies etc. If you have ever hunted chukars, this book will stir your blood and get you pumped up for next season. But every once in a while, Buddy feels compelled to tell you how well he did something - waiting for birds to fly further away while his friend blazes away ineffectually at short range. Maybe that incident happened but a better writer might have reversed the roles to keep the reader on his side. He also suffers from those common maladies of outdoor writers- "thesaurus" mouth and excess spirituality. There is no need to describe every sensation associated with bird hunting with a large vocabulary. It has been done before and probably cannot be improved. Find some unique feature to describe. Not every step in the wilderness is a one of profound and deep meaning. Some of them are just hard, boring slogging.

The book is very short - not much more than a magazine essay. There is a chapter on gear that drops enough brand names to raise the topic of paid advertising but that is just nitpicking. I agree with him about Filson gear. It is worth the money .

For those of you who have stuck with this, I will now reveal the real reason I have been so critical of a book I did enjoy reading. In the section on birddogs, he discusses pointers and retrievers but fails to mention flushing dogs. As the proud owner of a springer spaniel that will hunt chukars until the cacti leaves him bloody, I can only say that was a major omission.

Anyway, if you like chukar hunting, buy this book if only for the winter hunt story. I could feel the wind blowing down my neck.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you hunt chukars or even uplands this book is for you..., June 21, 2001

By 

Brian Quinnett (Moscow, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Hardcover)

I've hunted chukars with a fever since I was able to carry a shotgun 25 years ago. Buddy Levy writes wonderfully and his passion, respect and understanding for this great game bird and the land they inhabit shines. It is obvious this book is personal and we are fortunate Levy has let us in.

I highly recommend you make the effort to share Levy's love of what it means to hunt chukars....

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The only book on the subject and well done., September 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Hardcover)

This is a literate and personal book, and a short one. As a long time chukar hunter, I think that it falls short in a couple of areas, or I would have rated it five stars.

This is not a "how to" book, although it contains a fair amount of information, and tips on gear.

Worth the money, and as I said, the only book (in English) on the subject.