Fool Hen Blues: Retrievers & Shotguns and the American West [Hardcover]

E. Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

This book is a reflective account of decades experience wing-shooting in the American west. Waterfowl and upland game are both referenced, with special emphasis on the role of the versatile retriever. While the tone is lyrical and descriptive, the text contains a wealth of practical information as well.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Fool Hen Blues, Don Thomas turns the sharp wit and keen insight that readers enjoyed in Whitefish Can't Jump on the art of wingshooting. His stories take us from the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska to the high plains of central Montana. Throughout, Don's passion for Labs is apparent as he makes his argument for using them as versatile retrievers. Fool Hen Blues is much more than a collection of outdoor vignettes. In these stories, hunting and the land comprise the framework for the larger picture of life's experiences. As Don says, "You will tell me that I am a lucky guy because I have managed to live my life in remote places where the hunting is good and the pheasants are wild... I will then tell you that it really isn't luck at all, that anyone can do it with a proper ordering of their priorities. Then you will say that I have got to be kidding, that no responsible person would really forsake career and money and cultural amenities just to live in places where there are wild birds. And I will say: 'Wanna bet?'"

Review

Thomas is as convincing and entertaining a writer with his Parker DHE in hand as he is with a longbow. His talent for apt, evocative desciption of terrain and game carries over easily into his passionate, understated pursuit of blue grouse, sharptails, ptarmigan, ringnecks, Huns, chukar, sage hens, and his share of ducks and geese. --Gray's Sporting Journal - August 1996

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: Countrysport Press (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885106149
• ISBN-13: 978-1885106148
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,565,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking me Home, November 7, 2002

By 

Ranger Dave (Mesa, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fool Hen Blues: Retrievers & Shotguns and the American West (Hardcover)

Don Thomas's writing transported me from reality to the sage and spruce covered slopes that I call home. Again I was enjoying the western aroma of sage and pine, the morning sun warming my cheeks and the sight of Jake my lab weaving his way through the brush. Reading the book is as relaxing and uncomplicated as his style of hunting and equipment...no editorial nonscence, cell phones, or $5,000.00 doubles to mask the comradere of Lab and man, his respect for the land and it's bounty, and the love of trusty ole shotguns.