A Rough-Shooting Dog: Reflections from Thick and Uncivil Sorts of Places [Paperback]

Charles Fergus (Author), Joe Fornelli (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When avid bird-hunter Fergus ( The Wingless Crow ) needed a partner to find, flush and fetch quarry in the rugged countryside of central Pennsylvania, he chose an English springer spaniel, seven-week-old Jenny. In this charming account of a human-canine relationship, he describes Jenny's becoming a member of the family as well as a hunting companion. Taking us through her training and into the field in pursuit of grouse, woodcock and pheasant, he notes that on a hunt dog and human must coordinate their particular skills. Fergus describes the rough-shoots--alder jungle, cat-tail slough, old orchards, beaver pond--and discusses the merits of pointing and flushing dogs. Best of all, he conveys the real pleasure and excitement of upland bird hunting--the working partnership between hunter and dog. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"For the hunter, fall is the island and the rest of the year is the swim." Thus writer and outdoorsperson Fergus describes his first year with Jenny, a springer spaniel whom he is training to hunt upland birds. During the year's course, he loses his father, becomes a father himself, and finds that hunting is the one way to get close to wild creatures and to the natural cycle of death and life. Fergus writes sensitively and knowledgeably of the flora and fauna around him, while eloquently describing his roams with Jenny--a pair learning to act as one. Contemplative, yet joyful and celebratory, his work is reminiscent of James Kilgo's Deep Enough for Ivorybills ( LJ 4/1/88) in its view of hunting as a way of gaining knowledge. A welcome addition to any library. See also Fergus's Shadow Catcher , reviewed in this issue, p. 144.--Ed.
- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159228857X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592288571
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful surprise, July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Rough-Shooting Dog (Hardcover)

I found this one by accident in the local library. The title was the flash of motion; the cover confirmed that this book was, indeed, something I should have been seeking; and a few minutes' idling through the first chapter snared my full attention. Fergus is a rare combination of sophistication, rural woodsense, and honest observation (within and without). He's the "thoughtful action" sort of character, intelligent and very much at ease in his chosen home, who so puzzles and disquiets our urban cousins who simply have no frame of reference in which he fits. His springer spaniel Jenny sounds like a godsend as hunting dogs go, but with enough flaws to keep her off any pedestal, and enough love of the hunt to keep her in the field. My father's long-gone springer spaniel Maxie was the legend around our pheasant-oriented household in Nebraska, so for me, Fergus's essays about his relationship with Jenny provide insight into my father's character. Of course this book will be wrapped under my dad's tree this Christmas. Not to be missed--just don't read it in July, with grouse season several months away.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rough Shooting Dog, May 15, 2007

By 

Dennis Penton (Halifax Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Rough-Shooting Dog: Reflections from Thick and Uncivil Sorts of Places (Paperback)

If you have owned a Springer, enhance your enjoyment & memories with this wonderful read. A great book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for those who love their bird-dogs!, August 27, 2010

By 

Adam Bigham (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Rough-Shooting Dog: Reflections from Thick and Uncivil Sorts of Places (Paperback)

This was a great purchase, and I am grateful for someone who suggested this book in a review of another of Charles Fergus's books, "A Hunter's Book of Days". It relates this hunter's first year with his Springer Spaniel, from finding a suitable litter of field-bred pups, training, and several hunts of game-birds including grouse, pheasants, and ducks. A very enlightening, moving, and entertaining read (I had to laugh or exclaim aloud at various points.) I already purchased another as a gift. This edition has a new Preface written in 2006; the original publication was 1991.