Purchase from: Dowdle Sporting Goods or The Author
My purpose in writing The Golden Age of Hunting, and its companion book, The Golden Age of Waterfowling, is to rescue from the oblivion into which it is rapidly sinking, the history of hunting in the Mid-South, to collate and preserve the memories and incidents of the earlier and late lives of the hardy and revered hunters who came hither to woo from the wildness of the unbroken wilderness our present hunting heritage; to transmit from son to son, in authoritative and reliable records, the places and names of those who have devoted their lives and talents to the development of their sport, and to cultivate among the descendants and successors of these worthies of the past the general good feeling which should characterize those who were the common sharers of hunting of an early life. It is a history that has been sorely shunned and neglected by historians, and now with these two books our history will be told for once and for all and told in a context for all to see. The Golden Age of Hunting covers a span of history beginning with the Indians at the time of Hernando de Soto and ending during the 1940s. However, in a few instances I venture past this time line. Lavishly illustrated with over two hundred black and white, vintage photographs (many never published before), this book documents hunting in the Mid-South in a historical and national context for the very first time. The many chapters cover hunting for prairie chickens, panthers, buffaloes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, wolves, etc. The chapter on quail hunting reveals how Memphis and its sportsmen conceived the idea of the first field trial ever held in America in 1874 and goes on to describe how this trial later evolved into the National Field Trial Championship held at Grand Junction, Tennessee. Meet the great dogs of the past: Gladstone, Peep o’ Day, Roderigo, Sue and others.
Joe Mosby said, “Our nation, and perhaps the world, has never known an equal to the golden age of hunting and shooting that took place in roughly three-quarters of a century in the Mid-South. It’s difficult to put precise boundaries on the time span, on the territory covered by Dr. Wayne Capooth’s book or even the activities encompassed. Instead, Capooth’s The Golden Age of Hunting touches on history, sociology, political science and even psychology and philosophy along with the obvious subjects of sporting endeavors. “Memphis was the hub of this bygone phenomenon. West Tennessee, East Arkansas, North Mississippi and the Missouri Bootheel were the settings for outstanding and memorable quail hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, panther hunting, hog hunting, squirrel hunting, rabbit hunting that took place from the close of the Civil War to the start of World War II in the Mississippi River valley. Shooting displays and exhibitions were a side dish. “Did we fail to list duck and goose hunting? Waterfowl hunting? This was very well covered in Capooth’s first book, The Golden Age of Waterfowling. The photographs alone in Capooth’s book are priceless. They are worth the price you pay for the volume. The text adds detail, history, fleshing out this fascinating subject “We’ll never again experience the golden age of hunting in the Mid-South. But we can cherish its memories, and we can learn from its lessons and from the foibles that helped snatch it away. We still have wildlife, though in definitely different amounts and even with somewhat different habits. We hunt them with equipment vastly superior to that used by the old-timers. But we regrettably lack the knowledge of the wildlife and the terrain, the habitat of the wildlife of old. Still, we can learn.”
(Newspaperman Joe Mosby is best known for his years of writing on outdoor topics. He was saluted in 2002 by the Arkansas Press Association for 50 years in the field of journalism and has been inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. He remains active in writing for Stephens Media Group, the Conway Log Cabin Democrat and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.)
Dec 16th by admin