Book description
In this absorbing memoir Duff Hart-Davis looks back over fifty
years of watching, stalking and writing about deer. From his first
experience of fallow in South-East England to his many sojourns among
the reds of the Scottish Highlands, he has spent countless hours in
the woods and on the hill, learning more with every excursion. Along
the way he describes some memorable characters and conjures up images
of the many famous Highland Forests, including an account of how he
once accidentally shot two red deer with a single bullet. Again and
again he captures the grace and mystery of his elusive quarry, for
which like all true hunters he has an abiding love
The author's reports of stalking fallow in the English woods are
fascinating, and he is illuminating on their habits and group behaviour.
He tells of the Stonar Park herd that got drunk on crab apples, of
titled poachers and eccentric chatelaines of signature private
estates... The author knows the hills and relishes their culture and
legends. The queer spirits of the Highlands, a land much de-peopled, he
understands. He vividly recounts tales of sprites, kelpies and spectres.
Above all - the critical thing - he understands the people. Right at the
end comes the key phrase: 'I have never spent a day on the hill with a
stalker I did not like.'... When the chips are down, Mr Hart-Davis heads
for the hills. He rents stalking in the Scottish Highlands and has been
everywhere. He rubs shoulders with lofty society, which tends to
ownership of deer forests. Somehow, on the high tops, sheltering under a
bluff as a chill storm blows by, there is no room for ceremony. Stalking
is a brilliant leveller. There are the stories, the long days, the
triumphs and the exhaustion, and there are the injuries and the
tragedies. Adding spice, there are the disappearances, the human ones.
Lastly, the laughs, often in the nature of stalkers, self-deprecating
ones. --Country Life A stalking memoir that may be among the greatest of
our generation. This is a brilliant and totally absorbing memoir by a
sporting sage who has written or edited 50 books and clearly has a deep,
respectful admiration for all British deer. It will be of immense
interest to all who pursue deer in our woods and hills... The author
effortlessly brings to life the many characters involved in this book,
and has a fascinating grip of the Scottish vernacular and a rare ability
to transfer dialect to the page without losing any of its meaning... A
healthy dose of humour is interspersed throughout this extremely
entertaining memoir. One particular chapter really had my splitting my
sides. It starts with the author collecting a new rifle from a gunmaker
in Mayfair and being apprehended by the police en route to his place of
work, Fleet Street, on a bicycle... Among the Deer is a must-have for
every stalker, or indeed anyone with an interest in British deer. It is
a refreshing read, written by an experienced hand, that easily captures
the grace and majesty of our quarry and the wildness of our hills and
woodlands. --Sporting Rifle 'A stalking memoir that may be among the
greatest of our generation. Among the Deer is a must-have for every
stalker, or indeed anyone with an interest in British deer.'-- Sporting
Rifle 'It will hold the keen stalker or novice spellbound, as it
teaches, explains and delights with tales of a life lived in conjunction
with these beautiful creatures... He is an expert writing well about
that which he loves.'-- The Field 'Overall his faultless prose and
enquiring mind combine to create a eulogy to his time away from the
confines of Fleet Street - clearly a welcome distraction from the
mundane worries of working in London town.' --Scottish Field 'A
delightful celebration of one of our finest sports'. -- BASC Shooting
and Conservation 'There are the stories, the long days, the triumphs and
the exhaustion, and there are the injuries and the tragedies. Adding
spice, there are the disappearances, the human ones. Lastly, the laughs,
often, in the nature of stalkers, self-deprecating ones.'-- Country Life
'The grace and mystery of this elusive quarry are captured perfectly in
this book.' --Gamewise Duff Hart-Davis has written or edited fifty
books on a wide variety of subjects, including novels and biographies. A
deep interest in natural history led to Monarchs of the Glen, a history
of the Highland deer forests and the much-praised illustrated
encyclopedia Fauna Britannica. For many years he worked as Literary
Editor and feature writer to The Daily Telegraph, and was a contributor
to the weekly Country Matters column for The Independent.
