Longbows in the Far North
An Archer’s Adventures in Alaska & Siberia
Donnall Thomas Jr.
Stackpole Books
ISBN 978-0-8117-3434-9
If you are a sucker for well-written bow hunting stories, especially those taking place in the North country, and you are looking for a good read, seek no more; you have found one. E. Donnall Thomas Jr. spins an enjoyable yarn, has lived and hunted Alaska long enough to lend credibility to his stories, and he hunts with a longbow. He has put together a great collection of tales and thoughts in his book “Longbows in the Far North – An Archer’s Adventures in Alaska & Siberia”.
Whether it is accounts of black bear, sitka blacktail, caribou or moose hunts in Alaska, exploratory hunts in Siberia for brown bear and snow sheep, or more philosophical musings about the cave paintings in Lascaux, France, or the use of archery equipment for dangerous game hunting, his stories do not tire.
These are not your average “I came, I saw, I killed” kind of stories, but engaging tales, with the right amount of introspection. My favourite chapter describes his meeting with a small family of caribou herders amidst a chain of mountains with an unpronounceable name in the middle of Siberia.
Being 131 pages in length, my only regret is that the book isn’t twice as long.
You can buy a used copy on Amazon for the price of two hunting magazines: https://www.amazon.com/Longbows-Far-North-Publisher-Stackpole