Traditional English poaching books

[1 pot hunter]

I don’t have a big collection but “the great game “ by Harold wyman is a great book I learned how to tickle trout from it .I walk by night is another cracker by Fred Rolfe there’s many such as poachers handbook ,that are fictional works and the author is not a poacher himself so I’d avoid these some things have merit in Ian neils poachers handbook but there’s quite a few old wives tales in it.

 

[Broch]

"It's My Delight" by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald is an excellent read if you can find a copy. Mine is a 1947 edition.

I also have "The Great Game" by Harold Wyman - more recent (1993); he lived quite close to me and I know some of his haunts

I still have my grandfather's poaching rifle - a Remington Supersport .22 short; a great 'bunny gun'.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Don't forget the childhood classic
Danny the champion of the world.


*Mod hat on here* Just a reminder to some poachers remain the romantic image of "one for the pot" to others they are the commercial poachers running ruin on their incomes.
It's a VERY emotive subject that has in the past caused argument, dispute and even legal action through this forum so please let's keep this polite and respectful.

 

[Tengu]

`I walk by night` is good.

`The Idlers companion` Dont know who its by...another.

 

[Bazzworx]

Have a look at "The last English poachers" by Bob and Brian Tovey. That's quite a good read. They lived in the same village as us, I've heard of quite a few of their antics from local farmers and game keepers. No doubt they probably also poached on the farm where we lived.

Also Johnny Kingdoms book "A wild life on Exmoor" is worth a read, It's not based purely on poaching but it does feature quite heavily.

 

[Bazzworx]

I was also trying to remember another book you might like based on your other thread. I can't find it on my bookshelf so I may have lent it out but it's about a farmer who lives on foraged/hunted food for a year. Maybe someone else will know what it's called?

 

[1 pot hunter]

`I walk by night` is good.

`The Idlers companion` Dont know who its by...another.

I walk by night is brilliant

 

[1 pot hunter]

"It's My Delight" by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald is an excellent read if you can find a copy. Mine is a 1947 edition.

I also have "The Great Game" by Harold Wyman - more recent (1993); he lived quite close to me and I know some of his haunts

I still have my grandfather's poaching rifle - a Remington Supersport .22 short; a great 'bunny gun'.

“It’s my delight “is new to me I shall look it up I love poaching classics Harold wyman was a very skilled man .

 

[1 pot hunter]

"It's My Delight" by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald is an excellent read if you can find a copy. Mine is a 1947 edition.

I also have "The Great Game" by Harold Wyman - more recent (1993); he lived quite close to me and I know some of his haunts

I still have my grandfather's poaching rifle - a Remington Supersport .22 short; a great 'bunny gun'.

Did u ever meet the man himself that be cool.

 

[1 pot hunter]

I was also trying to remember another book you might like based on your other thread. I can't find it on my bookshelf so I may have lent it out but it's about a farmer who lives on foraged/hunted food for a year. Maybe someone else will know what it's called?

Iff your remember let me know cheers.

 

[Bazzworx]

Iff your remember let me know cheers.

Found it, it's

The Wild Life: A Year of Living on Wild Food by John Lewis-Stempel​

 

[Broch]

Did u ever meet the man himself that be cool.

LOL, no, a little before my time

 

[1 pot hunter]

LOL, no, a little before my time

I don’t know your age I’m sorry if I offended u .

 

[slowworm]

So, does one buy these poaching books or just quietly sneak into someone's house and pinch a copy?

 

[1 pot hunter]

So, does one buy these poaching books or just quietly sneak into someone's house and pinch a copy?

Depends iff you like the person in the house I guess

 

[matarius777]

The Amateur Poacher by Richard Jeffries, a classic from the late 1800s, also wrote The Gamekeeper at Home. Well worth checking out, everything to know about poaching, from netting rabbits to tickling trout.

 

[1 pot hunter]

The Amateur Poacher by Richard Jeffries, a classic from the late 1800s, also wrote The Gamekeeper at Home. Well worth checking out, everything to know about poaching, from netting rabbits to tickling trout.

Is it written by a poacher himself or a fictional works I tend avoid fictional works .

 

[Broch]

You can get the complete works of Richard Jeffries on Kindle for £2.17

His writing is a mixture of essays and observation and fiction - worth a read though.

 

[Robson Valley]

There's a global consortium of booksellers: abeBooks.com which has a site in the UK. Outstanding values on more recent titles (6,000,000) and eye-watering prices on oldies and classic firsts.

 

[matarius777]

Is it written by a poacher himself or a fictional works I tend avoid fictional works .

I think he was a reporter, I’ll have to check. I have a very old copy that was my father’s, he had it as a child in the 1930s, early 40’s. I remember being very enamoured with it my self as a child, not read it since, in fact, it’s due a read! I do remember it being very detailed though. If he didn’t partake himself, he must have had very in depth conversations with local poacher’s when researching it during the “heyday” of poaching. I have another book written by a poacher, 1900s, that was very good- I’ll have to have a look for it.