Best of All Seasons

Since first learning to handle a Winchester .22 as a kid, Dan Aadland has exulted in hunting—not as a sport but as a calling. In this book he takes readers to Montana’s prairies and mountains in search of antelope, whitetail deer, moose, and the occasional upland bird as he vividly describes the rituals and camaraderie of hunting culture. In fifteen essays recounting a lifetime of adventures, Aadland spins tales of a hunter whose years have been enriched by pursuing game under Montana’s big sky. He conveys the drama of stalking elk in deep snow, when sometimes just the chance at a shot is enough, and describes the tricks of bowhunting. He tells how hunting with horses was “the real deal”: planting one’s foot in the stirrup and sensing an affinity with great hunters of the past. Underlying his memoir is a deep respect for wildlife and appreciation for the West. Sometimes nostalgic, often humorous, Aadland’s book recounts the highs and lows of the hunt while revealing why the pursuit of game remains so important to so many people. The Best of All Seasons depicts hunting as an essential part of the good life, suggesting that in our civilized age it yet remains a fundamentally natural act. In allowing readers a glimpse into that life, this book simultaneously shows that for Dan Aadland, fine writing comes just as naturally.

"The real story is Aadland's love affair with Big Sky country and its inhabitants, wild and human alike. Look elsewhere for the inflated opinions of visiting 'experts': the author's clear, concise prose springs naturally from the land he's called home for decades. Whether he's addressing the logistics of a dead moose, four horses, a long trail and no human help, or exploring the romance and practicality of traditional archery, Aadland writes from the heart. He even tackles the why of hunting as ably as any observer in recent memory. Enjoy this book as you would a long evening around a campfire with the best of friends. The Best of All Seasons deserves nothing less."-E. Donnall Thomas Jr., author of The Language of Wings -- E. Donnall Thomas Jr. "The Best of All Seasons, Fifty Years as a Montana Hunter, is much more than a recount of personal adventures. In prose that engages the interest of hunters and nonhunters alike, Aadland carries the reader to a Montana that is both distant and yet familiar... With a deft touch for detail, Aadland describes scenes that ring true for generations of Montana hunters."-Linda Halstead-Acharya, The Billings Gazette -- Linda Halstead-Acharya The Billings Gazette

Dan Aadland’s writings about hunting have appeared in such publications as Montana Outdoors and Rifle. A former teacher who now breeds horses in Absarokee, Montana, he is the author of six other books, including Sketches from the Ranch: A Montana Memoir.