Hunting is one of the oldest human activity and yet in today’s modern literature, seldom do we produce books that celebrate the beauty of patience, perseverance, and the simple life of adventure that travel and hunting offer. Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing aims to contribute to that appreciation.
At home with the world
Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing is a travel adventure book that records his many hunting adventures in various places around the globe. He begins his travelogue in 1997, hunting in the remote places of Northern Cameroon. In 1999, Honeycutt found himself in the Southern part of Cameroon. These two trips were soon followed by countless adventures that took him to Mongolia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Siberia, the Polar region, Canada, Australia, and in various parts of wild South Africa.
Honeycutt’s long list of places he’s been to is only equaled by his many unforgettable excursions. From his detailed description of the savannas and jungles of Cameroon, the Rocky Mountains of the United States, a Himalayan tahr in New Zealand, bird hunting in Old Mexico, to hunting the wild Argali sheep in Gobi desert, Mongolia. Needless to say, Mike, the hunter is also quite the traveler. Having tried almost all mode of travel- airplanes, snowmobiles, boats, horses, jeeps, four-wheelers, and pick-up trucks, he moves in style.
Of discoveries and extreme adventures
Honeycutt’s adventure book takes us to new discoveries not only about landscapes and sceneries but more importantly on different species as far as his hunting expeditions. Rare species such as Lord Derby Eland, Red Hartebeest, a Roan Antelope, Duikers, the elusive Bongo, the Siberian Elk, and Red Stag. In Greece, Mike introduced us to the Spur Wing Goose, Egyptian Goose, Yellow-billed Duck. Red Bill Teal and the White-faced Duck. Of course, Honeycutt’s adventures are not all that smooth sailing. In his book, he tells us of his extreme encounters- black mambas in the camp, a polar bear hunt, and a dangerous safari with 1,000 buffalos, lions, hippos, and crocodiles. And yes, Mike Honeycutt did hunt piranhas for lunch. Along with these exotic wanderings, Mike also met a lot of people, especially the locals from these wild hunting spots. He has also seen majestic terrains and experience food from these places. A glimpse of the different types of people and culture is something that we will encounter in Honeycutt’s travel book.
Mike Honeycutt’s World of Outdoor Travelogue
Reading Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing reminds us of Ernest Hemmingway in Cuba beside a huge dead marlin. Some chapters of the book remind us of Jose Ortega y Gasset’s Meditations on Hunting without waxing philosophical. We think of Mike Honeycutt as this lean and tall hunter preoccupied with his latest kill on foreign land. In some parts of the book, Ted Kerasote comes to mind. Ted Kerasote wrote Blood Ties: Nature, Culture, And the Hunt. The book talks about hunting with the Inuit’s on the coast of Greenland as well as hunting in the Siberian wilderness. Just like Kerasote, Mike Honeycutt also documents both the primitive joy of hunting and the dark realities that threaten the wildlife and nature in general. However, Mike Honeycutt offers a bit of fresh air as far as hunting books are concerned. Mike writes both as a traveler and a hunter. His perspective as a foreigner tourist is very evident in his travelogue. While the book is lacking in visual proofs of his adventures, his straight, honest and simple storytelling captivates us and takes us to different places. This is where Mike Honeycutt and his book rises above the contemporary travel-adventure books.
Readersmagnet recommends Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing to all those who love outdoor adventures, sceneries, and the game of hunting.
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This was such a wonderful read. I didn’t only enjoy it. I also learned a lot from it.
As a big adventure and nature aficionado, I loved this book too!