Adventure Awaits @ Your Library

By Nicholle Gerharter, Reference Librarian

September 22, 2010

‘Tis the season. No, not holiday season, hunting season! The air is cooling, the leaves are turning, and camouflage apparel is becoming more popular. Already, hunters are headed out into the wonderful Wyoming wilderness to bag their share of deer, elk, antelope, bird, and other critters.

I come from a long line of hunters and married one, too. Not only fall, but summer is spent cleaning guns, repairing gear and tack, shoeing horses, fine-tuning four-wheelers, organizing trailers, and buying wool socks, freezer wrap and game bags. For us Wyomingites, this is not just a ritual; it is a way of life.

A true sportsman or sportswoman devotes as much time and energy to researching the big hunt as to hunting itself. The Natrona County Public Library (NCPL) is the perfect place to plan and prepare for your big adventure.

NCPL has a complete set of Wyoming topographic maps, both in print and digital form. Learn your hunting area inside and out with these detailed maps. Log coordinates into your GPS prior to your wilderness hike to decrease the chances of losing your way.

The library recently ordered 33 DVDs covering the gamut of hunting. With titles like “Realtree Monster Bucks,” “Scentology of the Rut,” “Briar Lakes Best Buck Fever,” “Hunter Specialties Primetime Bulls” and “Archery Learning Center Professional Form & Shot” how could you go wrong? We are proud to say that our collection of hunting materials is always growing.

Once your trophy is bagged, you’ll want to turn it into a feast. Your options include more than just jerky! The library has several titles to help you prepare an excellent meal. Try these two published by Orvis: “Game in Season” and “Guide to Great Sporting Lodge Cuisine.”

My favorite choice for preparing a post-hunt feast is “Eat Like a Wild Man: The Ultimate Game and Fish Cookbook” from Sports Afield. If you are feeling rather brave, you can try their recipe for Squirrel Pot Pie (it includes cream sherry!), but I would wager that most Wyoming hunters would prefer to try the Venison Pilaf or Barbecued Venison Chops with Savory Butter.

After you have enjoyed the fruits of your labor, measure your mount against the records in “Boone and Crockett Club Records of North American Big Game, 12th Edition.” Did you know that the third largest American elk (typical antlers category) was killed in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming in 1890 by an unknown hunter and scored 441 6/8? How does yours match up?

Finally, end your hunt by falling asleep to the stories and fantastic photographs in “Hunting the American West: The Pursuit of Big Game for Life, Profit, and Sport, 1800-1900” a new book by the Boone and Crockett Club.

From beginning to end, the Natrona County Public Library has all of the resources you need to embark on a successful Wyoming hunt. Adventure awaits!

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