The fair chase

de Philip Dray

"Embodying the classic American traits of resourcefulness and rugged independence, the hunter looms larger than life in our national mythology, occupying a unique--and uniquely fraught--place in the American psyche. Popularized in the nineteenth century as a way to reconnect "soft" urban Americans with nature, for many years sport hunting was the national pastime of Americans from all walks of life, while it became a common theme in literature, art, and design. Fair chase, a code of hunting ethics emphasizing respect and restraint toward wildlife, inspired the conservation movement. Yet, hunting is linked to some less-than-honorable aspects of American history. Pioneers emulated Native American hunting methods even as they usurped their hunting grounds; market hunters drove many animal species toward extinction. Today, questions regarding wildlife protection, animal rights, the abuse of the fair chase ethos, and the sport's sometimes uneasy relationship with gun culture, continue to stir debate. In The fair chase, Philip Dray tells the sweeping saga of hunting in America from Daniel Boone to Annie Oakley, from Theodore Roosevelt to Ernest Hemingway. Hunting's history has much to tell us about our country's legends, its faith in manifest destiny, its evolving views on nature and wildlife, its love of sport and notions of self-reliance--in short, about nothing less than the shaping of our national character"--Dust jacket.