Wild South, Hunting and Fishing the Southern Hemisphere,
by Peter Ryan (Bateman, RRP $40)
Written from the heart, this beautifully produced book is a must-have for hunting enthusiasts, both practising and armchair.
He doesn’t exactly detail how he’s managed it, but Peter Ryan has done a fair amount of hunting and fly fishing in many parts of Africa and South America, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
His writing is poetic enough to place the reader in the moment, and his knowledge is humbly imparted. Probably my favourite stories were the one about the lion he didn’t shoot, “catch-and-release lion – the best trophy I never had” and his experience in the Christchurch earthquake as he traipsed across town for an hour to get to his son, then spent another hour carrying him to reach his wife.
Grand stories abound, and many interesting tangents are gone off on, such as the best flies to use or how to make jerky or biltong.
Ryan has had many articles, stories and images published, but this is his first book. You can find some information about him on his website www.faraway.co and there’s a trailer for this book on YouTube.