The Rut: The Spectacular Fall Ritual of North American Horned and Antlered Animals

Rating:
Summary: Brief, but entertaining thorough coverage of subject
Review: This one is ALMOST five stars! The book captures one particular activity--Rutting, and describes how several different species act it out. The social and breeding habits of several different species, including deer (white-tailed and mule), elk, moose, bison, and caribou, are described. Covering several species in one book gives the reader a good opportunity to compare the habits of each type. The author writes with a wry sense of humor--I'm not the only one who felt this way, I overheard a park ranger and volunteer discussing it in one of the visitor's centers at Rocky Mountain National Park!
There are some downsides to the book--It is not a terribly thick book, and much of the space inside is taken up with excellent photographs. The pages are large enough to display the photos in an attractive way so they can be appreciated. Unfortunately, this means there is not as much room for text as in most books. Despite this, I never felt like coverage of any species was slighted. Choosing a narrow topic probably helped. The book isn't cheap, but I felt considerable satisfaction from reading it. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Brief, but entertaining thorough coverage of subject
Review: This one is ALMOST five stars! The book captures one particular activity--Rutting, and describes how several different species act it out. The social and breeding habits of several different species, including deer (white-tailed and mule), elk, moose, bison, and caribou, are described. Covering several species in one book gives the reader a good opportunity to compare the habits of each type. The author writes with a wry sense of humor--I'm not the only one who felt this way, I overheard a park ranger and volunteer discussing it in one of the visitor's centers at Rocky Mountain National Park!
There are some downsides to the book--It is not a terribly thick book, and much of the space inside is taken up with excellent photographs. The pages are large enough to display the photos in an attractive way so they can be appreciated. Unfortunately, this means there is not as much room for text as in most books. Despite this, I never felt like coverage of any species was slighted. Choosing a narrow topic probably helped. The book isn't cheap, but I felt considerable satisfaction from reading it. Recommended.