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In color: Marquette author releasing third edition of book

The third edition of “Tracking Wounded Deer” will be available soon. The author is Richard P. Smith, of Marquette, who has authored many books on the outdoors. (Photo courtesy of Richard P. Smith)

MARQUETTE — Wounded deer getting away from their hunters has been an issue, and most likely will be for some time to come.

This is the topic of a new book by Marquette author Richard P. Smith, which actually is the third edition of “Tracking Wounded Deer,” which is subtitled “How to Find and Tag Deer Shot with Bow or Gun.”

The 160-page volume was originally published by Stackpole Books in 1988. When the publisher allowed the book go out of print, Smith and his wife, publisher Lucy La Faive, printed a second edition of the book in 1996, with minor changes.

After almost 30 years and the sale of about 20,000 copies, Smith decided it was time for a major revision of the book, although the emphasis will remain the same.

“The main focus of the book is to provide examples of how deer have been recovered from various types of hits,” Smith said.

The new edition, though, will provide more anecdotes relative to each hit, said Smith, who noted it will contain all color photographs.

Most of the photos in the previous editions were black and white.

The book also will have a new cover, with existing chapters beefed up with new material and four chapters added.

Smith wrote the book to provide a valuable reference to deer hunters for helping them recover deer they shoot regardless of what weapon was used to shoot the animals and where they were hit.

Since almost all of the deer shot with bow and arrow run out of sight before dying, bowhunters would benefit the most from the book’s content, but the author discovered that plenty of firearm hunters need advice as well.

Smith said that in a review of the book soon after it was first published, the editor of Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine noted it was “a must for the deer hunter.”

Reader reviews of the book have appeared on amazon.com. One reader wrote: “There are so many variables involved in the hunt, the odds of making a marginal shot with a bow or gun is always there.”

That reader also wrote that if someone hunts long enough, at some point there will be a tough tracking job, and reading the book would allow the reader to better see how much can be observed besides the obvious.

The 176-page third edition of “Tracking Wounded Deer,” which will include 20 chapters, marks the 27th book Smith has written. Most of his books have been about deer and bear hunting, although he wrote and edited four editions of “Michigan Big Game Records” for Commemorative Bucks of Michigan.

He also wrote a guidebook, “Animal Tracks and Signs Of North America,” and a book about rabbit hunting that’s out of print.

Smith and La Faive are offering a special prepublication price on the new book as well as savings on their existing titles during July.

The new book, which is at the printer, is expected to be completed by Aug.1 when it will cost $25 postpaid. The special prepublication price for the book until July 31 is $15.

At the same time, readers can save money on Smith’s other books and DVDs. For an additional $10, any book in the six-volume series entitled “Great Michigan Deer Tales” may be ordered. “Stand Hunting For Whitetails” also may be purchased for an additional $10.

A savings of $5 each is possible for the fourth edition of “Deer Hunting,” the second edition of “Black Bear Hunting, Understanding Michigan Black Bear” and the DVDs “Field Judging Black Bears” and “Walking With Whitetails.”

Smith won first-place awards in the book category for the fourth edition of “Deer Hunting” and the second edition of “Black Bear Hunting” during different years in an annual awards competition sponsored by the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association.

In September of 2016, Smith received the Dave Richey Outdoor Communicator of the Year Award from MOWA.

Smith has received more recent accolades. This June, he won two second-place awards and third-place honors in different categories from MOWA for articles of his that were published in magazines and newspapers during 2016.

One of the second-place awards was for an article entitled “Moose Not Endangered,” published in Woods-N-Water News. The other second place award was for the article, “Michigan Bucks & Bears” which came out in Michigan Sportsman Magazine.

Smith took third place for the article, “How to Get Lost While Tracking Bear,” which appeared in Michigan Out-of-Doors Magazine.

To order books and DVDs on sale during July, visit richardpsmith.com and click on “Special offers page.”

Orders can also be sent to Smith Publications, 814 Clark St., Marquette, MI 49855.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.

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