Classic Carmichel: Stories from the Field

by
posted on July 31, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
carmichel_book.jpg

Jim Carmichel succeeded Jack O’Connor as shooting editor for Outdoor Life, and held the position for 38 years. Think about that for a moment, and it’s easy to understand why Carmichel is regarded by many in publishing as not only a dean among gun writers but an individual whose prose defined a fascinating era of international big-game hunting and wingshooting. Indeed, his indelible style and inimitable wit formed the epicenter of the period encompassed by his career.

Classic Carmichel: Stories from the Field showcases some of the author’s most amazing tales and includes many never-before-published photographs.

The hardback collector’s edition is divided into three sections: “Africa and Around the World”; “North America”; and “Guns and Shooting.” If the subdivisions don’t hook you, perhaps Chapter 1 will: It’s titled “When a Lion Comes to Kill You.” There, Carmichel relates a tale of hunting eland in the Central African Empire, with a Mauser chambered for such, when a lion charges from the bush intent on ending his life. “We closed on each other and I fired again,” he writes. “Twenty yards—no effect. One shell left. … As the bolt locked on my last cartridge, another form moved in the brush from where the lion had come. A second lion! Not charging yet, but nervously flicking his tail and studying me with his cold, yellow eyes. ‘This,’ I said to myself, ‘is about to get interesting.’”

Such deft storytelling is on display elsewhere, too: when a “dead” crocodile comes back to life—twice—on Zimbabwe’s “river of death”; amid the intrigue of a Moscow hotel room full of rubles during a $100,000-hunt for Russian stag; and when, 3 miles high in pursuit of the Mystery Deer of the Andes, Carmichel admits, “Death on high mountains can take several forms.”

Before he retired, I shared only one camp with Jim Carmichel. Such is my loss. My gain—and yours, too—is the collection of stories he shares with us in this book.

Latest

LEDE Boone And Crockett
LEDE Boone And Crockett

Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young Now Accepting Javelina Entries

The Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) and Pope and Young Club (P&Y) announced in August that they have completed scoring procedures and are now accepting entries for javelina (collared peccary, Pecari tajacu) in their record books.

First Look: CVA Endura Muzzleloaders

CVA has announced its Endura series of muzzleloaders, the most advanced muzzleloader series CVA has ever built.

Smith & Wesson Announces Grand Opening of Training Academy

Smith & Wesson has announced the grand opening of the new Smith & Wesson Academy.

Preseason Report: Benelli Nova 3

As the 2025 fall season gets underway, check out this clip of Senior Executive Editor Jon Draper putting the Benelli Nova 3 through its paces, and chatting with Benelli USA VP of Marketing Tim Joseph about the gun's design and capabilities.

New for 2025: Cole Exclusive Rizzini BR220 Limited

Cole Fine Guns and Gunsmithing has introduced the Cole Exclusive Rizzini BR220 Limited 28-gauge/29-inch just in time for hunting season.

#SundayGunday: Bergara BMR-X Steel

This week on #SundayGunday, we’re taking a look at a precision rimfire rifle from Bergara, the BMR-X Steel. Available in . 22 LR, .22 Win. Mag., and .17 HMR, this handy little bolt-action is sure to pile up the small-game, and with the cost of rimfire ammo being a fraction of centerfire ammo, it’ll provide plenty of fun plinking practice in the off-season.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.