Idaho has a long and rich tradition of outdoor recreational activity. Along with skiing and hiking, hunting, fishing and recreational shooting have all played a part in shaping the unique culture of the state. Given the abundance of outdoor spaces and in particular state and federal lands (the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness area alone consists of 2.3 million acres) it is really not surprising that these activities have been embraced by Idahoans. Two individuals are deeply identified with this tradition: Jack O’Connor and Elmer Keith.
Elmer Keith and Jack O’Connor were two of the best-known shooting experts and hunters of the twentieth-century. Both Idahoans by choice rather than birth (O’Connor, who lived for many years in Lewiston, was originally from Texas and Keith was born in Missouri and grew up in Montana before finally settling in Salmon) these men could not have been more different or differing in their opinions on firearms, hand-loading, ballistics, and hunting. Both wrote prolifically, albeit O’Connor more elegantly, on the shooting sports for many decades. Many of their books are included in this bibliography.
Books
- Ashton, R. Randolph. Fly fishing in Idaho. Hailey, Idaho: Stoecklein Photography and Pub., 2006.
- Brooks, Charles E. Larger trout for the western fly fisherman. South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes, 1970.
- Brooks, Charles E. Nymph fishing for larger trout. New York: Crown, 1976.
- Brooks, Charles E. The trout and the stream. New York: Crown, 1974.
- Dower, Walter. Trout trouble and other trouble. New York: T.Y. Crowell Co., 1948.
- Evancho, Joe. Fishing Idaho: an angler’s guide. Boise, Idaho: Cutthroat Press 2004.
- Fordyce, C.P. Idaho game trails. 1925.
- Habel, Don, 70,000 Miles on horseback in the wilds of Idaho. Stevensville, MT: Stonydale Press Pub. Co. 2000.
- Keith, Elmer. Big game hunting. Boston: Little, Brown, 1948.
- Keith, Elmer. Big game rifles and cartridges. Onslow County, North Carolina: Small-arms Technical Pub. Co., 1936.
- Keith, Elmer. Hell, I was there! Los Angeles, CA: Petersen Pub. Co., 1979.
- Keith, Elmer, Sixgun cartridges and loads; a manual covering the selection, use and loading of the most suitable and popular revolver cartridges. Plantersville, SC: Small-arms Technical Pub. CO., 1936.
- Keith, Elmer. Sixguns by Keith, the standard reference work. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Co., 1955.
- Keith, Elmer. Shotguns. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole & Heck, 1950.
- Kulchak, Craig. The Creeks: an upland adventure. Boise, Idaho: Walkabout Press Co., 1995.
- Mason, Bill. Fly fishing Idaho: a quick, clear understanding of where to fly fish in Idaho. Tucson, Arizona: No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks, 2005.
- O’ Connor, Jack. The art of big game hunting in North America. New York: Knopf, 1967.
- O’Connor, Jack. The big game animals of North America. New York: Outdoor Life, 1961.
- O’Connor, Jack. Complete book of rifles and shotguns: with a seven-lesson rifle shooting course. New York: Outdoor Life, 1961 .
- O’Connor, Jack. Jack O’Connor’s gun book. Prescott, AZ: Wolfe Press, 1992.
- O’Connor, Jack. The hunting rifle. New York: Winchester Press, 1970.
- O’Connor, Jack. The last book: confessions of a gun editor. Clinton, New Jersey: Amwell Press, 1984.
- O’Connor, Jack. Horse and buggy west; a boyhood on the last frontier. New York: Knopf, 1969.
- O’ Connor, Jack. The rifle book. New York: Knopf, 1949.
- O’Connor, Jack. The shotgun book. New York: Knopf, 1978.
- Ormond, Clyde. Complete book of hunting. New York: Outdoor Life, 1972.
- Complete book of outdoor lore and woodcraft. New York: Outdoor Life, 1981.
- Ormond, Clyde. How to track and find game. New York: Outdoor Life, 1975.
- Ormond, Clyde. Hunting in the northwest. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1948.
- Ormond, Clyde. Outdoorsman’s handbook. New York: Dutton, 1970.
- Pulling, Pierre. Game and the gunner; observations on game management and sport hunting New York: Winchester Press, 1973 .
- Retallic, Ken. Flyfisher’s guide to Idaho. Belgrade, Montana: Wilderness Adventures Press, 2002.
- Retallic, Ken. Wingshooter’s guide to Idaho: upland birds and waterfowl Gallatin Gateway, Montana: Wilderness Adventures Press, 1997.
- Schuh, Dwight R. Hunting open-country mule deer: a guide for taking western bucks with rifle and bow. Nampa, Idaho: Sage Press, 1985.
- Spomer, Ron. Big game hunter’s guide to Idaho. Belgrade, Montana: Wilderness Adventures Press, 2000.
- Taffin, John. Big bore handguns. Iloa, Wisconsin: Krause, 2002.
- Taffin, John. Big bore sixguns. Iloa, Wisconsin: Krause, 1997.
- Taffin, John. Action shooting cowboy style: an in-depth look at America’s hottest new shooting game. Iloa, Wisconsin: Krause, 1999.
- Trueblood, Ted. The Ted Trueblood hunting treasury. New York: McKay, 1978.
Video
- Field dressing big game. Video. Dan Walker Productions, 1998.
- Outdoor Idaho. Video. The Hunt Idaho Public Television, 1996.
- Bass fishing in Idaho with Tony Jameson. Video. Short Productions, 1997.
Audio
- Siporin, Steve, and Elmer Keith. Oral history with 82 year old male, Salmon, Idaho part 1 of 2. September 1, 1981. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000166/.
- Siporin, Steve, and Elmer Keith. Oral history with 82 year old male, Salmon, Idaho part 2 of 2. September 1, 1981. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000167/.
Web Sites
- Idaho Fish and Hunt
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Gem County Rod and Gun Club
- Southeast Idaho Practical Shooters
- Lewiston Pistol Club
By Jim Jatkevicius, Boise Public Library. Updated by Ronnie Joiner, December 31, 2022.