Field Notes From Wild Places, by Gordie White

Field Notes From Afield

By Gordie White

November 2016

For those who hunt, there is an acute awareness and purpose to pursue birds and big game on the prairie and in the timber. There is meaning to the chase of wild things. This book is about rediscovery, people, animals, and places far-off and closer to home.

And, ultimately, it’s about sharing some of my experiences.

-Gordie White

Gordie White has drawn upon his journals to craft stories that demonstrate his respect and wonder of the great outdoors. He not only illustrates the thrill of hunting as a sport, but as a pursuit that intertwines man and nature. It is about understanding the world we live in from Africa to South America and from Canada to Mexico. They are stories of the places he has visited, the game he pursed, the people who joined him and the experiences of a lifetime.

 There are some things I knew about Gordie White before I read his book...and one important thing I did not know. I knew that he was not only an experienced hunter, but passionate, with a genuine love for wild places and wild creatures. I knew that he'd been brought up as a hunter, and that this is, essentially, his life as well as his hobby, both his avocation and vocation. It's my chronological misfortune to consider him young, but he's filled his years with a tremendous amount of experience, from Canada to Africa and back again, with multiple stops in between. I knew these things because we've shared African campfires together...and I knew one thing more: Gordie is one of the good guys, honest, self-deprecating, not given to the shameless self-promotion that, in this era of mass communication without accountability, turns inexperienced 'wanna-be's' into self-proclaimed gurus. But there was one important thing that I did not know about Gordie: The man can write! Although I'm sure there are more, there are two things that make a book like this worthy of reading. First, the writer must have a genuine story to tell. Second, he must be able to tell it. Gordie passes both tests, and has given us a great story, worth telling and worth reading.

Craig Boddington, Author, Hunter, Colonel USMC (ret)

 I first met Gordie when he was a guide at Peace River, Alberta, the frozen northernmost edge of whitetail range. I soon found myself impressed with his knowledge, skill, experience and, most of all, his humility. By hunt’s end, my respect for Gordie as a person and hunter had grown to the point that I knew we would be lifelong friends. And so it has been. Gordie is one of those rare people who under promises and over delivers. It’s taken me years to coax out a fraction of what he knows and the amazing things he has seen and done as a guide and hunter. But now, you don’t have to wait for years to learn of the man and his incredible exploits. He’s captured it all in his book, Field Notes from Wild Places. In it, you’ll come to feel Gordie’s passion and respect for wild places and its game. His warm, intimate writing style will put you there, in the mist of the excitement, danger and adventure born of a life in the wild. You’ll come away not only entertained and awed, but also armed with greater knowledge and renewed passion. I know I did.

David Morris Author, hunter, founder/owner North American Whitetail Magazine, and Tecomate Seed.