Grouse Feathers

By Burton L. Spiller

A wonderful almost autobiography detailing the life of a keen grouse hunter from boyhood to fully fledged hunter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ghose Press
• Release date: Apr 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781473389465

Burton L. Spiller

BURTON L. SPILLER (1886-1973) was an American hunter and writer, who was widely regarded as the foremost authority on ruffed grouse hunting in 20th century America. Born in Portland, Maine in 1886, Spiller began hunting from a young age. He moved to East Rochester, New Hampshire in 1911, close enough to the Maine border to allow him to hunt in both states according to the seasons and grouse numbers. By trade, Spiller spent time as a blacksmith, welder and mechanic, but always ensured that his occupation allowed ample time to hunt the grouse covers nearly every day of each season. In addition to grouse, he also hunted woodcock, ducks and deer, and fished for brook trout and salmon. He became an avid writer, publishing over 50 stories for Field & Stream magazine over the next four decades, as well as for other magazines, including National Sportsman, Hunting & Fishing, and Outdoors. His first book, Grouse Feathers, was published in 1935, which was followed by Thoroughbred (1936), Firelight (1937) and More Grouse Feathers (1938). He also wrote Northland Castaways (1957), a boy’s adventure story, and some general interest articles for other magazines. Spiller’s stories were collected into two more grouse hunting books: Drummer in the Woods (1962) and Grouse Feathers, Again (2000). He was also an avid fisherman, and the book Fishin’ Around, a collection of Burt’s fishing stories that relate experiences from Nova Scotia, Maine and Quebec, was posthumously published by his daughter in 1974. LYNN BOGUE HUNT (1878-1960) was an American artist, widely regarded as the most popular and prolific outdoor illustrator in mid-20th century America. He painted a record 106 covers for Field & Stream in addition to numerous covers for other publications, illustrated dozens of books on waterfowling, upland bird hunting, and saltwater fishing, and published several portfolios of his paintings to enormous acclaim.