I confess it took me a few chapters to get into this book.
It’s not that “A Wilderness Filled Soul” isn’t a wonderful book; it is. It’s
just that I am not a hunter, and the book is primarily stories of Steve’s elk hunting
experiences with his family. But then, two chapters grabbed me. First, the
chapter where he uses his mountain bike to get to and from his hunting area,
much as I do with fishing, and second, the absolutely wonderful chapter where
Steve transcribes his daughter’s memories of her first hunt. I was pleased to
find that I’m not the only guy out there whose daughter (or granddaughters, in
my case) finds them somewhat annoying. Back to my point, it took me a while to
get into the book because I am primarily an angler and not a hunter. It’s not
that I have anything at all against hunting; it’s just not an activity I take
part in. But as I experienced with “Wilderness Waters,” Steve’s writing is
exceptional, and draws you in to where you feel you are right there beside him,
whether it’s slogging up and down a snow-covered slope, looking through the
scope of the rifle, sighting down the shaft of an arrow, or celebrating your
son or daughter’s first successful hunt, you get the feeling of being right
there with the author, seeing what he sees and experiencing what he feels.
I think the best description of how captivating Steve’s
writing is, came from my wife, who picked up the book from where I had left it
the evening before and started reading. She told me that she was three chapters
into it before she realized that I wasn’t done with the book yet. After I
finished, she took it and continued from the point where she had left off. My
wife, like me, is a fly angler, not a hunter, but she comes from a family of
hunters. I didn’t even have to recommend the book to her; she recommended it to
herself. Now, I’m recommending the book to you. “Ae Wilderness Filled Soul” is
beautifully written, captivating, and immersing. Steve Osterholzer paints with
words a scene as magnificent as anything Chris Denham captures on video on “Western
Hunter,” and that’s saying a lot because that show’s videography is amazing. So
is Osterholzer’s writing. Hunters, particularly those who hunt Wapiti, the elk,
and those who hunt with their sons, daughters, and wives, will love this book,
and even if you’re not a hunter, you will enjoy the experience of hunting
alongside Steve Osterholzer he takes you along on the journey of “A Wilderness
Filled Soul”
Available at: https://steveosterholzer.com/
