Summary

In Chapter 4: "Killing to Live: Hunting and Fishing with Primitive Weapons," Paulsen references his book Hatchet where Brian fashioned a bow with which to hunt.

The first time Paulsen ever killed game, it was with his Remington .22 single-shot bolt-action rifle to take out a mallard. Paulsen knew it was wrong, as it was out of season and unsporting to kill a siting duck. Paulsen remembered every detail of that first kill, down to the color of the leaves around him, and used it in Brian’s situation in Hatchet. As Paulsen grew as a boy, all he wanted was to be a hunter, as hunting was considered an honorable profession. He felt the pull of the wilderness on him, and wanted to go farther north to more natural and wild locations. At the same time, hunting allowed Paulsen and his family to have not...