Book Review: American Buffalo, In Search of a Lost Icon
A Thrilling Memoir of Hunting Buffalo in the Alaskan Wilderness
“All at once the American Buffalo is a symbol of the tenacity of wilderness and the destruction of wilderness; it's a symbol of Native American culture and the death of Native American culture; it's a symbol of the strength and vitality of America and the pettiness and greed of America; it represents a frontier both forgotten and remembered; it stands for freedom and captivity, extinction and salvation” — Steven Rinella [on the Buffalo]
A Quick Note on Steven Rinella
If you’ve been following my work, you know Steven Rinella is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of wildlife narrative non-fiction. But, that said, not only is he a brilliant writer, Rinella is also a successful television host (Meat Eater), has a loyal podcast following, popular clothing brand (First Lite), and is an incredible hunter, angler, and cook (the Meat Eater Fish and Game Cookbook is one of my favorites by him and the Meat Eater crew).
And because of the aforementioned accolades, every winter I find myself listening more and more frequently to the Meat Eater podcast (highly recommend), watching guided hunts on the show Meat Eater, and reading more of Rinella’s books.
American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon
I loved American Buffalo, and I spent a lot of nights with Rinella while he was in bone-chilling weather, trying to stave off hypothermia while simultaneously avoid wolves, coyotes, and grizzlies — which admittedly, was quite a juxtaposition to me — who was sitting cozily by my wood stove living vicariously through him while sipping on the quintessential American bourbon that gives ode to the mighty species I was reading about: Buffalo Trace.
I am giving the book a solid rating of four-point-five out of five stars. It keeps you engaged with the story because Rinella switches off between chapters and material and shows the reader how he even got to the point in which he felt “called” or compelled to hunt for a Buffalo when he found an old Buffalo skull in the mountains while on another hunt.
Put simply, the book is part history, part anthropology, and part personal memoir, and follows Rinella after he wins a lottery permit for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt Buffalo in Alaska.
Rinella has a simple yet elegant way of describing personal situations and everyday objects one would encounter in the outdoors with beautiful and uncanny metaphors (he compares the Buffalo’s eyeball to an eight-ball in the game of pool — which I can’t stop thinking about). He also has a knack for taking very complex, intricate, and not-so-elegant situations such as killing, cleaning, and skinning a Buffalo and turning it into beautiful, understandable prose. His descriptive writing of the Alaskan landscape, the Copper River, and the Chetaslina River makes you feel as though you are taking the journey with him. One of my favorite observations he had (and one that was relatable to me) was his early morning musings on how rain, sleet, wind, and snow all make different sounds on tent polyester. Another morning he woke up and the temperature dropped so significantly overnight that he described the river so intricately as a frozen daiquiri.
If you are a hunter, nature lover, are fascinated by history, or enjoy hiking and being outside, you should read this book immediately. It was inspiring, historical, and a true story by a dedicated hunter and true conservationist — and— most importantly — it made me want to pour out my bourbon and leave the comfort of my wood stove and go outside and hunt.
See you next week and bundle up — and remember, keep on reading — and more importantly, embrace the seasons and get outside.
“I am a part of everything that I have read” — Theodore Roosevelt
—Brendan, Modern Renaissance Man
Brendan Martin Coyne is an award-winning writer, voracious reader, avid outdoorsman, artisan woodcarver, amateur stargazer, hack gardener, and scratch cook. In his spare time, he is a novice hunter, mediocre fisherman, bourbon enthusiast, and loves anything to do with a beach or being immersed in nature with his family.