I’d be remiss not to mention Hunting the First State by Steven Kendus. It’s the book that got me to buy a compound bow, indulge my long-stewing primal curiosities about hunting, start slopping around DE’s public land in the first place. I’ve read it in part or in whole every year since 2011, usually but not always from a tree, and I learn something new every year from the same words. If you hunt anywhere in the mid-Atlantic and/or similar public lands, or just want an engaging quick read about hunting all kinds of game and strategies, all tied together with fun tales of woodsy dos and don’ts, it’s worth a look. It’s geared towards less-experienced and novice hunters but I’m sure many of you more seasoned kinfolks will appreciate it just the same.
Fun facts, the author is active on IG @huntingthefirststate and he’s a great guy who I’ve been privileged to meet a couple times. He’s a damn huntin’ fool. He may very well be camped out on this forum, though I haven’t seen a profile I thought was his yet, but I know he hunts out of a Trophyline system nowadays FWIW to you uber-nerds. If you’re on here, Hey Mr. Steve, PM me and I’ll buy you a beer next time I’m in N. Wilmington!
Also, there’s a gentleman who is mentioned frequently, John Massey, who is the first person I ever saw with a “saddle platform” aka LW Assassin and some kind of Anderson-esque sling. He built the bow I use today, and he is a Master Hunter if there ever was one. A true woodsman and expert archer/tech as well as gunsmith, his store (also in the book) unfortunately had to shut down after my freshman hunting season. I miss the hours I’d spend in his TechnoHunt runway and his no-BS attitude towards learning me how to build my own archery, woodsmanship, and hunting skills. I highly doubt he’s on here and I sadly lost his phone number a few phones back. He ran the Gun Library at the Newark Cabela’s for a while, maybe he still does, maybe one of you DE guys knows of him. He was my Hunting Yoda and kinda like Luke I was forced to leave Dagobah before my training was complete. Same offer stands for that beer if you’re reading this, Mr. John.
TLDR: I highly recommend this book for new hunters and even for old hats, regardless of your own geography. It’ll take you a weekend at most and it’s a perfect read while actually hunting, that I reference and learn from every year. If you’re a DE/NJ/MD/Eastern PA hunter you’ll especially appreciate it.