A century ago, many people had given up on the wood duck, dooming it to extinction along with the passenger pigeon and Carolina parakeet. Today, the wood duck is one of the most familiar and most harvested ducks in the eastern half of the country, and one of America鈥檚 great conservation success stories.
In With Wings Extended, Minnesota conservationist Greg Hoch introduces readers to a duck they probably recognize but may not know well. Hoch illustrates the complexities of wildlife and habitat management that landowners as well as state and federal wildlife agencies deal with on a daily basis, and takes readers through the life stages of what is largely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In this fascinating and practical read, Hoch blends the historical literature about the species with modern science, and also shows how our views of conservation have changed over the last century.
鈥淎uthor Greg Hoch, like his avian subjects, turns over every leaf in search of that fat acorn of evidence, reasoned opinion, statistic, or intriguing circumstance to nourish his telling. The result is a pageant of accumulated thought, color, and light as wondrous as the wood duck鈥檚 lair. Once you have read this book, you will wonder no more why the secretive, yet bril颅liantly adorned, wood duck holds such special esteem in the Americas and beyond.鈥濃擩ay Michael Strangis, publisher/editor, American Waterfowler Magazine
鈥淭his is an extraordinarily thorough and well-researched book by Hoch. The story of the wood duck is the story of North American wildlife鈥攐verexploitation, management, and recovery. This success story needs to be understood by all those with an interest in wildlife and hunting. I highly recommend it.鈥濃擳om Landwehr, author, Hunting Adventures on the Minnesota Frontier: Sportsmen鈥檚 Tales from 1850鈥1900
