Robin Jordan, editor, Butte Weekly, Butte, Montana

“Golden years, Golden Hours is a rich collection of stories chronicling Vang’s adventures from the Big Hole and Madison Rivers to the prairies of North Dakota and beyond, told with self-deprecating humor and with some sage advice, gained of experience, thrown in.

“After a long winter, cooped up with COVID restrictions, reading Vang’s stories of the outdoors is like a breath of fresh, spring air.”

Advanced Praise for “Golden Years, Golden Hours – Stories and Reflections on Fly-Fishing, Hunting and Aging”

 

“Paul Vang has spent decades fly-fishing Montana’s rivers, hunting the state’s mountains and prairies, and wandering the spectacular landscape in deep gratitude for the life he has led… Vang’s latest book shares some of the special places that have touched him with significance while also inspiring his gifted skills as a seasoned outdoor writer.”

Jerry Kustich, writer, author, and bamboo rod builder

“Golden Years, Golden Hours begs to be read slowly and savored—perhaps just a story a day if you have the will power. Paul Vang has captured the essence of the outdoor life, crafting essays that blend history, geography, biology, politics and nostalgia with practical hunting and fishing tips and trivia; a subtle but keen sense of humor and a gentle delivery.”

Alan Liere humorist, outdoor columnist

 

Praise for “Sweeter than Candy – A Hunter’s Journal”

 

“Throughout the book runs a thread of gentle humor, a passion for hunting and fishing and a love for nature in all its seasons…even dispensing a bit of personal philosophy and wisdom based on a lifetime of experience in the outdoors.”

Robin Jordan, Butte Weekly, Butte, Montana.

“I couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading it from cover to cover…Outdoorsmen will quickly relate to this collection of hunting stories. It is also clear that Paul Vang is a dedicated and ethical outdoorsman and protector of America’s outdoors and hunting heritage.”

Lowell Thompson, St. Paul MN, posted to Amazon.com.

“This is a real hunter’s journal. These are the stories you tell around the cabin at night. It’s all here, too: The glorious fall days afield, yes, but also the misses, the slumps, the lost birds and the unreliable weather. And dogs: dogs that perform brilliantly at times, less so at others, but that are always loved by the author..Vang’s passions are evident: family and Labrador retrievers, heavy cover and grouse coverts, ringnecks and mallards, cold fall days and tired legs…It’s a realistic accounting of many days spent afield. It’s a great collection to check out if you enjoy real hunting for wild birds.”

Matt Miller, outdoor writer, Boise ID, posted to Amazon.com.

“A trip along the ridges, through the fields and beside the creeks that effortlessly carries you along. Paul Vang has a lifetime of bird hunting and the associated memories and it’s the reader’s delight that he has shared them…This is an absolute must for the library of everyone who has ever picked up a shotgun and tried to find feathered game in the company of a dog who never will judge your errors or misses. I loved this book–it’s a rare gem of outdoor writing. Buy it, cherish it…and then buy some as gifts for your hunting buddies, and those great landowners who share their acres and friendship with you.”

Joel Vance, columnist, Gun Dog magazine, posted to Amazon.com.

“I started this book over a sip of good Port on a cold winter night, thinking I’d read just one story…Three glasses and several hours later I closed the book and have been rereading choice essays and passages since…Reminiscent of Gene Hill.”

Pat Munday (“EcoRover”), college professor, Butte MT, posted to Amazon.com.

“His book reveals that he cannot live without dogs; probably would not remain a hunter without dogs…He suffers through the comings and goings of his precious canines, tearful in their final days, yet joyful with the prospects of their replacements. He wants a dog to the end”

Ted Upgren, columnist, Dakota Country magazine.

“The way Paul writes makes you feel like you are in the uplands with an old friend. For me, that is the ultimate goal for an outdoor writer: To transport your reader to the field or stream. Mission accomplished Paul!  To sum it up, my honest opinion is that Paul’s book is great. It’s a celebration of everything that I love about the great outdoors and hunting with bird dogs in the West. It belongs right up there at the top of the list of literature on upland bird hunting in the west. I highly recommend it.”

Andrew Wayment, attorney, outdoor writer, author of Heaven on Earth, Stories of Flyfishing, Fun and Faith, blogging at http://theuplandequation.blogspot.com.

“In Sweeter Than Candy, author Paul Vang did something so many hunters wish they had done – putting to pen his thoughts and accounts of an ordinary adventure that is a day in the field. Vang’s adventures might not make the cover of Field and Stream. There’s no fending off bears or deadly wolf encounters. Instead, it’s much closer and dearer to the heart than those breathing-taking, headline-making stories. It’s the things that truly make up an adventure – one’s thoughts and observations, hits and misses and what it means to be in the field with nature, wildlife and a treasured hunting dog.
It other words, it’s real life. And that is where the adventure lies.
Sweeter Than Candy is a book upland and waterfowl hunters can identify with.”

Patricia Stockdill, Outdoor writer, Garrison, North Dakota

“Paul’s stories cover hunts for birds in the prairies, farmlands, marshes and forests of Montana and the Dakotas. It’s a rare time when a dog isn’t by his side. Most stories describe what I would consider the average bird hunting outing for the average American who hunts like Paul. We’re not talking spectacular shots, heroic hikes or monstrous trophies. Vang describes real experiences by a real hunter. He is reflective and humble, and frames his stories around unique hunting related topics and observations. To me, this kind of writing is refreshing to read.

“The stories in “Sweeter than Candy” also describe modern hunting in the West better than anything I’ve read recently. The modern Montana hunter is truly at the mercy of private landowners allowing access to their ranches for hunting. Though relatively open access was the norm in past years, it’s becoming more of an exception today, as more ranchers sell their spreads to outside interests who have no desire to allow the public to enter. In his stories, Vang recalls hunting several places in the past that are now closed to hunting. This is a common theme that worries me as a young hunter concerned about the future of the sport.”

Jeremiah Wood, The Outdoor Sporting Library

“Butte author Paul Vang covers a lifetime of bird hunting memories, ranging from his experiences with ruffed and sharp-tailed grouse in northeastern North Dakota to mallards, ruffed and blue grouse in southwestern Montana, with many trips for pheasants and the occasional Hungarian partridge in between. Vang does not use the text to extol his and his Labs’ hunting abilities however, and if anything, he may be guilty of self-deprecation in regard to his shooting skills and his dogs’ retrieving. We readers who also are ‘average shots’ will readily appreciate the honest reporting of the many hunts detailed in twenty-eight chapters.”

Montana Sporting Journal. Fishing Issue 2012

“I found this book to be a little jewel hidden in the tall grass of a field. The writing is honest, simple, straight forward and to the point.”

Douglas B. Egenolf, Amazon review

“This is a real hunter’s journal. These are the stories you tell around the cabin at night. The glorious days afield, yes, but also the misses, the slumps, the lost birds and the unreliable weather. And dogs: dogs that perform brilliantly at times, less so at others, but that are always loved by the author.”

Matthew Miller, Amazon review