It seems as though wherever wingshooters and dog people get together, and the talk turns to the things they read and the writers they respect, the name Steve Smith is one of the first mentioned. His biography includes over 35 years as on outdoor editor and involvement in the sporting industry. But through all of this, there was always woodcock. Smith did his graduate work on them, has hunted them in a dozen states and provinces, waits impatiently for the spring skydancing displays, and still can t sleep the night before the season opens. In the words of famed author Tom Davis: Other gamebirds excite; the woodcock beguiles. With his inimitable blend of wit, insight, expansive knowledge, and deep but lightly worn wisdom,Steve Smith beautifully chronicles his lifelong love affair with this enigmatic charmer a journey sure to delight all of us who ve had our hearts similarly stolen. For a long time, I ve been of the opinion that one book, Guy de la Valdène s Making Game,belonged in the library of every woodcock devotee. Now, with Woodcock Rising, there are two.