Wilderness Ridge

Thirteen-year-old Juniper is full of excitement when she's offered the chance to visit her aunt and uncle in Alaska and take part in a hunt in the Tongass National Forest. Juniper has plenty of experience hunting mule deer at home in Colorado, and she's sure she'll be ready for whatever Alaska can throw at her. But Southeast Alaska isn't quite what Juniper expected. When she expresses her disappointment out loud, she accidentally offends a local boy named Ben, who turns out to be part of the hunting expedition. Circumstances-including bad weather, elusive deer, and a surprise bear encounter-throw Juniper and Ben together on the hunt. They'll have to learn to work together and respect each other's skills if Juniper wants to get her first Sitka black-tailed deer.

Twelve-year-old April Clark is passionate about two things: woodworking and hunting, both skills learned from her beloved grandfather. But, this year, GrandJack is recovering from a health problem and can't join the trip to turkey camp. He tells her that a different sort of trip can still be great and gives her his prize box call to bring for luck. On the day of the hunt, April is determined to land the biggest, best tom she can. But, her insistence on only getting the best turkey leads her to make a big mistake. Suddenly, the huge gobbler she's bagged doesn't seem quite so perfect. To make things right with GrandJack, and herself, April will have to figure out if different can still be good, and whether perfect really is best.

Eleven-year-old Zach Feather can't wait to go on his first pheasant hunting trip, especially when he learns his parents have a surprise for him-a new bird dog! The family travels across the state from the Cherokee reservation in eastern Oklahoma to hunt pheasant on a relative's ranch. There are more surprises-including a rattlesnake encounter-in store for Zach on his first hunt. Along the way, he learns that hunting is about more than just finding pheasants. It's also about patience and the things in life that are most important-hunting with his dog and his family.

Rodney Locust is finally twelve, the age his dad says, he must be to attend the annual deer hunt on his family's allotment in the hills of eastern Oklahoma. But, there's a lot of work to do before Rodney can grab his rifle and step foot in the woods, starting with hunter safety. Rodney is anxious to start hunting and not excited about all the prep work. But, when he finally gets his chance, Rodney discovers the lessons he's learned may have been the key to a successful first hunt.

Twins Harley and Rhiannon Hummingbird have always been competitive. But, there's one thing the siblings can agree on-they can't wait to travel from their Oklahoma home to their grandparents' new cabin in northern Wisconsin. Both Harley and Rhiannon are looking forward to a week of swimming, boating, and most importantly, fishing. While there, they learn about the best baits, the best techniques, and the importance of location in having a successful day fishing. But, the most important lessons they learn are about teamwork and persistence.

Ella loves visiting her grandparents' house with her cousins every summer. It's a great time to play in the woods and fish. This time, Grandpa has a surprise planned. When he announces they're going catfish noodling, Ella isn't sure what to think. Could she really grab a fish that big with her bare hands? As she dives down into the murky water with her cousin, Ella is nervous. Will she come up with a catfish? Or will her first noodling adventure be a dud?

Quincy is excited to travel to Maine for his first black bear hunting trip with his dad and best friend, Jack. Luck seems to be on Quincy's side when a bear strolls out in front of his tree stand. He jumps at the chance to take down his first bear. But when Quincy becomes injured, he might have to leave the bear he shot behind. Quincy soon realizes that taking down a bear is just one important goal of a successful hunting trip.

Wes has never been fishing. He doesn't even like eating fish! So when his best friend, Josh, invites him on a fishing trip to his family's cabin, Wes isn't too excited. But then Josh's dad tells a story about catching a gigantic muskie. Soon Wes is hooked. He starts to enjoy fishing-and even eating fish. But he can't stop thinking about what it would be like to hook a big muskie. Will his curiosity lead to a big catch?

For twelve-year-old Hailey, the upcoming annual family duck hunt is a chance to prove that she's finally ready to join her family in the duck blind. She's also hoping that Cocoa, the excitable young dog she chose last fall against her parents' advice, has what it takes to make a great retriever. When hunt day arrives, Hailey is sure she and Cocoa have everything under control. But, Cocoa's inexperience spoils several good shots for the rest of the family, and the young dog risks being sent home from the hunt. And, Hailey soon learns that willing things to go right doesn't mean they will.

Jimmy Benge is excited to celebrate his thirteenth birthday with an ice fishing adventure in northern Minnesota. He's even allowed to invite his best friend, Ryan, to spend winter break at the family's lakeside home. The two boys learn a lot about ice fishing and catch a few panfish but decide to fish for something bigger: Northern pike, the alpha predators of the lake. The trip is fun until one day, while out fishing by themselves, the boys are hit by a sudden, unexpected snowstorm and find themselves fishing on thin ice.

Adrina can't wait to go pronghorn hunting in Wyoming with her dad and uncle. Her obnoxious cousin Frankie is coming too. She's determined to ignore him as the family sets off on their trip. But soon, Frankie takes his jokes on Adrina way too far. Things get even worse when he misses a pronghorn and blames it on Adrina. Will the cousins be able to get along again and salvage the rest of the hunt?

For twelve-year-old Coral, having divorced parents means only getting to see her dad a few times each year. So when he invites her on a guided elk hunt-on horseback-in the Colorado mountains over fall break, Coral is thrilled. She's sure that this will be the adventure of a lifetime-and great bonding time with her father-even if she is nervous around horses. The hunt is fun, but soon things start to unravel. Coral struggles to find her confidence and feels strangely distant from her dad, especially when he surprises her with some big news. When a huge storm blows in, turning the mountain slippery and treacherous, Coral realizes she must overcome her fears and feelings of resentment to make it back down the mountain to safety.