A combination of Irish whiskey, testosterone and dares has produced some strange dinners in hunting camp over the years, but the Over the Hill Gang has never eaten a coot stew in the literal sense. This collection of essays, "Coot Stews," is not a cookbook. It is a mishmash of stories, memoirs, remembrances, rants, tips on the hows and whys of hunting, and reflections on life in a rural community in the Upper Midwest. Some of the tales are humorous, some serious, some caustic and critical, but all are based on the writer’s love for the North Country, hunting companions, bird dogs, bird guns, and the values and ethic that have shaped his outlook on life. Following the style of his previous books "Crazy Old Coot" and "Old Coots Never Forget," these stories are some of his best “stews.” Jerry Johnson, author, curmudgeon, bird hunter, and dog trainer, lives in the North Country of the upper Midwest. His blog, 'Dispatches from a Northern Town, ' features stories about bird hunting, bird dogs, and bird guns; memoirs, social and political commentary, and other pieces of creative non-fiction. "Coots Stews - A Curmudgeon's Observations and Grumblings" is his third published collection of essays, following "Crazy Old Coot" and "Old Coots Never Forget." He has also published the novel "Hunting Birds - The Lives and Legends of the Pine Country Rod, Gun, Dog and Social Club." A former newspaper reporter, photographer, editor, columnist, and college public relations director, he and his wife Patti live in a 130-year-old log house on the small farm they manage for wildlife habitat. He hunts, fishes, and shoots clay target games with a group of friends that call themselves The Over the Hill Gang