The Original Roadkill Cookbook (1985, 1987)

“Buck Peterson cooks up a fine mess of mother nature’s bounty in The Original Roadkill Cookbook; and while we wouldn’t want to eat from it, this soft-cover is the perfect put-on to leave in plain sight the next time serious foodies stop by to check out your culinary skills.” – Playboy

“Few people in the world can take something utterly revolting and make it amusing”. – Orlando Sentinel

“For pure silliness…” – Gray’s Sporting Journal

“Buck Peterson takes a generally disgusting subject and makes it funny. And edible.” – UPI

“Viewed objectively, Peterson’s cookbook is hilarious” – Seattle PI

“At last, a cookbook every household should be without” – LA Herald-Examiner

Buck Note: Conceived after a response letter from an administrator in the Law Enforcement Division of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks who wrote “Although it is unlawful to pick up roadkill in our state (1983), with our high unemployment rate our wardens are finding that many roadkills are disappearing before they can pick them up.” Bingo! The very first copies were self-published in 1985 and sold out immediately. Ten Speed Press introduced the cookbook to the national audience with a companion book, Flattened Fauna, and never looked back… unless they heard sirens. Used in the launch of the movie, Roadkill, a rock and roll road trip produced by Shadow Productions, Toronto. Official publication of The Meals Under Wheels Foundation®. By now, a first edition must be worth many more squirrel testicles.

Best Reader Letter:

"I am in need of one of your books, The Original Roadkill Cookbook. Am enclosing cash so you do not have to wait for my check to clear. A very good friend of mine—the best old buddy a guy could ever have—is having serious cancer surgery (Sept 11) and I need the book by then if at all possible. His name is Buck also, Buck Johnson. He also puts out the best BBQ ribs you could ever sink your teeth into...would also appreciate it if you could autograph the book for "Buck" Johnson. Thank you. P.S. Take the balance of the money for your troubles and buy yourself a cup of coffee on me.”

– Handwritten by Dr. J.K. Arnold, Wichita, Kansas

The Endangered Species Cookbook (1993)

“Tasteless Title of the Week” – Entertainment Weekly

“Every logger should have a copy of the Endangered Species Cookbook. It’s a laugh-provoking book that makes multiple uses of the most endangered resource: a sense of humor.” – Log Trucker

“It’s sick, sick, sick, and yes, it’s funny.” – Express Books

“His book continues a tradition of turning the unspeakable into great fun, but the new book also has a mission: to explain how and why species or subspecies are endangered…with Buck’s familiar, unsentimental charm.” – Chicago Tribune.

“More irreverence is in store for Earth Firster’s in this collection of 35 recipes with such titles as A Turn for the Wurst, Condor Bleu, and Bald Eagle a la King. However, there is an unstated concession that environmentalists may be on to something in the omission of recipes on formerly endangered species, such as the passenger pigeon and Carolina parakeet.” – Chicago Sun-Times

Buck Note: A reader is much more likely to learn more on this subject than from any stiff scholarly text. Cheaper than CliftNotes.

The International Roadkill Cookbook (1994)

“One of the close runners-up for most civilized offerings of the year…just the yule gift for your prospective parents’-in-law with such delights as chicken squashatore, chili con carnage, and Russian squorscht. (He left out a bunch of goodies from western Kansas, where roadkill is a staple of milo farmers)”. – Military Lifestyle

“A partial tongue-in-cheek guide to living off the land…the author runs down the basics of both roadkill and international travel before launching into a worldwide tour of smooshed cuisine. The tour takes us through North and South America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and elsewhere Recipes include Yukon Smack, Mesquite Grilled Leg of Coyote with Peyote Buttons, Bjorn Burgers, Hungarian Gruelash, Chicken Peeloff, Chow Chow Mein, and other yummy dishes. Bon Appetite!” – Outposts

Buck Note: Only here will you find Sourdough dressed as a Scottish bagpiper, Buck herding reindeer, as a stone-faced Greek god, a Polish hornblower, his shrunken head on a stick. Perhaps the best example of Sourdough’s artistic wit.

The Totalled Roadkill Cookbook (1996)

“Die-cut in the shape of an SUV, Totalled contains such culinary masterpieces as Kitty a la King, Ground Ground Hog Hog, Bumper Thumper, and Carnage Asada. …As with its predecessors, Totalled is spoiled by the fact that its recipes are excellent if you substitute something edible for the main ingredients. It’s just the right size to fit into a glove compartment and, at under six bucks, it will make you smile and say, Yummy!”.  – Field & Stream

“And speaking of overkill, don’t forget the Totalled Roadkill Cookbook.” – Philly News

“Among those who eat roadkill, American writer and Hunter Buck Peterson is…a guru.” – The New Brunswick Reader

Buck Note: Proof big things can come in small packages. 

Quick-Fix Cooking with Roadkill (2010)

“This sequel to The Original Roadkill Cookbook is as much for yuks as anything else…the charm of this book is the redneck humor.” – Winston Salem Journal

“Buck Peterson’s cookbook parody promises good eats from the streets…. To spruce up the ambiance of a home smashed meal, he recommends decorating the dinner table with “Hot Wheels® cars and toy stuffed animals” – just to remind everyone where their unique mail came from.” – AOL News

Buck Note: The absolute last word in off-road dining. It belongs on the shelf with such classics as the Joy of Cooking, Mrs. Crocker’s best efforts, and the I Hate to Cook Book. Still available wherever fine books are sold. Location unknown.

Buck Peterson’s Complete Guide to Deer Hunting (1989, 2006)

“The Funniest book ever written on deer hunting…will bring you close to wetting your pants. It’s outrageous. It pokes fun at deer hunters, anti-hunters, the deer themselves, and anyone or anything associated with deer hunting.” – The Sportsman Guide

“A must for hunters who think they know it all.” – Sports Afield

“If it bothers you to try reading with tears in your eyes, don’t even think about buying a copy of Buck Peterson’s Complete Guide to Deer Hunting.” – Traverse City Record

“No subject is too trivial for Buck. If you are going to hunt deer in the Upper Midwest, there is even a chapter on how to eat lutefisk. If you have not had occasion to eat lutefisk, this advice alone is worth the price of the book. In only 153 easy-to-read pages, Buck Peterson has managed to offend just about everyone that hunts, and if you don’t find something to bridle at, you haven’t read closely enough. For this reason, no hunting camp should be without a copy of Buck’s tome. No, two copies…in case someone burns the first.” – Field & Stream

“Might be the funniest outdoor book ever written……an ideal stocking stuffer for any outdoors person. It even will make anti-hunters laugh.” – Tennessean

Buck Note: Written to amuse and thank a 78-year-old uncle who welcomed him to the family deer camp in Northern Minnesota. One of the most popular deer hunting books ever sold. No matter if you are a novice or experienced deer hunter, you are bound to find something useless in this guidebook.

Buck Peterson’s Complete Guide to Fishing (2006)

“I got a lot of chuckles out of it - but after reading it, I'm pretty sure that "your paint don't dry." –"Lefty" Kreh

“Humorous spoof guide to the fundamentals of the sport.” – Palm Beach Post

“A fun stocking stuffer.” – New York Daily News

“A non-serious work on the non-serious side of fishing…poking fun at virtually every segment of sport fishing.” – Ohio News-Herald

“Pokes fun at fish, anglers, and everything about the sport.” – Milwaukee Journal

“A fascinating combination of non-stop jokes interspersed with pearls of salt and freshwater wisdom. Of critics, our favorite is this book is worth its weight in grubworms but doesn’t taste as good.” – Palm Beach County Sports

“Buck Peterson…can possibly be compared to the late Milford “Stanley” Poltroon whose books on fishing were to that sport what Marx Brother movies were to cinema. I am happy to report that nowhere in its 241 pages is there anything remotely redeeming. It is, however, pretty funny whether you’re a fisherman or not, and in these times, if that isn’t worth $8.95, feel free to look around until you find something else.” – Field & Stream

Buck Note: Sincere apologies to the fly fishermen in this book. You know you’re an easy target.

Buck Peterson’s Complete Guide to Indoor Life (1992)

“Handy book as a gift to fellow meeting-ites.” – Santa Cruz Sentinel

“A hilarious look at business travel!” – Radio/TV Interview Report

“A satiric and highly “unconventional” survival guide for anyone attending a hotel meeting, convention or trade show. An amusing gift item for planners and hoteliers who need a good humor break.” – Meetings California

“If you have ever been to one of the events mentioned in the subtitle, you gotta have this book. It’s hilarious!”  – Lincoln Journal Star

Buck Note: A guide for good sports forced into a busy business lifestyle to support an expanding, more extravagent outdoor lifestyle. How to survive hotels not a home away from home, mindless manditory business meetings, appropriate exhibit booth behavior and how to/not to pad your after action expense account.

The Complete Waterfowler (1996, 2002)

“Marred by some actual good advice on waterfowl hunting but this should not spoil it for too many readers. And Buck’s proposal for replacing water dogs with water pigs is no less than visionary.” – Field & Stream

Buck Note: Originally available in hard and soft cover. The gun hog section was excerpted in Field & Stream, November 1996. 

Buck Peterson’s Complete Guide to Bird Hunting (2007)

“Turkey hunting comes with great gobbler gags.” – Wireless Flash

Buck Note: Inspired flock shoot at pheasant, turkey, and other upland birds and those who think they can hit them. A bird-brained romp through field and stream, hill and dale, even advice on how to stalk hard-shelled flamingos stuck in a neighbor’s lawn. Not reviewed by the outdoor press, the Audubon Society, groups vested in the fate of the red-cockaded woodpecker and dodos on political flyways. 

Wildlife of the New Millennium (1999)

“Irreverent, yet well informed satirical look at how well-intentioned humans and single-minded animal interact as urban growth sprawls over original animal habitat.” – The Commercial Appeal

“Buck…goes down our roster of wildlife and makes some dire predictions as to what awaits us; mountain lions that only eat joggers, golf-course loving racoons – the list is too sordid to go on. And its all in the best possible taste.” – Field & Stream

“Readers may be better suited for animal encounter in what’s left in the once-great outdoors.” – ABC News

Buck note: The lighter side, if needed, could be Over the Hedge, an animated comedy film.

The Redneck Wedding Planner (2006)

(1) “I would recommend it to anyone looking to do a redneck wedding theme.”

(2) “This wedding planner is too much fun. I bought it for several girlfriends and gave it to them at the showers, they all thought it was a hoot. The illustrations are great too.”

(3) “A terrific gift idea.”

(4) “This is perfect gift to give to any bride to be or anyone who just loves redneck humor, it’s cute.”

(5) “A perfect shower fun shower gift for my daughter’s wedding shower.”

(6) “My son’s future mother-in-law laughed like crazy when I sent her the (book).”

Multiple Amazon reader reviews

Buck Note: This tasteful guide stimulated offers from multiple production companies to launch a Redneck Wedding Show. Their people didn’t want to have lunch with Buck’s people.

The Roadkill USA Coloring and Activity Book (2001)

“Intended to keep the kids distracted during those long hot summer road trips to visit grandma. Unique versions of classic back-seat travel games, such as a version of “I Spy” that awards players extra points for spotting squashed state animals as well as mazes, scrambled letters, tests of memory, connect-the-dots, and matching animals.” – Publishers Weekly, Daily Book of the Day

“Outrageous, off-beat, hilarious, and informative. This book will appeal to any teenager who finds “bad taste” humor delicious. Every family road trip vacation will be a smashing success if this book is in the car.” – Grand Times

“No road trip – or lazy afternoon with the therapist – complete without a copy.” – Staff Pick, STUFF

“What long-distant trip hasn’t involved the sighting of roadkill? You can add to your experience by taking along this funny book. It offers unique travel games – one asks the readers to match tracks with the animal that made them (heading to the highway, of course). Another puzzle asks the reader to help the fawn, lost in the suburbs, find its way home without crossing the road. The coloring book is not for the squeamish, obviously. But it’s a nice change of pace from Barbie.” – Tracks Magazine

Buck Note: This book originally came with three crayons; black, brown, and red.

Classic Christmas Songs, Performed by Buck’s Ducks (1992, 2001)

Officially launched from a small booth at The World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart, Arkansas. The competitors ignored the sweet sounds—their wives bought the tapes. Best played loud to encourage the dogs to sing along and accompanied by an adult beverage. Originally on cassette, now on CD and allowed to be played in the garage when she is out shopping or alone in the truck going somewhere. Reportedly played post-op in a fancy Houston hospital. 

Buck Note: Much more enjoyable, meaningful than singing dogs, cats, chipmunks, dolphins, and spider monkeys. With demand, could become an LP and entered in the Grammys, the Troubled category. Available on most popular streaming services.

Other Media

Radio: The list of interviews is long; pick any combination of four consonants and it’s likely Buck’s melodious voice sailed their airwaves. AM shock-jocks, to country, to public radio. A few favorite hosts: Bubba the Love Sponge, Jay Thomas, and raucous interview cage matches with the late great, Strayhorn Spadewater of National Fishhead Radio. 

Personal Appearance: One—a panelist at the annual convention of culinary professionals (IACP) at the Greenbrier which included cottage lodging, all food, and beverage, extra beverage, how to get there and back. The final banquet brought on a medical condition for Buck that vets call bloat. It was the mound of pork bellies on the buffet line.

Fans: Buck’s publishers have been the dead letter drop for those stirred to action by Buck’s literary work. Packages that leaked or smelled funny were refused. Still are. Offers to punch it out in the parking lot ignored. The best are framed and hung by Buck’s chimney with care.