It was my brother who first introduced me to Patrick McManus stories way back when he was regularly published in Field and Stream Magazine.  This collection contains some of his early, and, in my opinion, most humorous works.

A Fine and Pleasant Misery
Patrick F. McManus, 1978
ISBN 0-8050-0032-1
McManus tells the stories of the seasoned or aspiring outdoorsman.  Drawing on incidents from his childhood and sprinkled with a healthy dose of imagination, he narrates the joys and dangers of building his first raft, the art of dealing with Mr. Grogan, the shrewd owner of the war surplus store in town and the purist motivations behind carrying a backpack that might have concealed a Sherman tank.
Once you have met Rancid Crabtree through the writings of Patrick McManus, you will want to learn more about this dodgy character who knew so much about living in the woods that he was able to name any critter around.  (“What’s that bird?” I would ask Rancid.  “Thet thar is what ya calls yer little black-and-white bird with a red head,” he would tell me authoritatively.)
When McManus describes what it’s like to be on a mountainside when a thunderstorm rolls through, you may have trouble catching your breath from laughter.   (“Well, Retch,” I said, “think of it this way–things just can’t get any worse than they are right now.”  In the days that followed we were to look back upon that moment as a time of great good fortune and decadent high living.)
My favorites from this particular collection are “The Big Trip,” “Shooting the Chick-a-nout Narrows,” “The B’ar” and “Cigars, Logging Trucks, and Know-It-Alls.”
My one complaint with McManus is his choice of language.  Jerry Clower proved long ago that it is possible to be very funny and very clean at the same time.  McManus has a great sense of wit and situational humor without having to drag your mind through the mud with his characters’ use of foul language.  (How about it, Pat?  Why not take the challenge for a G-rated book?)
Because of this, I can’t recommend this book for children, just like I won’t let my own son read the book.  Whenever they hear a Patrick McManus story, it is when I am reading it and editing for content as I go.
If you wish to purchase this book, you can find it at Amazon through this link.