We are a husband (Richard P. Smith) and wife (Lucy J. La Faive) team. We publish books and DVDs about whitetail deer, deer hunting, black bears, black bear hunting and wildlife written or produced by Richard P. Smith. Richard is the writer, photographer and videographer. Lucy is the publisher, business manager, bookkeeper, designer, marketing director, among other things. (For more information read our Welcome to our Blog post.)
Richard P. Smith is an award winning outdoor writer and photographer living in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan who has been hunting whitetail deer and black bear for more than 50 years. The author/photographer is a recognized expert on whitetail deer and black bear behavior and biology as well as hunting these popular big game animals. He has interviewed the top bear biologists in the country and accompanied them in the field on their research. Most of the books and DVDs he’s produced have been about deer and black bear.
One of his more prestigious honors was receipt of the coveted Ben East Prize for 1997 from the Michigan United Conservation Clubs for conservation journalism about bear management. He also received the Outdoor Journalist of the Year Award from the Flint, Michigan Chapter of Safari Club International the same year. Smith received those awards because many of his articles helped defeat a referendum that would have had a negative impact on bear hunting and management in Michigan.
The author is a nationally recognized writer, photographer and speaker who has written 28 books and thousands of magazine articles, specializing in all types of wildlife, but especially whitetail deer and black bear. He contributes regularly to Michigan Game & Fish Magazine, Woods-N-Water News and Michigan Outdoor News. He’s a field editor for Michigan Hooks & Bullets. His writing and photography appear regularly in national magazines including Deer & Deer Hunting, Buckmasters, North American Whitetail, Big Buck, Outdoor Life, Bowhunter and National Wildlife.