Turning Feral

A Modern Journey of Hunting, Trapping, and Living Intentionally in the Wilderness

By: Zachary Craig Hanson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Zachary Hanson lived on cruise control. He had a thriving career, designer clothes, and a jet-setting lifestyle. He practiced high-level jiu-jitsu, ran ultramarathons, and pursued academic interests, but nothing gave him what he craved: the antidote to suburban sedation.

Hanson knew his life lacked balance. It served no purpose. It held no meaning. In an effort to connect with something true and real, he turned to the wilderness. Leaving the big-city office behind, he learned to hunt, trap, and live in harmony with the land deep in the backwoods of North America. There he discovered new significance and purpose while ultimately growing his career.

Turning Feral is for everyone who pines for real, unfiltered, authentic experiences. Whether you are trying to break free from the trappings of the modern rat race, shed the dead skin of failed relationships, or escape the clutches of technological dependency, you too can experience a wild and wonderful life on your own terms.

More privileged retreat than wild reckoning

I really wanted to love Turning Feral—the title promises a raw, transformative journey into the wild. But instead, it felt more like reading about a well-off guy who bought a fancy cabin in Idaho and called it “going feral.” While the writing is solid and there are some beautiful moments reflecting on nature, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was less a rugged return to the wild and more of a curated retreat with a hefty price tag.

There’s a bit of disconnect between the book’s tone and the author’s actual situation. It’s hard to relate when “roughing it” involves land ownership and a high-end lifestyle disguised as off-grid living. If you’re looking for a deep, gritty immersion into the wild with some real hardship or transformation, this might not hit the mark. That said, it’s a peaceful, introspective read if you take it as more memoir than manifesto.