Ben Lilly The Last Mountain Man

Ben Lilly The Last Mountain Man

After the honorable David Crockett of Tennessee, Ben Lilly was said to be the greatest bear hunter in American history. He reputedly killed more bears with a knife in hand-to-hand combat than Ol’ Davy ever attempted to “grin” down. In truth, Ben Lilly no doubt killed...
Moon of the Rutting Stag

Moon of the Rutting Stag

Harold Martin captured the true essence of the autumn rutting season as he went on to say, “When the mast is heavy the deer will stay fat and sleek all winter on the acorns, and the bear, who are his friends, will lie cradled in rolls of fat, and the wild hogs will...
A Forest Chase

A Forest Chase

The following narrative is excerpted from Hunting Adventures in the Northern Wilds, A Tramp in the Chateaugay Woods, Over Hills, Lakes and Forest Streams, by S. H. Hammond, published in 1856. As the author travels into the back country wilderness of northern New York...
Strange Happenings At Chickamauga Creek

Strange Happenings At Chickamauga Creek

The hunter had been following a sparse blood trail for over two hours and it looked as though his greatest fear might be realized. The scant blood sign was beginning to peter out even more. John Forrest feared it might disappear altogether. Although he was sure he had...
No Such Thing as a Bad Day Fishing

No Such Thing as a Bad Day Fishing

In all my years of fishing, I’d been skunked, sea sick, rained on, parched and humiliated. But never could I remember a bad day fishing. I was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic wondering how I had allowed myself to get in such a frustrating situation. Like all of...
Père David’s Deer Back From the Brink

Père David’s Deer Back From the Brink

The intriguing survival story of a deer species discovered in China more than 150 years ago. When I was a small boy I started digging a hole in the backyard. My dad came out and asked me what I was doing. “Digging a hole,” I answered. He smiled broadly. “If you keep...
Sunday Shenanigans: Mysterious Ways

Sunday Shenanigans: Mysterious Ways

Sunday or not, day of rest or not, I reckon we’ve got a pair of bucks out in the woods that need to be tended to. When modern deer hunting seasons were first established in Georgia during the late 1950s and early ’60s, it was against the law to hunt on...
Sunday Shenanigans: The Law

Sunday Shenanigans: The Law

When modern deer hunting seasons were first established in Georgia during the late 1950s and early ’60s, it was against the law to hunt on Sunday in many (if not all) Georgia counties. Sometimes these laws were enforced and sometimes they weren’t,...
The Legend Of Old Three Legs

The Legend Of Old Three Legs

For nearly a decade the canny old wolf eluded the best hunters and trappers while waging a reign of terror on farmers and wildlife. Despite his one serious handicap, he was a streamlined and highly efficient killing machine. It almost seemed as though all the savagery...