The Boy Never Had a Chance
Willie Boy made his literary debut in the final chapter of The Greatest Quail Hunting Book Ever. The chapter was titled “ A Small Southern Tale,” and it chronicled the comings and goings of a single family of Georgia bobwhite quail hunters in the period following...
The Ghost of Camelot Ridge
Every so often, it occurs to me that I am, without question, one of the luckiest guys in the world. It’s a brash statement, no doubt, and I hope that it doesn’t come off as bragging, because that’s not how I mean it. To me, it just means that I understand, and that...
The Old Man
I called my buddy Ken Eversull the other day about doing some work on my old Parker. If you don’t know him, he is a gunsmith, for lack of a more fitting term, and an absolute genius at his art. He lives and practices his trade in Louisiana and has forgotten more about...
The Beauty of the Single-Shot
My very first shotgun was a single-shot break-open Springfield 20-gauge. I have no recollection whatsoever about its choke or even its barrel length. For a long time, it was the only gun that I had, and I shot everything available with it. I honestly don’t remember...
Dump the Slump
Ralph Waldo Emerson once pronounced, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” It was, and is, true in the context that he meant it. It’s important to not allow yourself to be confined to “the box.” In this day and time, you’ve got to be able to look...
Little Guns Big Birds
I’ve always had a healthy respect for the .410 as long as it was restricted to small birds at short range.
A Tribute to the Remington Model 870
Who hasn’t owned a Remington Model 870 at some point? And, of those who haven’t, how many don’t have some experience with one? After all, according to some authorities, there have been more 870s produced than any other shotgun. If Winchester made the slide action the...
Where Rifle and Shotguns Meet
“East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet.” So said Rudyard Kipling, and it’s been gospel since the day he wrote it. It’s elementary stuff, but if you’ll bear with me a bit, there’s a point at the end of this little discussion. Shotguns and...