High Peril on Polychrome Mountain
For two bone-chilling days, he pursued the rams unrelentingly, from dawn to dark, scaling precipitous cliffs, inching across narrow ledges and sliding down icy slopes. March 9. While climbing the mountains the past few days, I had been uncomfortable because of warmer...
The Strangler Came Out Of The Sea
The blue sea was red now . . . and black. Black from the ink of the octopus, red from the blood of the swordfish. When we slipped into the harbor that night, we dropped anchor and secured. I’d been there before. It wasn’t anything to write home about. It was Puerto...
2023 Premier Firearm & Sportsman Auction
Richmond Auctions welcomes you to our 2023 Premier Firearms & Sportsman's Auction. This sale features nearly 170 lots of world class firearms including highly engraved shotguns, rifles and handguns from Browning, Winchester, Colt, A.H. Fox, Smith & Wesson,...
The John Wayne Rifle: Winchester Model 92
John Wayne was a man of many westerns, but there was only one rifle for the Duke.
Levering Interest
Rediscover what six or seven generations of American outdoorsmen enjoyed for 150 years. The all-American lever-action rifle. Long may it reign. We Americans are delightfully inventive. We came up with baseball, basketball, the Boy Scouts, Broadway musicals, jazz,...
Never Give Up
Feather serves as an object lesson in the art of not only living with a disability, but achieving goals that the rest of the world tries to tell you are unattainable.
Up Front
It may take a right to the jaw or a secret whisper, but defending your honor (and saving your skin) is never easy when your arch enemy is bigger and faster than you are. It's not easy to be a native son of Texas, a Good Ol’ Boy, and not care a thing about horses....
Colonel Colt and His Pistols
For nearly two centuries, Samuel Colt's firearms have been changing the course of history. And the legacy lives on. By all indications, he never should have succeeded in life, and if he had listened to what others told him, the name of Samuel Colt would probably be...
Ghosts in the Ravine
I'm not a superstitious man. I’m not afraid of ghosts. It’s just a skull I tell myself, but contemplate my pale, frail host. Author's Note: While it appeared in the fall 2020 Guns & Hunting issue of Sporting Classics magazine, I wrote this little poem/story for...
RIA: Premier Firearms Auction Dec. 6th-8th
Scarce Sub-Gauge Selections Rock Island Auction Company’s December 6 - 8 Premier Auction in Bedford, Texas unveils a stunning selection of sporting arms from the benches of history's finest craftsmen, including a breathtaking trio of factory engraved Purdey & Sons...
Roosevelt the Rifleman
With horse and rifle he explored frontiers, indulging a lust that would transcend politics. “Every sense keyed up...I pushed forward the safety of the double-barreled Holland rifle. As I stepped to one side [to aim], the rhino saw me and jumped to his feet with the...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 8
Urination Tribulation Among the many hobbies of Mollygrubs Messer’s father was gardening. He found it relaxing and a welcome escape from a spouse who wasn’t about to dirty her dainty hands with manual toil in the good earth (or pretty much anything else, because truth...
Unveiling the Benelli LUPO
Unveiling the Benelli LUPO: A Precision Revolution in Rifles SPONSORED CONTENT: In the world of firearms, the name Benelli commands respect and is synonymous with innovation, reliability and cutting-edge technology. The Benelli LUPO rifle is a testament to this...
Ready to Go
As I have mentioned numerous times in these columns, I’m a dog on the go. I stand ready to move and head outdoors at the drop of a hat, or make that the mention of key words. While Mike thinks I’m just lying on the couch and sleeping, I’m observing and listening for...
A Door in the Woods
Though it was now past dusk and the forest was dark and still, I could see that, yes, it definitely was a door, alone, in the middle of the woods. “Good boy, Rex, easy now. Whoa on the bird!” The gathering gloaming of the approaching evening made it rather difficult...
Sermon from the Mount
Life had become intolerable, but Dan McMurry was putting forth his best face. Only two other creatures knew the extent of his misery. Dan didn’t count his wife as one of those creatures. She and Dan were in different stages of healing, different stages of denial, and...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 7
Bear Scare Notwithstanding painful and humiliating memories of an early Boy Scouts endeavor that landed Mollygrubs in a world of woe thanks to turning poison ivy leaves into ersatz toilet paper, he remained a loyal, enthusiastic member of the local troop. That was...
The Perfect Words
How he hoped that his son's first hunt would be just as memorable as his own 30 years ago. And now, as a chilling wind sliced through the canyon, the perfect words to calm the boy just wouldn't come. But something else would. Big blue eyes met mine; his lip began to...
Reaching Beyond Art
A growing number of artists are making contributions to our world that reach far beyond the framework of their paintings. Some artists are more socially significant than others, and it has more to do with how strongly they believe in human or environmental conditions...
Silencer Central Releases BUCK 30
Latest from Silencer Central and Buck Commander - BUCK 30 Suppressor Silencer Central has introduced the all new BUCK 30 suppressor in partnership with the Buck Commander team. With the classic deer hunter in mind Silencer Central designed the BUCK 30 as a durable,...
Swarovski Z8i+
Z8i+ — See more. Act faster. Enjoy everything the Swarovski Z8I+ has to offer along with a large and more feasibly obtainable eyebox for fast sighting. With a short zoom rotation of 160 degrees and the ergonomic TL+ throw lever, available in black and orange, this...
I Will Give These Pups My All
As we grow old together, I’ll be there to gather the joy from every moment of their lives.
The Art of Clay McGaughy
Paintings by San Antonio’s premier outdoor artist.
Pre-1930 Field & Stream Covers
Beautiful art from long-forgotten issues.
A Short Ghost Story
An eerie tale for Halloween.
Cold Mornings on the Little Choptank
It’s icy on the river, but with geese hovering above, it’s a mighty good place to be.
The Poet Laureate of Turkey Hunting
An overview of Tom Kelly’s published work.
The Walk
The following is a tale from Michael Altizer’s book RAMBLINGS—TALES FROM THREE HEMISPHERES about two longtime hunting buddies and one significant dove hunt. With more than 240-pages and 25 chapters this book documents the author's hunting and fishing journeys, from...
Row the Boat
Yikes, the other day there were snowflakes flying about. That can only mean the end of summer is at hand. It passed so quickly and this summer was one of many trips down rivers in the drift boat. I believe Mike needs to paint the words USS Cameron — or Battleship...
The Treasure of Simply Belonging
For restless years I harbored an unrequited craving for a 28 gauge. It came from reading too much Mcintosh, and misconceptions, perhaps, of life and love. In a hundred fantasies, the little 28 would come as breathlessly to shoulder as my high school heartthrob, a...
An Artist Apart
The type of paintings I most enjoy are the ones where I look and think, 'How did he get away with that and still make it work'? [Years ago,] on a Saturday morning in August, my husband Charlie woke me up to show me an ad in Sporting Classics. Dan Metz was selling the...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 6
MOLLYGRUBS GOES FOX HUNTING In the days of Mollygrubs Messer’s youth, fox hunting in the British Isles was a sport for the upper classes and involved fine horses, attire such as hard hats, high and highly polished black boots, hunt masters wearing red jackets,...
Changing Hunting Focus
Well, it is time to change gears and go in search of pheasants, sharptails and huns. I’ve been hiking in sage brush and through dense forests for the past month. The target on my treks and hunts — grouse. OK, Mike and his friend, Marlon, have managed to bring down a...
Fred Selous Heart of Steel
In the words of his contemporary and close friend, Teddy Roosevelt, Frederick Courteney Selous (1851-1917) was "the greatest of the world's big-game hunters." Certainly, there were few sportsmen of the late Victorian and Edwardian period who would have disputed the...
The Choice of the Artist
Nine wildlife artists talk about their favorite media — including tools of the trade — that have helped them earn nationwide acclaim. Watercolor by Morten E. Solberg Of all the painting media, watercolor has been around the longest. The first crude paintings on cave...
Marc Hanson Savors the Path
In Marc Hanson's personal hierarchy it will always be fine painting, not subject matter, that takes precedence. There's a painting in Marc Hanson's studio that fans of his art will probably never see. It's a simple piece, really — a winter landscape that is likely...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 5
DUXBAK DISASTER The aftermath of the most unfortunate chain of events connected with Mollygrubs’ misfortunes at the Junior Conservation Banquet reverberated through the town of Stony Lonesome for weeks. The hapless lad was harangued unmercifully by his male companions...
Ice Hole Angels
Collecting fish decoys has never approached the popularity of some other folk art...but it's started showing up at shows. The big pike was hungry. The very cold temperature had slowed his metabolism, but it had been many days since his last meal. Slowly he moved from...
NEW! Negrini Hybri-Tech Handgun Cases
NEW! Negrini Hybri-Tech Handgun Cases Negrini hybrid case technology adds strength, function, and luxury to the injection molded case. Brilliant Italian design is combined with an ultra-strong thermoformed ABS interior, fully cushioned and upholstered with a plush...
A Place Without Peer
Brays Island Plantation is the legacy of a farmer, Sumner Pingree, whose vision was to protect and preserve his plantation by sharing it with a limited number of families who value outdoor pursuits. SPONSORED CONTENT: This majestic property in the heart of the...
Noisy Noises of Birdy Birds
Around my house these days and nights, it’s nonstop quacking and quacking as the duck season approaches. The loud noises are enough to drive any dog crazy. Around my house these days and nights, it’s nonstop quacking and quacking as the duck season approaches. When I...
SC Giclée Print Program
Sporting Classics has teamed up with ten of America’s most renowned wildlife artists to offer these magnificent, limited-edition giclée prints. The giclée (pronounced gee-clay) process incorporates breakthrough technology to create a one-of-a-kind art print from a...
New B&P USA Upland Loads
Baschieri & Pellagri USA, recently announced the latest addition to its Upland Game line — the Upland Game Classic. This new product is designed to optimize the performance of bespoke and vintage shotguns. Whether it’s an afternoon of shooting clays or a morning...
Pleissner A Championship Performance
"Sporting art" is exactly that: art with a sporting theme. “Most sporting art isn't good art...." This statement, strangely enough, was made by Ogden Pleissner, a man widely known for his "sporting art," beautiful renderings of salmon rivers, trout streams, bird...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 4
PANDEMONIUM REIGNS AT THE JUNIOR CONSERVATION BANQUET Once Mollygrubs’ painful ministrations with Mitzi’s corsage had been duly rectified with profuse apologies, the intercession of Mrs. Merkle, and some general calming of adolescent nerves, the excited couple made...
The Fine Art of Fundraising
"My goal is to keep drawing in as much money as possible for conservation...It's good for wildlife, and a good challenge to try and set new records." On a snowy Saturday morning deep in the winter of 1969, my father asked me a favor. Would I help him haul the prizes?...
A TRUE Fish Tale
Pull up a chair and let me tell you about the fish that bit Mike — a TRUE fish tale. Everyone who has ever been fishing has some type of fish tale to tell. Those stories range from the one that got away to something strange happened on the water. Well, pull up a chair...
Calls of the Wild
The artistic images that come from these artists' experiences become a visual bond between all of us who love nature. An artist in his or her lifetime may create hundreds of images, pouring hours of creativity and years of experience into each piece of work. Yet...
Masters of the Uplands
In the end, the best sporting artists are skilled translators of ideas. Years ago, my husband Charlie and I were rummaging through a barn full of "antiques" in southern Ontario when he pulled a framed upland shooting print out of a corner. "How much?" Charlie asked...
Last Cast On the Dogwater
Big fish, big fish on the end of his line! Oh Christ, what had I done? I used to see old Artemis Hovle now and then as he slowly tapped his way along East Water Street, his white cane exploring the uneven surface of the brick pavement between the Post Office and...