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.
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.
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...
The Cabin Life
No power, badgers and (potential) grizzlies, oh my! The other day Mike was speaking — he blabs a lot — and I was hearing blah, blah, blah until I suddenly heard the words "cabin," "mountains" and "vacation." The next instant I was in! I like to go on vacation! Soon...
But Not On Opening Day
"I promise you," he said, "on my word of honor, I won't die on the opening day of the bird season." Now you know your first big cock pheasant is a sight to see. There maybe ain't nothing as dramatic, whether it's an elephant or a polar bear. A cock pheasant is like a...
MOLLYGRUBS PART 3
DISASTER AT THE JUNIOR CONSERVATION BANQUET—PART 2 The mere appearance of Mitzi, or for that matter any girl who was even moderately attractive, was sufficient to turn Mollygrubs’ face an alarming shade of scarlet. The mere thought of talking to her, much less asking...
Transition
In April of 2016 (autumn in the southern hemisphere), author Michael Altizer was invited to Patagonia to fly fish some of the most famous trout waters in the world—the rivers Collón Curá, Chimehuin, and Rio Malleo. In the opening section of his book “RAMBLINGS—Tales...
The Old Brown Mackinaw
When the Old Duck Hunter's Association, Inc., died, the hearts of many men fell to the ground. There was no one like Mister President. When the old-timers go there is no bringing them back, nor is there any hope of replacing them. They are gone, and there is a void,...
The Upland Season is Underway
Mike needs to learn to hustle, because it's upland bird season! As you know, I get excited about birds — and the upland season opening week means it’s time for me to go to work. I also know Mike thinks I just lie around all day on the couch and eat treats, but I am...
Season End
There are surviving publications, most notably Sporting Classics, where my material has appeared on a regular basis for several decades. Were I so inclined, it would be difficult to provide a whole host of examples where I played a role in putting the kibosh on...
NEW! Venison Cookbook: From Field To Table
New 2023 Release! Venison Cookbook: From Field to Table Click Here to Order Today! Veteran cookbook authors Jim and Ann Casada share 400 field- and kitchen-tested recipes, along with dozens of sauces and marinades, that span the spectrum of venison cookery. From...
Are Prints a Sound Investment?
Some collector prints have greatly increased in value in the last few years, but are prints really good investments? There was something wrong with Ralph McDonald's mockingbird print, and he couldn't decide what it was. The year was 1972, and the Tennessee artist had...
Misadventures of Mollygrubs Messer Part 2
DISASTER AT THE JUNIOR CONSERVATION BANQUET — PART 1 In due time Mollygrubs Messer recovered physically from his rude and painful introduction to the miseries of poison ivy while on a Boy Scout outing, but mental torment remained in the form of regular taunting from...
Checking the Calendar
The calendar wasn't going fast enough from August to September — so I took the initiative to take it down myself! The other week, I was passing through Mike’s office when I noted his calendar was still on the August page. I know bird hunting seasons open in September,...
Frozen Terror
The date was Tuesday, January 22,1929. There was nothing to hint that the day would be any different from the many others Sweet had spent fishing through the ice for lake trout, there on the submerged reefs off Crane Island. Tramping across the rock-strewn,...
Benelli’s Migration Madness Sweepstakes is ON!
SPONSORED CONTENT Wingshooters live for the fall migration. And while this much-anticipated event is still a short time off, preparations are underway. To kick off the 2023 season, Benelli is launching the Benelli Migration Madness Sweepstakes with an unprecedented...
The Timely Art of Sporting Calendars
By definition and design, the calendar marks the passage of time and to an extent sets the tempo for our activities. But the calendar holds particular interest for the outdoor sportsman, the hunter and the collector of sporting art. The calendars of the late 19th and...
MISADVENTURES OF MOLLYGRUBS MESSER
The first installment in Jim Casada's new series: THE MISADVENTURES OF MOLLYGRUBS MESSER The parents of the newborn lad who would in time be known to one and all as Mollygrubs Messer most assuredly did not dub their offspring “Mollygrubs,” a quaint word widely used in...
The Longest Minute
I stood up and grabbed the holster but was unable to remove the revolver regardless of how hard I tugged. When I looked up, the grizzly was charging toward me...The next minute seemed to last an eternity. Most of us are familiar with the movies, The Longest Day, The...
RIAC Sells Elvis Presley Revolver
Rock Island Auction Company Sells Elvis Presley's S&W Model 53 Revolver This past Saturday, August 26, 2023, RIAC sold Elvis Presley's Historic Special Order Russell Smith Signed, Master Engraved, Gold and Silver Inlaid with the original case gifted to the King of...
Robert Louis Releases DOUBLES DUTY
For the doubles shooters, finding empty fields to practice further reduces their opportunities to practice shooting. Robert Louis Company's latest product package, the DOUBLES DUTY Ultimate Practice Shooting System, brings the practice requirement to the shooter's...
Loyal to the Last
All that day the old man's thoughts were on Malachi, the grizzly and himself. He knew what he must do, but dreaded it. Jasper Pratt came awake, suddenly pulled by the instincts of his breed as he heard the far-off cries of a wolf pack running down an animal, perhaps a...
Clayton Flowers
Never said nothin' to nobody,' folks said of Clayton Flowers. But he'd talk to me, about livin' and even about dyin'. I'll tell this the way Clayton Flowers told it once to me. Clayton was an old man himself then, the deeper side of his 70s. Never talked to nobody...
NEW! Dawn of American Deer Hunting: Volume 3
Duncan Dobie's newest book is now available! Click Here to order your copy today! Whitetail hunting in this great land of ours is truly a “grand” obsession, and Dawn of American Deer Hunting, Volume III, will make you thankful for your own freedom to participate in...