The Santa Claus Buck

The Santa Claus Buck

Both of us were nine at the time, impressionable if not gullible, and we were awed by the significance of the event...for our first deer hunt we alone were awarded the honor of accompanying our fathers to the woods to learn how to hunt whitetails and the Santa Claus...

River Spell

River Spell

The secluded river and soul-quieting snow...together they would cast just the right spell for losing himself while regaining a sense of belonging. Day 1: I am all by myself in the canoe, maybe on this whole river given the time of year and the fact that for days...

White Death in the Icy Wind

White Death in the Icy Wind

The scent of an unknown flesh grew stronger and stronger in the bear's nose as he ambled towards its source. He, too, was looking for fresh meat. Sergeant Long dutifully studied the distance between ice flows, completely unaware that he was being hunted. Oblivious to...

Attacked by a Leopard!

Attacked by a Leopard!

Although Robert Ruark was regularly exposed to dangerous animals during his hunts, and though he had a great many narrow escapes, he only got hurt once. This happened on shikar in 1962, in the Madhya Pradesh region near Betul in Central India. There, a wounded leopard...