Sweltering Summer Days
I must say, I frequently take a dip into the water to cool off. Those splashes are what summer is all about. This summer is going great, in case you wondering how I am. I have been on several new rivers, and have made some drift boat trips on well-known Blue Ribbon...
The Era of Belle
Perhaps there truly are angels among us. The journey to the mailbox should have been exciting. There was a flawless, expectant stillness to the air, as if the world held its breath in waiting. Dense, leaden clouds layered the bottom of an ashen sky, leaving the fields...
Take a Hike
Hiking is full of adventures and sights. Just the other day I noticed Mike was filling a daypack and lacing up his Irish Setter hiking boots. Great, we were going hiking! Hope he packed a gun because the mountains around here are now full of grizzlies, wolves and...
Happy 4th of July
Happy 4th! But mind your hunting dogs — they may mistake those sky booms for downed birds! While you hoomans are celebrating the 4th of July, you kinda miss the meaning of freedom. You have jobs, payments and so many daily and life obligations. Ugh. For dogs, however,...
Get a Job
Due to the cost of dog food — Mike has informed me I must get a job. Well, the other day Mike was grumbling — again. When I walked by, he pressed a receipt for a bag of dog food in my face. Seems that the price of dog food that was only $60/bag a couple of years back...
History from A Duck Blind
Nash Buckingham (1880-1971) was, in his day and still now, one of the most renowned and best-loved outdoor writers to ever ply the trade. The Limb Dodger was overdue. Concern mounted, and talk had already turned to possible causes of why the train had not bumped and...
A Thing of Dying
In the 89th year of his being, Ben Willow had died where most completely he had lived, upon the hills of home, with a dog and a gun. A little less than midway through this book, iron-willed old Missouri-West Virginian Ben Willow throws himself mercilessly once more...
The Annual Party
As you are reading this, one of the biggest events in America has come and gone — my birthday. That is the day when Mike fires up the grill, tosses on the steaks, bakes some potatoes and serves me a helping of each. Normally crowds of folks arrive to chew on the...
Youth Field Trial Alliance
A Cause We Can All Get Behind I want to give a shout-out to a relatively new organization whose presence on the sporting landscape can’t be viewed as anything but a good thing: the Youth Field Trial Alliance. The brainchild of Chris Mathan, the human dynamo behind...
The Big Predators
With lions, wolves and grizzlies on the increase, I may start wearing a bulletproof vest when I go to these remote areas. I like hiking in fields and forests to sniff about for deer, elk, birds and rodents. Now, however, I must look over my shoulder and stay alert for...