Not Perfect, but Close Enough
The gobbler silently stepped from the thick brush 25 yards away, looking for the hen that had been calling intermittently. He had called to her early, but she had not come to him as he’d hoped. Now, after the initial breeding period, he had come looking for her. I...
Trust Your Dog
Give a pointer the benefit of the doubt when he or she makes a stand. You’ll usually be glad you did!
Dark Legends
The hut smelled of must and dampness. Slivers of light pierced through thin gaps in the grass walls. The old shaman sat with his legs crossed. His dull, green eyes seemed void of life, staring through rather than at them. His skin hung on a bony frame and his voice...
A Turkey Trifecta
A hunt of firsts for a lifelong turkey addict.
Mollygrubs And The Birds And Bees
Similar to pretty much any teenage boy in the time around the onset of puberty, Mollygrubs Messer talked with his buddies about the birds and bees, bragged of planned sexual conquests, boasted around backcountry campfires of upcoming plans to date some “hot chick”...
The First Leopard
The famed tiger hunter goes after a cat of a different stripe. A simple bird hunt turned into an unforgettable encounter with dangerous game for Jim Corbett.
The Legacy of Roger Pinckney
Roger Pinckney, who wrote the immensely popular “Horizons” column for Sporting Classics, died on April 3 from complications after a fall at his home on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. He was 77. Pinckney wrote his first story, entitled “Big Empty Encounter,” for the...
Wintersong
You will always be my children; I will always be your pa.
Big Empty Encounter
A long stretch of dark, empty woods stood between them and the truck, and the big bear kept edging nearer, so close now they could hear his nasally whine and the soft rumbling in his throat.
Ernest Hemingway: The Early Years (1939-1948)
Ernest Hemingway is inextricably linked to both Sun Valley and the nearby town of Ketchum, Idaho. He had a special affinity for the countryside with its backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains, which reminded him of Spain, for the excellent bird hunting he found there and...