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....
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...
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...