Mr. Detwiler: A Ghostly Grouse Hunt

Mr. Detwiler: A Ghostly Grouse Hunt

Who was this strange old man who handled a shotgun like no one I'd ever seen? When I first saw him, I tried to duck back into the pines, but he raised his hand in greeting and I was stuck. All the while he was coming on over through the hawthorns, I cussed under my...

Birds on the Wing

Birds on the Wing

“When you have shot one bird flying, you have shot all birds flying. They are all different and they fly in different ways but the sensation is the same and the last one is as good as the first.” Before I was old enough to own a gun, wild game came to me via a boyhood...

Sunset Bear

Sunset Bear

I visited that spot for the rest of the season, and it was like returning to the scene of a crime and every time the sunset forced me to leave, I felt a terrible weight on my shoulders.

Hunting with Babe Ruth

Hunting with Babe Ruth

One word said it all — the greatest baseball player ever, a man who batted big and lived bigger. Babe combined incredible charisma with athletic genius. He hit like a dreadnought, was outspoken, uninhibited, profane, occasionally arrogant to teammates, often unruly...

Remembering Grandpa Joe

Remembering Grandpa Joe

I flat-out worshiped Grandpa Joe. His folksy wisdom, the wonderful times I enjoyed in his company as a youngster, and what he taught me when it came to living close to the good earth endeared him to me. He died a half century ago, and in fairness and from hindsight, I...