Jay Kemp Swinging for the Fence
"I don't want to bunt every time. I'm going to swing for the fence." Jay Kemp is explaining how his most successful painting came to life. He wanted to paint a big bull elk, he says, running a hand through his hair, green eyes looking beyond the glass doors of his...
Hunting Caribou in the Arctic – My Saudade River
It’s cold and gray. That time of year when you gaze out the window, your breath condensing on the glass, and let your mind wander. The Portuguese have a term they call "Saudade." It doesn’t translate well to English, but it connotes a deep longing for places,...
Tales to Tell in Winter
When I was seventeen, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for small- town girls and soft summer nights. We'd hide from the lights on the village green When I was seventeen. - Ervin Drake I was not yet 17 when I first heard The Kingston Trio sing Ervin...
State Dogs – Candid Cameron
There are state dogs! I am launching my campaign! Well, during some recent research, alias computer surfing online, I stopped ordering dog treats and suddenly discovered some dog breeds have been appointed to the high position off official state dog in several states....
10 Best Hunting States Ranked
Fresh off my annual multi-state fall hunting tour — part of the occupational hazard of being an outdoor television host, former magazine editor and book author (I know, it’s a dirty job…) — it seems an opportune time to assess the state of hunting. That is, with more...
Road Trip Discoveries – Candid Cameron
Road Trip Time! On a recent bird hunting road trip (yes, Mike was driving the truck in case you were wondering), I passed through South Dakota. It’s a great state with more ring-necked pheasants living there than people. WOW! There is also South Dakota’s Governor...
The Cold Burn Cognition of Living
Islands in the stream...eras in the flow of a man’s lifetime. Days lapse January meager now, and this one is dying. In the twilight of its wake, snow is born. Death to one, life to another. Waylaid at my threshold by the magic, rescued from the zephyr of melancholy...
Blacktail Bait with Wine Grapes
Blacktail hunting in California vineyards is an uncommon pursuit because California vineyard blacktails are an uncommon animal. Texans have a saying. Don’t Californicate Texas. Keep your ground hugging Ferraris, man buns and cappuccinos on the Left Coast. Texas is the...
Hunting Gear – Ode to Old Ways
We all know the type. Maybe it’s you, most likely it’s your old man or, perhaps, a grandfather. The one who is stuck in the “good old days.” “God almighty this is heavy,” doing my best impression of Atlas carrying what only could have amounted to the weight of the...
New Year’s Resolutions, Candid Cameron
What are these New Year's Resolutions hoomans keep talking about? I have heard many hoomans make plans for the New Year, and they set lofty goals or unreachable restrictions upon themselves. Yikes, more of you should live carefree like we dogs do. Nothing matters, har...