Excerpt from “Amid Whirring Wings”

Excerpt from “Amid Whirring Wings”

“Bob White” Shrill and clear, from thicket near, A song within the woodland ringing, A treble note from silver throat The siren of the fields is singing— “Bob White! Bob White!” And from the height, an answer sweet Floats gently o’er the rippling wheat— “Bob White!...
Sporting Classics 10 Years Ago – A Woman’s Place

Sporting Classics 10 Years Ago – A Woman’s Place

From the November/December 2008 Woman’s Place column of Sporting Classics Magazine. Augusts full moon – the “dog days” moon relating to the rising of the Dog star Sirius – has a chorus of coyotes baying at the fringes of mv suburban neighborhood. My aging...
A “Typical” Duck Hunt

A “Typical” Duck Hunt

Many of my non-duck hunting friends often inquire about what is so special about crawling out of bed way before the sun even thinks of spreading its golden rays, swigging down a couple of quick cups of coffee, then loading the duck boat with decoys, shotguns and all...
A Walk on the Wild Side

A Walk on the Wild Side

By two weeks into the season, I’m convinced that every pheasant in South Dakota has handily passed a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) program worthy of any of our elite special operations units. These birds are sneaky smart by nature and, with their...
A Purple Heart Hunt

A Purple Heart Hunt

At first glance, it was a scene no different than one that is repeated many times each year throughout the Midwest: Six or so hunters in line working their way through the corn or milo while other hunters block at the end of the field. The shout of “rooster!” is heard...
Yellowbills at Dawn

Yellowbills at Dawn

When upland bird hunters think of Argentina, they dream of no-limit dove hunts. Waterfowlers on the other hand dream of South American duck and twenty five-bird limits — limits not seen in the United States since Nash Buckingham was a young man. I’d read Mr....
A Relaxing Weekend at River Bend

A Relaxing Weekend at River Bend

Sometimes, you need a “work stoppage.” Shut down the damned computer, turn off the phone, and bolt. Spend an afternoon watching dogs hunt ’em up, shooting shotguns at fast flying quail, chukar and pheasant, breathing the cool air of an October...