Perks of a Pudelpointer

Perks of a Pudelpointer

If you want a gundog that can do everything very well in open field or woodland or water, and then be a mellow member of the household, consider the pudelpointer. The revolutions of 1848 were a series of spontaneous and uncoordinated uprisings that began in France and...
One Big Bull Elk, No Rifle

One Big Bull Elk, No Rifle

I’m still not sure who was more startled when our trails suddenly crossed, that big bull elk or me. Bear Canyon. Iron Springs. The Beaver Slide. Cañones Creek, Grouse Mesa, Bandit Peak, and the great Poso Valley—all names of places I have come to treasure over the...
Puppy-Training Tips from the Pro

Puppy-Training Tips from the Pro

Legendary dog trainer, Al Brenneman, promoted a simple, straightforward, common-sense approach to starting a puppy in the field. The best part of doing what I do is the cast of characters it’s allowed me to rub elbows with along the way. In other words, it’s the...
Why Do People Hunt?

Why Do People Hunt?

We hunt for the same reason that foxes chase mice…because we’re genetically programmed to do it. Evans Chambers and I were reminiscing the other day, as old men are wont to do. Evans lives in Enid, Oklahoma, and has been affiliated with the Grand National Quail Hunt...
Sharing Shelter with the African Leopard

Sharing Shelter with the African Leopard

Whether a croc or leopard, the brave young woman handled each close encounter with the same degree of calmness. Mary left the dugout canoe and started to walk through a forest. The rain was coming down hard, but it was warm rain, not the cold rain of her native...
How to Cure and Smoke Wild Boar

How to Cure and Smoke Wild Boar

Curing and smoking pork is a very simple process that has been practiced for hundreds of years. As a boy growing up in very rural Red River County in northeast Texas, I remember watching my dad cure and smoke hams from the domestic hogs he raised. Through the years,...
Did You Ever? Vanishing Aspects of Youth in Yesteryear

Did You Ever? Vanishing Aspects of Youth in Yesteryear

I would contend that boyhood in yesteryear, when most pursuits involved being outdoors, had it all over today’s technology-driven world. Increasingly with the passage of time I find myself reflecting on things I did as a youngster. That’s the purview of age, and as...
Snake Tales: Too-Close-for-Comfort Snake Encounters

Snake Tales: Too-Close-for-Comfort Snake Encounters

As I reached up with the rope, I found myself eye-to-eye with a very large cottonmouth moccasin. Like, really large. You probably won’t find this a shocking news flash, but most folks don’t like snakes. Even at the sight of one, most will flee for shelter, or grab the...