Christmas for Two

Christmas for Two

“Look out, Dad!” Through the network of brown November branches I could see into the little open where my father watched for the driven grouse. This was the shot he loved best in all bird shooting. He had taught me its strategy the I was twelve, taught me right here...
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...
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...
Are Damascus-Barreled Shotguns Safe to Shoot?

Are Damascus-Barreled Shotguns Safe to Shoot?

Damascus-barreled shotguns are considered inferior to those made with fluid-steel barrels, but are they really more dangerous to shoot? Damascus, the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic, is a big city surrounded by an even bigger desert. Nearly two million inhabitants...
Row the Boat

Row the Boat

Yikes, the other day there were snowflakes flying about. That can only mean the end of summer is at hand. It passed so quickly and this summer was one of many trips down rivers in the drift boat. I believe Mike needs to paint the words USS Cameron — or Battleship...
Changing Hunting Focus

Changing Hunting Focus

Well, it is time to change gears and go in search of pheasants, sharptails and huns. I’ve been hiking in sage brush and through dense forests for the past month. The target on my treks and hunts — grouse. OK, Mike and his friend, Marlon, have managed to bring down a...
Noisy Noises of Birdy Birds

Noisy Noises of Birdy Birds

Around my house these days and nights, it’s nonstop quacking and quacking as the duck season approaches. The loud noises are enough to drive any dog crazy. Around my house these days and nights, it’s nonstop quacking and quacking as the duck season approaches. When I...
But Not On Opening Day

But Not On Opening Day

“I promise you,” he said, “on my word of honor, I won’t die on the opening day of the bird season.” Now you know your first big cock pheasant is a sight to see. There maybe ain’t nothing as dramatic, whether it’s an elephant...