A Thanksgiving Blessing

A Thanksgiving Blessing

For more than 50 years I’ve been going up there. If it happens to be during hunting season – that is, deer season in the fall or turkey season in the spring – I usually have a rifle or shotgun in hand. For at least 30 of those years, my aging mother-in-law always...
Black-Horn Buck 

Black-Horn Buck 

Toward the close of a glorious day in late September, I had gone down to the river from home to roam the wilderness of a neighboring plantation. The noble house that once stood on the bluff overlooking the lower reaches of the Santee was burned more than a century...
The Dilemma

The Dilemma

The rifle was all they talked about. A slick new Winchester Model 94 resting in the glass showcase at Harden’s Hardware. Jack coveted it. All the boys did.  An inveterate hunter all of his long life, Mr. Harden smiled at the boys’ enthusiasm. Recalling his excitement...
The Parson Lied

The Parson Lied

First published in the April 1939 issue of Hunting & Fishing magazine, and then in Tales of Quails ’n Such in 1951.

An excerpt from The Kings of Curlew Island

An excerpt from The Kings of Curlew Island

It was Richard who showed me the huge antler—a dropped horn from a whitetail buck. Massive to a degree rarely seen, not less than five inches it measured around the handsome beading. Moreover, there were nine clear points, none mere craggy excrescences; they were...

The Lady in Green

Everybody had now gathered but Steve. When questioned, the other drivers disclaimed all knowledge of his whereabouts or his peculiar behavior. But they knew perfectly of both. For a very long time we have had on the plantation a black man named Steve. For a generation...
Venison with Cherry Sauce

Venison with Cherry Sauce

Venison Loin Medallions with Cherry Sauce One of the great virtues of venison, beyond its excellent taste and health benefits, is that it can be prepared in so many ways—soups, stews, ethnic dishes of all sorts, grilled steaks, roasts, and much more. On special...
Guns and Loads for Handgun Hunting

Guns and Loads for Handgun Hunting

Hunting with a handgun is challenging, but also great fun. Practice will make you proficient with whatever handgun you choose to use, but here are some tips to get you started. Handgun hunting has long been a passion of mine.  As of late, I have been hunting big game...
The Landmark Vine

The Landmark Vine

I believe most of us who love spending time in the outdoors have places or even landmarks that for one reason or another have become special to us through the years. I’ve written often about a 250-acre piece of outdoor paradise within a mile of my house that I’ve...