Pappy’s Pistols
Black magic, junk pistols and lessons learned thereby. Pappy was county coroner 36 years; an elected position. It didn’t pay much, but he got to keep all the murder and suicide guns, and he was the only man who could arrest the sheriff, which he did when the new...
Tooth & Claw: A Valentine’s Tale Of Love And Shame
“This is going to be the day! The best Valentine’s Day ever!” I yelled as I entered the room, breaking up the hunting video game marathon in progress. “Look alive, boys, I’ve finally done it: the perfect gift!” The youngest boy shook his head and didn’t even glance...
The Appended And Annotated Gaddis-Webster Dictionary Of Sporting Lexicology
Noah Webster was obviously a learned man, dedicating his life to language, his name synonymous with “dictionary” in America, especially the “modern” Merriam-Webster version, published inaugurally within that notable ring from the human cambium, 1828. In the process,...
Deer Stand Serenity Or Is It Insanity?
A deer hunter’s stand should be a sacred place — a peaceful fortress of solitude where a man, woman or child can go to sit peacefully surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature on a glorious fall afternoon. It should be a place free of all care, worry and...
Rattlesnakes Among Friends
“You boys got to keep your eyes peeled for those diamondbacks,” Pierre said. He was butchering fish by the light of a Coleman, flounder fresh from the creek. “This time of year, they lookin’ for anything warm. Crawl right in your sleeping bag.” Pierre was fixing to...
An Artist In Big Game Country: Charged By A Caribou!
This is an excerpt from an article that originally appeared in the August 1910 issue of Outing magazine. So often have I heard the tales of hunters being attacked by moose, bears, etc., that with every trip I looked for some similar adventure to befall me. With the...
Almost a Lion Story
I had just settled down to pen a story about a man-eating lion stalking a hunter through darkest Africa. The hunter was in turn tracking a wounded water buffalo and the dense vegetation was going to bring all three into close contact at the watering hole. Clearly,...
The Scottish Three-Kick Rule
What lengths would you go to to retrieve a duck?
How to Train a Skunk
Learning to combat a skunk’s spray can make you and your dog’s time in the field much easier.