In a story I wrote earlier, I told of a bow I received for my 5th birthday, a wood self bow that I loved dearly. It met an early demise when an errant arrow struck the neighbor’s delivery van. Unfortunately, the neighbor was standing in his backyard when it happened and he told [...]
I simply needed some quiet time—what I like to call “me-time.” Time to chill out, reflect, think, and just relax. Everything seemed perfect that day. It was hot, sunny, and beautiful—my personal favorite time to hunt whitetails. Dressed in a camo T-shirt, sweatpants, and tennis shoes, I happily headed out the back door. [...]
My grandson, Jake, had a football game, so he, my wife, and I arrived at elk camp later than expected. The plan had been to meet my daughter and the rest of her family at camp early enough so that Jake and I could sneak in an evening hunt, but it was well [...]
As I rounded the corner of the tractor path, we saw a small rise on the edge of the corn field. I wanted to charge ahead to look over, throwing everything I knew about stalking game out the window out of shear excitement. Alan put his hand on my shoulder and reminded me [...]
I was the beneficiary of a wonderful childhood. In addition to his scientific accomplishments (his pioneering work in the field of bone marrow transplantation earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1990), my father was a highly skilled outdoorsman. My mother also loved the outdoors. Best of all, they always made every [...]
In the months ahead of the cold November morning that found me and two close friends, Scott and Nick White, camped under a fresh blanket of snow along the shore of a small interior lake on Kodiak Island, I considered many aspects of our planned trip, including thoughts about the unpredictable weather, big [...]
Winters are hard on the high desert of Idaho that I call home. Although I thoroughly enjoy living out in the vast Snake River Plain, the winters are long, cold, and windy. After the fall big game seasons are over, I pick up my shotgun and hunt birds out back, or waterfowl down [...]
Cresting the ridge, we crouched behind a juniper tree. I whispered to my wife Andrea, “We should move up to the next bush and the ram might walk out from between those junipers just beyond.” We checked to confirm that the ram was out of sight, and moved as quietly as we could [...]
A return to the basic principles of bowhunting makes for a more enjoyable and successful hunt. It had been raining for three days, and the forest was soaked. I had not planned on going out that morning, the last day of the season. I had given up. I hunted hard for the opening [...]
The room was getting warmer, the air palpable, and the bidding hitting levels higher than I hoped for. I had no idea who was bidding against me in the crowded banquet room Saturday night in St. Augustine, Florida, at the Professional Bowhunters Society (PBS) Biennial Gathering, but I knew my limit was soon [...]
