Call me Ishmael is the first line of the iconic writing of Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick. The story of my search for big fish began when I was but nine or ten years old. Fishing for carp with my brother was always interesting. Especially, the day he baited his hook, loaded down with a heavy [...]
When it comes to hunting pronghorn antelope, it’s all about their eyes. After seven failed stalks, I’ll admit I was feeling whipped. There’s no sure-fire way of overcoming a pronghorn’s superior vision, at least not in mid-August, before the mating season. During the rut, a crazed buck may run in to a decoy [...]
I have often been asked the question, whether through direct or indirect means, “Why do you hunt?” It's a poignant yet perplexing question to answer. I liken it to describing the color purple to someone who has never seen the color in their life. Impossible, right? Yet if someone has seen something like [...]
Standing on the edge of the morning woods, I hesitated to step into the darkness. I listened for any sound and urged myself to walk into that seemingly black abyss and head to my tree stand. I don’t know if I am the only one who feels this way, but walking into the [...]
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 [...]
