Desert is not wasteland. Desert is a space of light where cactus gardens grow on the expansive slopes and the horizon flows into the sky. Deeply incised gulches wander amid stands of juniper and around solid pillows of granite. Raptors soar with proficiency and grace, their eyes searching for elusive cottontails hidden in [...]
I once made a comment that finding good shooting advice on the internet was like digging a $20 bill out of a septic tank. It has value, but you’ll dig through a lot of “stuff” to find it. That being said, many years ago a traditional bowhunting Texan named Rusty Craine handed us [...]
Ask any bowhunter what activity puts them at maximum risk for a heart attack and you may get answers like shoveling snow, pushing a stuck car, or taking part in a triathlon. While these are all certainly stressful, the activity near or at the top for causing a potential heart attack is dragging [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The December wind spiking off the Gulf of Mexico was a bitter, damp 25 degrees as we waited our turn for the pontoon boat to shuttle us over to legendary Saint Vincent Island. Thanks to the wind chill I’ve never been colder, since most of my hunting occurs in the heat and humidity of [...]
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 [...]
On the topic of meat processing, there are several post-hunt options. Some hunters love the chase, but not the meat, and will gladly donate their animal to a local food bank. Others enjoy eating wild game but prefer their butcher does the cutting and wrapping. And finally, there are the hunters who find [...]
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 [...]
