Category Archives: Living History

Perhaps Another Time

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

The neighbor’s rooster cackled. A slight easterly breath pushed the morning’s fog. A crow cawed, off to the west, near the nameless creek that meanders through the big swamp. Jerry’s rooster cackled again and again. “Caw, caw.” What sounded like … Continue reading →

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“Testify to what you did…”

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A young doe ran by, its white tail up. It did not appear alarmed, just in a hurry. A pleasant breeze caressed my face, coming out of the south, same as the deer. The faint scent of oak leaves and … Continue reading →

Posted in Deer Hunts, Living History, Persona | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Feeling Small

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

November’s last day broke with a violent rainstorm. A steady drizzle and a high wind rendered a morning hunt impossible, but by late afternoon the tempest subsided. The air was late-March warm; the mixed stench of night crawlers, stale urine … Continue reading →

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Feeling a True Kinship

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A fox squirrel’s bushy tail flicked, then vanished. A black oak’s welted bark pressed hard against the hunting shirt’s linen shoulder. The tail reappeared, head-high, on the backside of an arching red oak, then disappeared. A slight breeze rustled what … Continue reading →

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Returning with but little meat…

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

Fall slipped away. Three days of intermittent rain and brisk gusts stripped all but the white oaks of their leaves. Overnight the wind subsided, somewhat. An hour after first light, lacy white clouds drifted west, pushed by a chilly northeast … Continue reading →

Posted in Living History, Squirrel Hunts, Turkey Hunts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Search for Lost Companions

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

“Friday 24th [February, 1804]…I am very Uneasy about [Joseph] Boisvert and [Jean] Connor. It is now nineteen Days since they left for the fond du Lac, expecting that it would take Twelve Days To make The trip. They carried one … Continue reading →

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The 21st-Century’s Exacting Toll

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

White-flowered Queen Anne’s lace dotted the prairie. Dew clung to hundreds of spider webs. A misty, boiling fog shrouded the near tree line as morning’s long shadows blanketed the small grassy opening. The August air smelled cool and damp, yet … Continue reading →

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Waiting on the Wind…

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

White waves rolled on a stiff northwest wind. The air smelled damp, heavy with the mist of water roiling over the rock-strewn shoal. Between the clouds, the noonday sun mapped the strait’s depths, separating the shallows from the cold abyss … Continue reading →

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