Category Archives: Stories

Once in Seven Days

Familiar paths breed complacency. Over the rise, down the slope, then a long pause beside the stagnant water. A blue jay perched on a wild cherry branch. The forest sentinel waited. The hired hunter waited. Now and again, the pungent … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, General, Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Details Are Up to You

Moonlight, full and bright, illuminated the hollow. Stars sparkled. Shallow breaths turned to drifting clouds. Thick frost made leaves crunch. Sixty or so paces from the brush shelter, buffalo-hide moccasins found the silence of the earthen trail that angled between … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, Hunting Camps, Persona, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“I’m not surprised…”

Geese ke-honked to the east, “Kee-honk, kee-honk, yonk, yonk.” The sight of rhythmic wing beats left little doubt. Two ragged strings took flight. The birds gained altitude, honking all the while. “Kee-honk, kee-honk, yonk, yonk…kee-honk, kee-honk, yonk, yonk…” “They’re turning … Continue reading

Posted in General, Goose Hunts, Worth thinking about... | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Geese are my only hope…

Yellow maple leaves fluttered earthward. Elk moccasins hustled along a churned up doe trail. The hasty stalk skirted a small knoll, then crossed two wagon ruts. Tree-to-tree the hired post hunter wove his way through a half dozen black oaks, … Continue reading

Posted in Duck hunts, Muzzleloaders, Safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Gobbler Roasts the Same

Buffalo-hide moccasins still-hunted north. Intermittent gusts dislodged snow. At the wild apple that grew on the south edge of the cedar grove, wild turkey tracks zigged and zagged in and out of the border trees. Msko-waagosh stood, his eyes unraveling … Continue reading

Posted in Research, Turkey Hunts, Wilderness Classroom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As Seasons Pass

Soft crunches…a steady cadence…upwind… Msko-waagosh paused. A foreleg stepped with no sound, a crackle, then the left foreleg stepped. An ear twitched. The doe’s head disappeared behind a thick oak tree. The returned white captive, taught the ways of the … Continue reading

Posted in Deer Hunts, General, Living History, Worth thinking about... | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Crazy Thought Time…”

A Tad Late Tuesday Missive… Three deer matted frail grass. The largest depression rested higher up the hill than the other two—bedding not more than the night prior. “A doe and her fawns,” the hired hunter whispered, his breath drifting … Continue reading

Posted in Clothing & Accoutrements, Research, Turkey Hunts, Wilderness Classroom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As Needy as Little Kids

Wet corn stubble perfumed still air. A full moon, white and mellow, high to the west, guided buffalo-hide moccasins through dawn’s first glimmer. The night prior, before the drizzle, forty-plus geese gathered on the cornfield’s eastern-most knob. They took flight … Continue reading

Posted in General, Goose Hunts, Skills, Worth thinking about... | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment