Category Archives: Stories

The Jake Died Thrice

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

“Jay!” The blue jay cried out but once. The alarm seemed halfhearted and without authority. After a pause, my elk moccasins whispered along the familiar trail. The blue jay watched. The empty Northwest gun hung heavy in my right hand. … Continue reading →

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Exhausting All Possibilities

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

The search resumed at dawn. Frost-tipped cedar boughs dotted the steep hillside. Night’s cold, clear sky turned azure, and in a short while, yellow streaks of sunlight crept over the little valley. On that crisp November morn, I made no … Continue reading →

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My Mouth Grew Dry

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

The soft cluck left little doubt. The faint “arrkk,” uttered in the forest’s somber stillness, fixed my attention on the crest of the ridge to the east. A yellow maple leaf whipsawed side to side. Others followed. The morning’s wispy … Continue reading →

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A Thousand Birds

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

“Old Turkey Feathers’” muzzle parted the prairie grass. A circle of white droppings, not more than a day or two old, stared back. Another roost ring, a few steps to the left betrayed the covey’s habit. My thumb eased the … Continue reading →

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A First Outing

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

A good-sized black ant ran along my bare thigh, then took refuge inside my buckskin leggin. Its pace slowed, tickling its way to the left, then to the right, just above my knee. Three times it tried to move farther … Continue reading →

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Plus or Minus Three-Tenths

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

Few options remained. Daylight dwindled. Longer strides struck a balance between due care and a swift advance. With each footfall, the day’s tensions eased. The hasty still-hunt followed a well-used doe trail through a small stand of aromatic red cedar … Continue reading →

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“Wait a while…”

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

The River Raisin beckons. To the south, the flooded ribbon looks silvery blue, to the north a dull, brownish gray. The broad lily-pad flats seem the dividing line. The air smells of spring’s greening, fresh, clean and leafy. A red-tailed … Continue reading →

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Who Are You?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Dennis Neely: Traditional Woodsman

Tiny waves raced to the puddle’s shore. A southwest wind dislodged another drop from a nearby maple branch. More waves followed the little splash in a puddle no bigger than a nice buck’s bed. Catkins hung from a poplar tree. … Continue reading →

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