The Return of Elk, Lessons for Broader Conservation
A recent visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) revealed a truth in conservation for me. There were crowds of people clamoring for…
Summer: Time for Planning, Peaches and Peños
Summer is where the bulk of planning and preparation for the big adventures of fall start to take shape. In the Midwest that means…
The Last Bird: Living in the Upland Death Spiral
Most of the upland birds around here vanished during the Storm of the Century that dumped 30 inches of snow atop a base of…
Birdheart Gravy and Biscuits
I think this is the perfect recipe for the final morning of any hunting trip. Take all the bird hearts collected over the trip…
Sharptail Stir Fry
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Picking Up Right Where We Fell Apart
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Don’t Yell Rooster, Save Lives
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Back to the Range
It feels good to have a shotgun back in hand. The local clays ranges are beginning to reopen and after a number of months…
The Journey
I learned to bird hunt with friends — we weren’t reading about it or seeing it online or in social posts because there wasn’t…
Hunters’ Guide to CRP
When I first started traveling west to bird hunt our group would have eyes peeled for CRP. What we were really looking for was…
Firecracker Pheasant Fritters
We’re always looking for new ways to revive birds from the back corners of the freezer, especially ones that have been a bit roughed-up…
The Fountain of Youth
The old boy doesn’t leap into the truck like he once could, but he still manages to lurch up the running boards and cross…
Grouse Camp Lore
It’s quiet. Six inches of fresh powder and temperatures in the teens have subdued the forest. I’ve been on the road since 4 a.m….
Ultimate Game Bird Poppers
Poppers seem to top the culinary charts for many hunters. Most recipes combine pepper, cheese and game wrapped in a strip of bacon. Though…
Smoked Pheasant Salad Sliders
I’ve been experimenting with smoking birds to find the best ways to keep the meat from drying out. Wild birds just don’t have the…
Way Upland
It’s the second day of the upland season and I am in a pre-dawn traffic jam. I’m following a string of crimson taillights up…
The Best Way to Turn Your Shotgun Into a Paperweight
Last fall my dogs and I traveled to Idaho to try our hand at chasing chukar. We joined a few friends early one morning…
Bird Dog Dealing with Lar Par
I’m not sure I can say “Laryngeal Paralysis” once correctly, let alone three times quickly — it’s a tongue twister. It has also been…
Unspoken Alliances
A number of years ago I was riding shotgun pre-dawn on opening day in Kansas. My buddy was behind the wheel as we chugged…
Nowhere to Look
Dropped Wyatt off at the vet this morning for an exploratory procedure. I am now trying to do anything, accomplish something, will myself to…