A PERFECT HUNT IN A DIFFICULT YEAR: A Thanksgiving Story

COVID-19 was hard on everyone. When the lockdown came in Idaho in March of 2020, winter still maintained its chilling grip on the landscape, and even though the seasons all came that year, the isolation from other people and the fear you saw in their eyes made it seem like Ol’ Man Winter never really…

THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING

“There is nothing good unless you do it.” -Eric Kastner By all accounts, the sport of hunting is dying.  Every year, our nation is facing a decline in the numbers of hunters as gauged by the number of hunting licenses sold.  Part of the problem is the absence of mentors for those interested in hunting. …

PREORDER SIGNED HARDBACK COPIES OF IDAHO UPLAND DAYS

A few days ago, I did a post about preordering paperback copies of my new book, Idaho Uplands Days: Reflections on Bird Dogs, Banner Days, and Other Roadside Revelations. I wrote the following for the back cover blurb: With nine species of upland game birds, Idaho is truly a cornucopia for the upland bird hunter…

BRET WANNACOTT’S A MILLIONAIRE’S DREAM

It has been a while since I did a book review on the blog. To be honest, I rarely get excited enough about a book to put the effort into writing a review. However, I just read my friend Bret Wannacott’s book, A Millionaire’s Dream, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve known Bret on social media…

DUCK CAMP: GREAT PRODUCTS FOR ANGLERS AND HUNTERS

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: This is not a paid endorsement or review and I am not an ambassador for Duck Camp. I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while, but life (and Covid-19) got in the way. I first heard of Duck Camp a few years back after I published an article in the…

Sportsman’s Palette: Collecting Sporting Art Tips

Below is a guest post from the very talented Katie Polhemus of Sportsman’s Palette…enjoy and please see her bio at the end of the blog post! Art for art’s sake is simply wonderful. Art in all its forms is beautiful, engaging, and culturally enriching. Plus, humans have quite literally been making art since the beginning…

THE LOST GUN

They say that time heals all wounds.  It has been almost six years, but this is still a tough one to write down.  Back in 2008, my brother Shawn gave me a 20 Gauge Ruger Red Label before the start of our annual week in Idaho’s uplands.  At the time, the over and under was…

THE MAKINGS OF A GROUSE DOG

“Ruffed grouse dogs are bred, not born, and once born they are developed, not made.” –George Bird Evans,  An Affair with Grouse Author’s Note: I wrote this story clear back in 2018, Rainey’s second season of hunting. It was accepted for publication in a prominent bird dog magazine and then the magazine editor retired and…

Misty Magic

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” –Will Rogers If any of you have read my book or followed me on social media, you may recall that my American Brittany, Misty Morning Sunrise (“Misty”) passed away unexpectedly in March of 2017. That was a…

Classic Boots & Classic Doubles: Gokey Legend

The heydays of the classic American double gun began at the end of the 1800’s and went into the 1900’s until about the start of WWII. Such renowned companies the likes of Parker Brothers, Lefever Arms Company, L. C. Smith Shotgun Company, Ithaca Gun Company and The Three-Barreled Gun Company. John Moses Browning’s last patent…

A Little Love for the Portneuf River

With the help of my son, Thomas, I have jumped into the world of YouTube. My channel is “Renegades and Ruffs” (which is named after my favorite dry fly and my favorite game bird). For his senior project, Thomas made the attached video, “A Little Love for the Portneuf River” with the help of Matt…