I Don't Care About the Blood

“Look deep, and if you stare at the water long enough you’ll get your opportunity” – Boat Ramp Wisdom

Simple, yet profound, this advice was solicited from a fellow bow fisherman at the boat ramp. His craft was anchored to the dock at the same time we were pulling out. There was one big difference: he had a paddlefish laying in the bottom of his johnboat and I did not. I congratulated him on his catch and asked if he had any tips. That prose of wisdom was all he provided.

Solo

The first rays of sun beamed over The Loess Hills as I backed my truck up to the trail.  After a light warm-up of basic calisthenics and stretching I organized some bananas, bagels, granola bars, running chews, Gatorade and water on my tail gate.  I deposited a dollar in the donation jar and gazed down trail.  No music.  No pre-race camaraderie.  No starting gun.  After a few seconds I started to run.

The Language of Love

Calling in a springtime turkey is a deceitful ploy. The hunter mimics the sounds of a hen in hopes of luring a tom into range. When the curiosity of the gobbler gets the best of him, the result can be an adrenaline filled hunt and meat on the table. There are three “types” I play in the turkey woods: The Copy Cat, The Drunk Chick, and the Shy Librarian. Deploy these tactics on your next turkey hunt to increase your chances of filling a tag.

20 in 2020

New Year.  New Decade.  New You…right?  The excitement of 2020 has passed and if you are like a lot of Americans you are still scratching your head trying to figure out how to make this your best year yet.  I strive to become a better outdoorsman and enhance the time I spend in the wild every year.  The challenge with this aspiration is it can be hard to define and measure. 

End of The Line

As railroads expanded west during the 1800’s the term End of the Line was used to announce the last stop on a railway.  However, for the passengers on the train the phrase represented where civilization stopped and the Wild West began.  It meant you had better be tough, gritty, and smart because there was an outlaw, hustler, or rough individual around every corner looking for the next green horn to step off the train to swindle, steal, or kill.

Questions?

It’s not the answer that enlightens, but the question – Eugene Lonesco

Staring into darkness I heard the first bugle. My watch read 2:30 am. “Would I hear another?” Moments later the bull elk let out another banshee like scream letting the world know that it was his meadow. He was getting closer, probably only a couple hundred yards from camp. I lay silently in my sleeping bag smiling. Hearing elk is a highlight of any trip to the mountains, however on this trip my prey was mule deer. One more bugle broke the silence as I drifted back to sleep pondering the question “Would opening day bring success?”

Showing Up

There was not a soul at the fish cleaning station as the sun set in the west.  Our haul for the evening was three white bass and a catfish.   Boat morale was slightly up and it was our best outing to date on this trip.  The boost in confidence quickly diminished as the old man in a straw hat hobbled up to the table.  His two granddaughters followed carrying a cooler full of white bass and wipers.