One of the difficulties in hunting mountainous areas is that we not only have to set our stands up according to the wind directions but also according to what are called thermals.

The seasons are changing. The mornings and evenings are cooler, the days are getting shorter, and the days of harvesting are coming to an end.

As a young teenager, many of my summer days were spent fishing at the local canal.

It seems on opening day, all the sights, sounds, touches, and smells are at their highest peak. After being gone from the woods for several months, I am more aware of these things on the first few days of hunting season.

I can remember the first time I was exposed to those reflective tree tacks.

It's only August but I'm getting a little nervous about the upcoming deer season. I still have a few hours of field preparation I need to do before I can begin getting my gear situated.

This time of year, deer are craving salt and other minerals. The bucks need this during the time when their antlers are growing. And they will literally eat the dirt if it contains traces of these raw elements.

As a young adult, I worked for a mining company. My job allowed me to stay in the mountains all day. We only saw the boss on Mondays and Fridays. I prospected for coal by core drilling.

I see the transitioning happening now. It's harvest time. I see apples, pears, persimmons, and acorns. All these, and more, are favorites of deer. During the spring, deer feed on all sorts of browse.

I see the transitioning happening now. It's harvest time. I see apples, pears, persimmons, and acorns. All these, and more, are favorites of deer. During the spring, deer feed on all sorts of browse.

This time of year, I begin earnestly getting ready for the upcoming deer season. It's the hottest time of the year, but one has no choice if he is to be ready for the end of September.

It's July and I feel a sense of pressure. I'm thinking of food plots and practice shots.

I Just came back from a river-fishing trip with a friend. It was a beautiful morning to be on the water. This time of year, the early morning is usually the best because the heat really picks up about mid-morning

One of the activities I have enjoyed for about twenty years is running. But after the first decade, my knee put me on the shelf. During that time, I learned to enjoy road biking.

I have hunted big game most of my adult life. I have written about my experiences over 20 years. Those experiences are not spectacular. Most of them have come in random places at random times, and without the resources to make them anything special.

Now that turkey season is over, I'm getting my mental facilities back in sync.

Memorial Day has always symbolized more than its original purpose. It's supposed to allow us to reflect on the lives of those who died while serving in the armed forces in the United States. We would do well to both remember that and to take a moment to actually do it in some fashion.

There's one thing about hunting. One will have to get used to walking in the dark. I have noticed lately how each morning, I begin my turkey hunt, walking through woods and across a field in the dark.

It's been an enjoyable turkey season. It's been years since I have witnessed the amount of activity. I can't remember a single trip where I didn't hear multiple gobbles.

As I was loading my vehicle after a morning in the turkey woods, a truck slowly passed by. I could see that it was other hunters. They slowed long enough to tell me of their successful morning

One of the obstacles most hunters and fishermen dread is the wind. A light wind is not a factor - it's even helpful, but a windy day is burdensome to the fishermen and causes most game to stay out of sight

Within a few days of each other, two gobblers are down. An Eastern and a Rio. Since us guys only like our pictures taken if there are animals involved, there I am sitting behind each tom - feathers fanned and me as proud as a peacock.

It was opening day in Tennessee. The Game Commission had moved the date two weeks later than usual, and the limit had been reduced as well.

I don't remember being so annoyed as I was the other day. There I was sitting with a friend, sulking about a lost opportunity to pull the trigger on a tom turkey. The night before, we had seen a gobbler and a hen move into a certain part of the woods.

I live in a Tri-State area. Where I live in my state is less than 2 miles from two other states. When I consider bag limits, I think I have it made. When I consider out-of-state licenses, I think I don't have enough money.