In my area flea markets are more popular than the mall. On any given Saturday or Sunday cars and trucks will line the highways.

I've always known just where a few turkeys roost. It's the same place every year. For the last several years I have not even used a locater call. I've just made my way to this area and set up about a hundred yards from where they usually are. I can't remember the last time my opening day routine was different and when they were not there. This year was no different. Three toms responded but I couldn't get them any closer than eighty yards.

Sometimes the circumstances call for a change of plans. That was the situation I was in a few days ago. I had taken an extended turkey hunting trip in Kentucky with a friend who would be filming this hunt.

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

I just took another fishing trip with my favorite striper guide and friend, Mike Allen. There were four of us who met at the dock early that morning.

One of my favorite hunts is hog hunting. In the south, hogs have fast become a farmer's worst nuisance and destroyer of property. They have become so numerous most game commissions allow them to be hunted or killed at any time and using any means.

Unlike some other types of hunting, pursuing the turkey is very enjoyable doing with a partner; especially if one is doing the calling and the other is doing the shooting. Most people who have hunted turkey for a period of time will tell you they enjoy calling in a bird as much as shooting one.

There's a lot of fishing going on right now. I've heard stories from those catching bass, crappie, walleye, stripe, and trout. It is the perfect time of the year for fishermen, no matter what species you're after.

John's dad, Johnny, propped his gun up on the shooting stick. It was too heavy for him to hold himself.

My childhood days of fishing amounted to going to different places along the canal that wound in and out of my little town. The only fish I ever caught was a carp.

Deer season has been over for a few weeks now, and turkey season is right around the corner. I like how each of these are so different than the other. If hunting turkeys involved as much as hunting deer, I would have to give up one. In days past, they were. Let me explain.

I used to hate the thoughts of driving more than an hour or so to some destination. That seems so long ago. Now, if I have an event or hunting trip of 5 hours or less, I feel like I'm still in my neighborhood.

I know I am constantly growing as a hunter and fisherman. All I have to do is look back at last year and I know there's room to get better.

This has been one of the warmest winters I can remember. Even though there have been a few cold weeks, for the most part it is as predicted - above normal.

Several years ago I can remember going down to the river during late winter to try my hand during the walleye run.

I just made one more, quick trip, to the Midwest. My friend had located a few shooter bucks and invited me to join him.

I'm always excited about the times I get to go on an extended hunting or fishing trip. The expectations are always high and the opportunity to go with a friend makes the miles pass quickly and the laughs come in abundance.

Several years ago, I bought 50 acres of not-so-prime real-estate. It was an abandoned farm that was mostly rolling but steep on 3 sides.

It's Christmas time in the woods! I can tell by the full shopping malls, the congested traffic and the "Cha-Ching" of the cash registers. Well, maybe not. In fact I can't tell any difference whatsoever.

I have to admit that I like watching fishing on TV; Not the everyday programs but tournament fishing. The Bass Master's Classic is one of my favorites.

Sometimes sitting in a tree stand can be boring. It's not like you see deer every minute you're hunting or even every day you go. Most mornings in the stand last for several hours and even though you may see deer, the window for those sightings is small.

I've always considered myself a prepared hunter - some would say over prepared. I very rarely go into the woods without my backpack. During the colder months this is especially true. Since I'm never absolutely sure as to what the weather will bring, I take just about everything. My backpack is over three-thousand cubic inches.

At some point during each hunt I find myself going through the scenario of seeing a deer.

I am certain the most thankful people ought to be those who consider themselves outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen.

One of the more popular ways of hunting is called "spot and stalk". This type of hunting is done on the ground, moving quietly through the woods, looking for an unsuspecting deer.