One of the things I know about hunting is that if your mind is home, you might as well go home.

I've often noticed how deer live mostly in quiet environments. This morning, I watched one city dwelling doe begin to get a bit nervous when the noise of traffic began to surround her.

Nearly a year ago my tree stand collapsed from under me. It happened in a split second. Thankfully my safety harness and climbing system only let me drop a couple of feet, and I was able to climb down safely.

My ground blind leaks. Yours does too. Yeah, I know you have the top-of-the-line, largest, most cushy, made-of-the-best-waterproof-material-blind money can buy.

Coyotes are not a friend of any farmer, rancher, or hunter. They are equal opportunity predators. They will pursue your cat or your cattle. They are satisfied with fish or fowl.

I can't remember a nicer August than we've been having in my area. It has acted more like May. The mornings have been nice, the rain adequate, and I'm having to mow my yard every few days.

This last year has been one of the busiest and most stressful I have had in a long time. It was one of those years where my hunting was minimal.

This time of year, the deer look really bad. They are thin, patchy, and are fighting ticks, other parasites, and disease. As you may know, this is the time of year when the population can be devastated.

The rain in our area has been relentless. This coming week will be the first week in several where there is hardly any rain predicted. Everyone here is praying for the possibility of sunny days with temperatures to be in the 90's.

This time of year, the water levels in the rivers are naturally low. Usually, the rains are of the thunderstorm variety and are not long, ongoing, soakers. This can make fishing harder but more centralized.

I can remember in years past, starting to do extensive scouting to find where deer might be during the opening season.

I don't how many times I have crossed a ridge thinking I was some place that I wasn't. I don't how many times I have crested a hill thinking I'll be able to see something I didn't.

I finally made my trip to the river. I had been longing for this day for a few weeks now. It had been over a year since I had made this solitary float down the Clinch River.

My first visit to the Davis Ranch in the Dallas Texas area was in 2013. There I met several men including John Davis, the owner.

Local farmers have been cutting hay. On a normal year, most fields will be cut twice. The amount of rainfall, however, always determines whether there is a lack or an abundance.

Right now, I'm craving a quiet float down the river. It's not the fishing that I'm drawn to

Have you ever wondered about wonder? I mean have you ever thought why you attribute beauty or awe to certain things? Have you ever been amazed how a large tree can grow from the tiniest crack in a massive rock?

One of the keys in hunting is learning how animals communicate. And as you know, they are always communicating. Just step outside during the early morning hours, and you'll hear creature after creature communicating.

I was in my early thirties when I had my first lesson about cattle and farming.

I was pressing to get on these two gobblers. I knew since it was the middle of the season and the first thing in the morning, that after they flew off the roost the gobbling would end

One of my comedy excuses I'm known for when I come up empty-handed from a hunting or a fishing trip, is that my friend, partner, guide, etc. "dry-ridged" me.

I've always heard that writing is more about perspiration than inspiration. It's true.

Unlike some other types of hunting, pursuing the turkey is very enjoyable doing it with a partner; especially if one is doing the calling and the other is doing the shooting.

I just returned from Texas. I make a few trips there each year now.

There's nothing like the sound of a gobble at daylight.