I have a favorite blanket. Don't laugh. You probably do to. And if you don't now, you once did. Deny it and I'll just ask your momma, and she'll show me picture after picture of you with your thumb in your mouth and your blanket over your shoulder. My own son was not only attached to a certain blanket, but he also had a favorite corner of the blanket.

The map showed 700 acres in famous Pike County, Illinois. And it was ours to hunt - 4 of us, that is. We had planned on this hunt for months and knew we would be arriving at the prime time for the rut.

In my area there are a few small streams which feed into the rivers.

I love getting gift cards. Some people think these are too impersonal. I don't, because I prefer buying what I want instead of getting an engraved key fob or a bottle of Old Spice for a gift.

A few weeks ago, I got to spend a morning deep-sea fishing. I've only fi shed the ocean a few times and each time has either been in the coastal waters or within a few miles from the shore.

What the hickory chicken is to spring, the catalpa worm is to summer. You just don't eat em'. The catalpa worm is another special surprise that shows up in June or July.

If you hunt or fish long enough there will come times you must give up your passion for other things. I can remember years ago opening a business during hunting season.

As a youngster, there was one activity that characterized my summers - swimming. I loved to go to the public swimming pool and stay until my fingers and toes were wrinkled up like prunes.

One of my past-times that increases between hunting seasons, is cycling. I've been enjoying this activity for nearly a decade. Most of my rides are short enough that I don't have to think too much about water, an energy snack, or any extra equipment.

I remember one of my first trips to Texas. I was going to hunt pigs with a bow at night. The setup went like this. We would get in a blind before dark, and after dark, the pigs would come to a feeder.

The best turkey hunters have lots of different calls in their arsenal. Most new hunters start out with a box call and then add a slate call. And finally, the hardest to use correctly is a mouth call.

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.

I can remember when I first started turkey hunting. I listened to tapes, watched videos, and did anything I could to learn how to do things correctly. Not only did I try to call like the experts, but I had to learn exactly when to call and when not to call.

I can take you to where two gobblers roost. They are in the same place about five of seven days. We have been meeting and talking several mornings since the season opened.

I was with several other guys during my recent trip to Texas. We were all there for my Outdoor Truths Circle Event and to try our hand at downing a Rio gobbler. I look forward to this event each year.

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

It was the funniest sight the other day. At daybreak a tom strolled down the path to a small field just in front of me. There, he strutted and gobbled and listened for any hen that might be close and interested in watching him flex his muscles as if he were in a pose-down at an Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic.

For too many years to count I have showed up at the same farm on my first day to hunt, to hear birds gobbling

I think all professions and even every recreation is misunderstood by either those who have never participated or by the critics of that profession or recreation. It's only until we get to know someone close or get to participate, do we really begin to think a different way.

Another turkey season is just around the corner. Even though I'm excited about the possibilities, I'm reminded again of my distaste for the characteristics of this bird.

I was thinking about a hunt from last season. I harvested one of my best bucks. It was about 4:00 p.m. when the buck came through behind me. It was well before dark, and I was hunting with a crossbow out of a rifle stand.

The end of February and the beginning of March is not normally a time outdoor activities come to mind. Deer hunters are gathering up the remains of the last season and the turkey season is still a few weeks away

It's hard to believe we are at the end of February. So far, the winter here has not been too bad. A few light snows and some cold days, but not a winter that has seemed to hang on forever.

The bass fishing tournaments are getting ready to start with a vengeance. Once they begin, each weekend will offer another opportunity to fish for money. All bass tournaments have pretty much the same rul

For about two weeks now I've been in a close-down, clean-up phase of hunting. The mornings have been spent behind a desk without any thoughts about the next time I'll get to go back to the woods.