Every archer dreams of hunting elk in the Rocky Mountains, riding on horseback deep into the interior, and matching wits with bugling bulls. I was fortunate enough to experience that dream, and it was everything I hoped it would be.
On the Oconoluftee, With a Fly Rod
Gentle rain fell. The brook murmured gently in some places, fairly roared in others. Tammy Wilson and Jim Tedesco waded carefully, casting flies in an attempt to fool a wary trout. We were fishing the Oconoluftee River, on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, in western North Carolina.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
If you’ve seen a large yellow butterfly in your yard or garden this summer, chances are good that it was a tiger swallowtail butterfly. Tiger swallowtails are one of the easiest butterflies to identify in the eastern United States since they are bright yellow with very distinct black “tiger stripes” on their forewings.
A Visit To The Alexander Springs Run
Any visitor to Florida's Ocala National Forest needs to include the Alexander Springs Run on their list of things to see. This first-magnitude spring discharges over 60 million gallons of spring water daily, with a boil strong enough to be easily observed from the shoreline.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Red-Headed Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are one of our most recognizable wild birds. They easily cling to the vertical trunks of trees as they hammer away at the hard wood with their sharp beaks, searching for tasty insects to eat.
Scoring Big Bucks: Remi To The Rescue
Until recently, Pennsylvania hunters could not use tracking dogs to locate big game animals they had shot. This service could have been the difference between a filled tag and a lost animal for many hunters.
Practical Redfish Fly Selection
Most saltwater gamefish, redfish included, eat some combination of smaller fish, shrimp, and crabs. In my 40 years of fly fishing for redfish, 25 of them as a fly-fishing guide, my taste in flies has evolved. But not as much as you might think!
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Largemouth Bass
Most fishermen (and fisherwomen) are very familiar with the Largemouth Bass. This common fish goes by many names: black bass, green bass, largie, bigmouth bass, bucketmouth bass, and often just plain bass.
Turkey Season 2022: A Duel At Dawn
Some traits are crucial for hunters when we chase the variety of renewable natural resources available to us. An awareness of our surroundings, patience, and the determination to succeed are some of those traits. Another might be a sense of humor, because sometimes the best-laid plans turn into comedy of errors.
Choosing Fly Tackle for Redfish
Conventional wisdom says, “Use an eight-weight outfit for saltwater, including redfish.” Back when I was guiding, when I got calls about redfish charters from people who I didn’t know, and they asked me about tackle, that’s what I told them.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Colorful Candy-Striped Leafhopper
The warm days of summer are here, and that means our flower and vegetable gardens are already in full bloom. One of the most colorful residents of our backyard gardens is not a flower, though, it is the tiny candy-striped leafhopper.
Alaska Fishing Lodge or DYI?
I have fished the Petersburg, Alaska area for salmon and halibut for 20 years, relying on Island Point Lodge for housing, meals, and gear. A week’s stay at the lodge including boat, tackle, bait, gas, and great hospitality was about $2500.