I am a proud native of North Carolina with a deep love for the sporting lifestyle and everything Southern. My book collection seems to grow endlessly, and I have a particular fondness for collecting vintage duck decoys. Despite appearing content, my heart longs to return to Africa for another safari adventure. John 3:16

  • Bookshelf

    Teddy Roosevelt and The Montana “Incident”

    In 1889 a book was published titled The Wilderness Hunter, written by future president and avid sportsman Theodore Roosevelt. It told of his life and sporting adventures in the American West some eighteen years before becoming president. In the the book one story stands out among the others and its one that you might not expect to find in a book written by a future president.

  • Bookshelf

    Six Miles to Charleston

    It was a cold February day in 1820 as Lavinia Fisher stood on the gallows outside the Old City Jail in Charleston, South Carolina, clad in her wedding dress. Lavinia and her husband John had been convicted of murder. A crowd gathered to watch America’s first female serial killer be hanged, but before the beautiful Lavinia dropped to her death, she had one last message for the people below...

  • Hunting

    Of Impala and Dogs

    I knew the shot was good, but as I watched the impala ram run into the thick tangle of trees and brush like nothing had happened, my heart sank. Cape buffalo, kudu, and puku all noticed the .300 Swift A-frame I sent their way, but not this impala. “It’s going to be fine,” my professional hunter, Strang Middleton, assured me as I lowered my rifle. “My dogs will find him.”

  • Hunting,  Lifestyle

    Atlantic Brant & The Death of Blackbeard

    It’s the morning of November 22nd, 1718, and the North Carolina Island of Ocracoke will be witness to a battle that will result in the death and beheading of the most famous pirate in history, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. The golden age of piracy ended almost 300 years ago, but our fascination with pirates is as strong today as it was during the Golden Age. Blackbeard is, without a doubt, the most well-known pirate, but many myths and legends surround him...

  • Culture

    North Carolina State Toast

    North Carolina stands alone among the other 49 states for an exceptional reason. Granted North Carolina has many reasons that make it a stand out state, but for this article, we will focus on the one thing this state has the others do not. That is a state toast.

  • Art,  Lifestyle

    From Alaska to Africa: The Art of Rebekah Knight

    If you collect sporting or wildlife art, you are familiar with Rebekah Knight. If not, allow me to introduce you to this Missouri based artist. I have had the pleasure of knowing Rebekah for several years, and aside from being a talented artist, she also has a passion for wildlife and wildlife conservation. She recently had a break in her busy painting and travel schedule, so she graciously gave me a bit of her time for an interview.

  • Culture,  Lifestyle

    Photographing The Forgotten South

    Kelly Gomez was at a turning point in her life. She had been dealt a hand of cards, through no fault of her own, that derailed all of her plans. Overnight, things changed. She needed something that would offer a temporary break from reality. An internet search would be the first step down a path that leads to The Forgotten South.