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Freedom and Whiskey
What does freedom look like? The definition of Freedom is, “The power to act, speak, or think as one wants without anyone interfering.” Sounds great, right? One thing to keep in mind is that freedom isn’t free and is bought and paid for by the blood shed of our American soldiers as well as those who are…
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Anticipating the Hunt
The seasons will soon change and it will be fall. That time of year that all upland hunters anticipate all spring and summer. Many of us have worked our dogs in the summer heat, spent sleepless nights thinking and wondering if that one bird dog will make the fall hunting string.
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Northampton County Dove Hunt
Northampton County is located in northeastern North Carolina and sits on the Virginia border. The county seat is Jackson, North Carolina. Once upon a time, I worked in this area when I was a Parole Officer in the early 1990s. Little did I know I would be invited back annually as a hunting guest of one of…
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Africa Queen, My Beautiful Mother-in-Law! Circa: 1968-1971
You don’t have to be a hunter to be a true outdoors woman. Take my Mother-in-Law, Dotsy Boineau for example. She was in her late 30’s and though she loved to travel, going to Africa was the last thing on her mind. Her husband, who loved to hunt, wanted to take an African safari and she was…
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For Whom The Bell Tolls: A Buffalo on Hemingway’s Birthday
It’s one thing to be sitting in the comfort of your home, in a comfortable chair, with a glass of bourbon, reading Peter Capstick’s “Death In the Long Grass” and dreaming of hunting Cape Buffalo in the grass so tall and thick that you can barely see a foot in front of you. It is another thing to leave the safety…
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Robert Ruark, “Bwana Ndege!” the Bird Master
Make no mistake, writer Robert Ruark was a bird hunter long before he even pulled the trigger of a rifle. The shotgun was the instrument that emotionally connected Ruark when he was a young boy hunting quail, ducks, and training dogs, with his grandfather. Though he is more well known for his wild exotic hunting exploits, much…
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The Southerner’s Guide to Safari: Accommodations
As someone who has traveled to Africa, I often get asked where to stay and if bathrooms are available. This is a reasonable question, especially for those planning to travel or hunt in the remote regions of Africa. We have grown accustomed to certain comfort levels in today’s modern world. It may surprise some that even in some of the…
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South Africa Warthog Adventure
It was day four of my African safari and I had already taken three of the animals on my Most Wanted list. The only thing remaining standing between me and hunting a bushbuck was a boar warthog. I bang-flopped my blue wildebeest on Day 1 but Nic, my Professional Hunter, had me put an insurance shot in…
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A Perfectly Wonderful Quail Hunt
We were fortunate in being able to book a last-minute quail hunt at Back Woods Quail Club in Georgetown, South Carolina, where we have enjoyed membership for many years. The weather was delightful, with partly cloudy skies, a meager chance of rain, and temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. Unfortunately, two previous quail hunts had been canceled because…
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Tar Heel Traditions
In the faded light of his driveway, down the road a piece from his hunting lease, Chris Fuller hastily shoots a photo of the biggest deer he’s seen in his life and texts it to his buddies. This was not just any whitetail mind you, this was one that later would qualify for the “Book”. You’d never…
