-
South African Adventure: Pt.1
We land Saturday, May 21,2016 in Johannesburg to the smiles and hugs of Mr. X. And any concerns regarding the handling of our guns, and all the necessary paperwork to bring them into and use in South Africa, are once again dismissed by his management and expertise. With all the appropriate paperwork filled out, we are then greeted by a very sweet man and friend, Maurice, our driver to and from the airport to Afton House.
-
Hunting A Luangwa Crocodile
A North Carolina sportsman travels to Zambia's Luangwa Valley in pursuit of a Nile crocodile, but what should have been a routine hunt turns into a chess match in one of Africa's last truly wild places.
-
Five Sporting Dogs With Southern Roots
One reason that the dog is man’s best friend is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. If you're looking for a companion for your sporting adventures, consider one of these 5 official state breeds from the South.
-
She’s Hard to Live With
The Core Sound of North Carolina is a lagoon located between the mainland of Carteret County and Core Banks, and she is as deadly as she is beautiful. One cold December day the Sound reminded local Casey Arthur just how hard her icy grip can be.
-
Winters Hymn
Harland stared out the windows past me,his eyes fawning over a raft of mallards swimming. A slight smile emerging,his plump cheeks rising.Stout in stature and balding, he possessed a slight lean in his gate. "Daddy thought this would be a good place to raise us boys.The fresh air good for Momma", he said. His baritone voice..
-
Warthogs and Time Limits
Hemingway detailed his struggle trying to bag a Greater Kudu in his book Green Hills of Africa. He wrote about how it was a pleasure to hunt something that was a challenge but having a time limit in which to do it was not fun; his exact words are “Now it is pleasant to hunt something that you want very…
-
Hunting With Dad
Like most of us that are avid waterfowlers, I was raised on bird hunting by my dad. Now, it remains to be seen if this was his way of torturing me, giving me this passion(some may say addiction) for waking up at an ungodly time of day, driving all morning, setting up decoys in the worst weather imaginable(of course the best weather for ducks), just for the chance to see a duck in the sky.
-
Ghostly Tales Of Big Marsh Swamp Pt.2
The rest of 2013 I did not return to this swamp, I frequently made excuses not to go. But November 2014 the ducks got too thick and once more the itch became too strong. One evening I made up my mind I was going back, but this time not by myself. I called my long-time friend Johnathon to go with me. I was careful to not sound desperate for his company, but I had decided if he did not go I sure as black berry bush has thorns, was not going into that hole alone
-
Five Quotes About Upland Hunting
It’s never been a better time to be an upland hunter. Whether you are a beginner, novice, or a salty and well-seasoned bird hunter, upland hunting offers many rewards. Both internally and externally. We all have become afflicted and drawn to the variety of what the uplands offer throughout various regions of this country. Whether we are chasing bobs in Georgia or roosters in Kansas, to chukars and Huns in “the West”, or traipsing through an October scene in the great Northwoods of yellow aspens that conjures up visions of flushing ruffs and doodles…upland hunting is an emotion cleansing activity with dogs, friends, and the birds we love to chase.
-
The Off Button
The pair had come back. When mallards return to a recently rejected decoy spread, they usually coast right in without circling, but these aren’t mallards. The birds circle again and pull off in almost exactly the same pattern they did when they initially vetoed my presentation. I have a rule that once a duck responds to a call, I need to continue calling or risk losing interest, so I let the déjà vu continue to play out. Two or three false approaches, and they finally break the mold and cut back towards the decoys rather than away.
