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Afghanistan Duck Decoys
I deployed to Afghanistan in December of 2001 and was operating out of Bagram Airbase. Bagram was a former Soviet airbase and the scene of intense fighting as the Taliban retreated under pressure from the Northern Alliance with the help of United States Special Forces.
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A Good Day
“Come on, let’s go get in the truck,” I say as I grab Shiner’s leash. His ears perk up, and his tail wags as he rushes to beat me to the door. It’s early, probably too early for what we’re going to do. Most wouldn’t wake up at 4:00 and drive the better part of three hours…
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South African Adventure: Pt.3
It's now Saturday, May 28th. With one successful hunt now under our belt, our energy was renewed to continue our buff hunt. Even better, a new group of daggas has been detected having moved into the area. As we track them, we see that they are looking for water but hitting the pools that have now dried…
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Tigers on the Zambezi
I was trying to balance on the front platform of the 17-foot bass boat with the waters of the great Zambezi River flowing underneath as we drifted with the current. I had just finished another strip retrieve and lifted my 8-weight rod to do a water haul to load the rod and cast back up river to…
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South African Adventure: Pt.2
It's now Tuesday morning, May 24th. I learn at breakfast that Diane, Henry and Dennis are going to spend the day visiting Kruger Park. It's time for my buff hunt to get serious. We drop them off at a car they have rented which was left a distance from the camp. As they leave, we learn from…
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Five Quotes About Hunting Cape Buffalo
It’s difficult to put into words the appeal of hunting the great buffalo of Africa ,but make no mistake; they demand respect. The following quotes hammer home the reality of hunting Cape Buffalo, but those that have done it and survived will tell you the risk is worth the reward.
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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.
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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…
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Under Kilimanjaro
This book is an account of Ernest Hemingway's safari with his fourth wife Mary in late 1953 and early 1954. This trip ended abruptly in January 1954 after they had two near-fatal plane crashes in East Africa. While back in Havana, Hemingway wrote his “African Book” and completed it in 1956. He left this manuscript, along with those for A Moveable Feast, Islands in the Stream, and The Garden of Eden, in a safe deposit box in Cuba. Under Kilimanjaro is the last of Hemingway’s manuscripts to be published in its entirety. I enjoyed spending time with Papa while reading his “African Book.” I am about at the end of…
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Wigeon Point
An October blizzard sweeping across the North Dakota prairie could not keep three South Carolina waterfowlers from making their annual hunting trip. For hunter Matt McCaskill this trip would allow him to mark a special duck off his bucket list.
