One of the things I miss the most from days gone by are the jackrabbits.  Ya, that’s right.  I said that I miss the jackrabbits.  I miss watching the spectacular, 20-foot leaps as a startled ‘jack crossed a hundred yards of cow pasture in nano seconds.  I miss watching their leapfroging midnight dances when groups

Saturday Jan. 24, 2026 --- This morning’s frigid double digit, below zero temperatures seemed a little warmer when I laid eyes on an old woodland friend.  Following another round of Iowa hunting seasons, the ten-year-old white-tailed doe I call Bobtail is alive and well.  This is welcome news for everyone who has been following her

Commonly referred to as The Sport of Kings, falconry is defined as the pursuit of wild game with trained raptors.  Regardless of whether your protege is a red-tailed hawk, goshawk, or peregrine falcon, training a wild bird-of-prey to accept you as an equal and trusted hunting partner is a step by step process with each

The 2022 fall hunting season was shaping up to be one of the best since I began flying large falcons during the 1980s.  Pheasant populations were strong and migrating waterfowl were becoming increasingly abundant.  Best of all, I was holding two stunningly beautiful, adult female peregrine falcons on my federal falconry permit.  Although I had

    For Iowa Wildlife Winter Weather is No Picnic                         Winds gusting in excess of forty miles per hour.    Horizontal snowfall.    Visibility limited to 100 yards or less.    Sub zero temps.  Life threatening wind chills.  Those were the exact conditions when a good

Following the devastating statewide loss of wild birds that occurred last winter, highly pathogenic avian influenza [commonly referred to as Bird Flu] is once again sweeping through Iowa’s wintering bird populations.  Waterfowl are most affected by the deadly virus.  This year, the most notable die offs are occurring across the northern and western portions of

If, on Sunday, December 7th, you happened to step out-of-doors anywhere in the state of Iowa, then it is likely that you heard or saw multiple flocks of southbound Canada geese.  The unfolding scene was incredible.  It was, in fact, the biggest goose migration of the year. As temperatures plummeted to near zero, Minnesota’s late season

As many of you already know, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the big family gatherings.  I love getting together with friends.  I love the traditional foods -- roast turkey, homemade dressing, cranberry salads, and that thick slice of pumpkin pie to top it all off. Wild Turkey – A time honored symbol

For Iowa’s 60,000 archery deer hunters, November is simply the grandest month of the year.  When it comes to pursuing the ever popular, ever elusive white-tailed deer, November is the ultimate game changer.  As the fall rut goes full throttle, monster bucks – those behemoths that have remained totally invisible for the entire year --

October 2023 --- Following a long and frantic search – a search in which everything I owned had been turned upside down -- I had failed to find my missing decoy.  This was no ordinary decoy, mind you, but one of a set nine beautiful canvasback drakes hand crafted by legendary Mississippi River waterfowler, Ralph

November is a month of intense migration.  A time when high winds and, maybe even the season’s first snow squalls, send northern holdouts winging for the wintering grounds.  But not all autumn migrations occur in the skies.  Some happen on land.  In Iowa, the most dramatic of these fall land movements are conducted by a most

                                  Opening Day Meets Expectations Iowa’s much anticipated, centennial pheasant season got off to a roaring start as hunters from across the state – and in some cases, from across the nation – gathered to pursue Iowa’s number one gamebird.  Rooster Pheasant – The ring-necked pheasant is Iowa’s number one gamebird.  With statewide pheasant numbers currently at