One of the things I enjoy most about fall turkey hunting is just how ridiculously loud the flocks often become at right at daybreak. This morning’s hunt was no exception.   The outing actually began last night when my son Matt called to remind me that we both had fall turkey tags and that the weather forecast

  Enough is enough. No more denial.  No more looking over my shoulder.  Right here and right now, I’m going to come clean.  And although I’ll likely be banned from future DU banquets and other outdoor social events, I’m going to admit -- Well, I’m going to admit that I shoot coots.  Sometimes I shoot lots

  Warm in the sunshine, but cool in the shade. That’s just one of a thousand things that I like about October -- my favorite month of the year.  October is the one month that nobody complains about.  For those who enjoy the outdoors, it is a time of infinite variety.  Fall fishing is at its

         If you're one of those folks who utilize backyard hummingbird feeders, then you already know that this year's fall migration has been a World Class, Record Book event.  On the south side of Clear Lake, for example, I've been installing sugar water feeders in the same place for 31 years and this year's hummingbird

It would be hard for anyone to miss this annual spectacle. If you’ve been out and about during recent rainy days, you’ve undoubtedly seen it for yourself -- scores of tiger salamanders solemnly marching over hill and dale toward winter quarters. Although most wildlife migrations occur in the heavens, the annual passage of salamanders takes place

  All is not quiet on the Western Front. It is, in fact, getting noisier by the day.  Across the vast expanse of the American West; the annual elk rut is in full swing.  From the rugged slopes of northern Montana to the rim rock canyons of Arizona; majestic heavy antlered bulls have gathered to scream,

The morning duck hunt was off to a slow start.  Although several teal had visited my location prior to legal shooting time, no birds had appeared in the twenty minutes since sunrise.  That's the way teal hunting often is; lots of flocks milling around in the half light of dawn with most birds settling in

Iowa's bonus teal season has been running for ten days now and Iowa duck hunters have been enjoying some incredible "bonus fun".  But following several consecutive meals of grilled blue-wing; it was definitely time to change the menu.  So, instead of placing the baked wild rice on the left side of the duck -- we

No one will argue that the 2014 Iowa dove season is easily our best yet.  So far, there have been five straight, back to back days of high intensity wing shooting excitement.  Today was perhaps the most exciting yet.  Plummeting temperatures and brisk NW winds triggered a mass movement of doves.  But the morning got

  The popularity of Iowa’s dove season continues to grow.  This year, for example, there were actual “dove camps” on public areas.  On the eve of Monday’s September 1st Opener, hunters’ campfires glimmered near the outskirts of favored sunflower plots -- more reminiscent of traditional duck openers than what we’ve seen for Iowa dove hunts. But although

The attached photo is my idea of the 'Perfect Ten'.  The scene occurred Friday afternoon near the north border of Wind Cave National Park.  While driving the backroads I spotted the horns of two nice pronghorns protruding above the top of a prairie ridgeline.  Parking the truck and grabbing the camera, I began the stalk;