Driftless Recollections
Spring arrived two weeks early by Missouri standards. The dogwood and redbud trees in the front yard, an unofficial phenological metric...
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- May 5
- 5 min
Reading the Land
About 20 yards from my tree stand I retrieved the evidence. Another hunter had been here before me. Exposed from the leaf litter by...
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- Mar 22
- 4 min
Marsh Moments
Marsh Moments No.1 (Rules) The wind was stiff. Sustained out of the northwest at 15 mph with gusts near 25. A good day for flags,...
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- Mar 4
- 4 min
The Lonely Quiet
It was a shock. There he stood, all alone. In 15 years he had never been entirely alone. But worse yet. Worse than being alone. He had...
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- Feb 26
- 5 min
Through the Eyes of Books
In 1942, Aldo Leopold began writing the essays that would later become the classic, A Sand County Almanac. Interestingly, this book...
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- Dec 29, 2023
- 4 min
Turning the Page
It’s two days before Christmas. My deadline for submitting a story to the Conservation Federation of Missouri magazine is January 2,...
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- Dec 12, 2023
- 3 min
Veterans Day Plunge
Veterans Day. Many old timers still call it by its original name, Armistice Day. A moniker remembered by waterfowlers in part because of...
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- Dec 5, 2023
- 4 min
The First 30 Days
Late Friday morning, folks started arriving. Eight of ten would be in attendance, plus ex officio members of distinction; three...
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- Nov 21, 2023
- 5 min
Taverns, Part 2
I pulled back the screen door and reached in to grab the brass handle of the inner door, pressing my thumb to unlatch it open. A blast of...
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- Nov 5, 2023
- 6 min
Gadgets
This one will probably rub some folks the wrong way but have no fear. I make no laws. I am no threat to anyone, because in the final...
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- Oct 27, 2023
- 5 min
A Swan Lake Tribute
After days and weeks of blue skies and warm temperatures, the feel was a little different. Heavy gray clouds. An occasional mist carried...
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- Oct 15, 2023
- 4 min
Silent Walking
As I walked the old tote road, a drifting petrichor lingered mixing with the scent of sweet fern crushed between my fingers. Caught in a...
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- Sep 3, 2023
- 4 min
No Gifts
And so, the email went… “Very pleasant weather up here except for this damned Canadian wildfire smoke. Got me to coughing last evening...
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- Jul 25, 2023
- 4 min
The Shack
It was a pilgrimage of sorts. A place I knew but had never been. A shrine to some. For me, a place of historical and inspirational...
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- Jun 19, 2023
- 4 min
Plenary Authority
Too many years ago, when he first arrived in Missouri, a relatively young man was hired by the Missouri House of Representatives to serve...
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- May 20, 2023
- 4 min
Another Man's Dog
The recent summary of the MO Hunting and Trapping Regulations features a picture of a dog on the front cover, perhaps a Brittany or...
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- Apr 29, 2023
- 3 min
Taverns, Part 1
Passing through town on my way north, I decided to stop for a cold one. As I parked my truck, I saw the front door swing open at Don’s...
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- Mar 25, 2023
- 4 min
Emotional Support
Empty skies test the meaning of both futility and hope. But if I see a duck, there’s hope and if there’s hope, I’m hunting. Today,...
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- Mar 9, 2023
- 5 min
Silence, Sound, Noise
About 15 miles from home, I could feel the change. More intensity, stress rising slightly. Calmness evaporating. As traffic increased, so...
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- Feb 6, 2023
- 5 min
The Cabin Up North
Part of my family’s story includes a pine log cabin near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Once owned by my grandparents, a few old pictures and...
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