It can be hard being a boy, balancing growth, understanding, emotions and desires, without a guide to help you along. It’s even more challenging being a boy who loves the outdoors that surround him and lacks a mentor and a friend to enjoy it with. Legendary outdoorsman and writer Robert Ruark was that boy once, and his grandfather his friend, mentor and guide. In “The Old … [Read more...] about The Old Man and the Boy (Robert Ruark)
Outdoor Short Stories
Shopping for Porcupine
Seth Kantner is as Alaska as it gets. Born and raised in a sod igloo on the tundra of northwest Alaska, harsh weather and isolation was the norm, and hunting, fishing and trapping were necessary means for survival. Seth’s dad, Howard, moved to Alaska from Ohio as a young man in search of adventure. School didn’t pan out, and several odd jobs weren’t satisfying. But after … [Read more...] about Shopping for Porcupine
Backtrack
What is a backtrack? In the simplest terms in the hunting world, it can be defined as returning through the woods the way you came. Retracing your steps. And in the world of a lifelong outdoorsman, a backtrack can mean retracing those steps by putting decades of memories to paper. “Backtrack” is the title of V. Paul Reynolds’ new book. Reynolds needs no introduction here. … [Read more...] about Backtrack
Mantawassuk: The Cove
Think back on some of your greatest memories of the outdoors. I’ll bet a good number of those things you remember took place in your childhood. They probably weren’t extravagant vacations or all expense paid hunting trips. It probably wasn’t the trophy deer or monster fish that makes you smile the most. You think back on the simple things. The beauty of a childhood in the … [Read more...] about Mantawassuk: The Cove
Old Tales of the Maine Woods
Reprinted from the July 2012 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. The Maine woods have always lured adventure seekers from throughout the Northeast, especially in the early days. The country was still wild and untamed back then, and outdoorsmen longed to explore the north woods while seeking nature’s bounty of moose, deer, bear, caribou, trout and more. Though few were … [Read more...] about Old Tales of the Maine Woods