“Just had a call from Striper Express. Bill said he had an unexpected opening if we wanted to come fish. Said they’ve been catching limits every time out, nothing huge but truly great fish and perfect eaters. They’re down near the bottom but once they find the schools the catching is as Bill said is, plentiful.” Said Luke Clayton. “If you have any room in your freezer, I suspect this will be a good way to fill that empty space with striper fillets.” “As a matter of fact, I do

I have frequently stated the Choctaw Hunting Lodge, owned by the Choctaw Nation in southeastern Oklahoma, is one of my favorite places on Earth. I love the land and life it supports both wildlife and human. I head whenever there is an opportunity. “I’m not sure I believe what I am seeing! Is it really you?” chided Dusty Vickrey manager of the Choctaw Nation’s Choctaw Hunting Lodge. “You are actually leaving your handgun and rifle in camp and going hunting with a TenPoint Cros

“Gracious! That was a good burger! But it didn’t taste quite like beef. What kind of meat was that?” Asked Luke Clayton while we gathered around the campfire on the Becker Bottom Ranch near Kaufman, Texas. Before anyone could answer Luke added, “Reminds me of elk!” I could see Edgar and David Cotton smile.   “Pretty good guess. It’s from the elk I shot last October in Colorado.” Commented Edgar Cotton.   “Surely delicious. But I’ve a question for y’all. Ever eat any meat from

“It’s starting to green up here on the ranch. Got time to help do a bit of spring cleanup? Whitetail does will be dropping fawn starting late May and into June. Turkey poults will be hatching about the same time. Mule deer, up here, will be having fawns in late June. Want to remove some hogs, but especially coyotes. And, I wouldn’t mind taking out some ‘coons as well. With all we’re doing on the ranch to improve habitat we’ve got room for a few more deer, both whitetail and m

“Shame the roe deer season is not open, will be another three weeks. That is a really good buck!” said Pedro Alarcon as we glassed a hillside while hunting ibex. “His tines are long, as is his main beam, and he is very massive. Notice how the coronas are big and look like they’re grown together.” I sat enthralled watching the buck as he fed. I knew his velvet covered antlers appeared bigger than they would be once the velvet came off, but still I could see he was a monster, t

My hunt in England had been an interesting one. It started with a visit to the Holland & Holland store in London, admiring guns I could only dream about and hold momentarily. Admittedly, I did get a bit of special treatment. At the time I was the hunting editor for Shooting Times magazine back in the states. As such I got to see guns being built, and even got to shoot a couple of gorgeous double rifles. If I sold my home back in Texas, plus all the guns I owned at the tim

It’s no secret I really like hunting with handguns. Three black hogs ran into the food plot I was sitting watching. They immediately began to feed on the lush triticale and turnips. The trio was made up of two hundred pound sows and a boar about half again as big as the sows. I studied them through my Stealth Vision 10x42 binoculars. I was seriously tempted to take one of the dry sows. But, I was really hoping to take one more whitetail doe before our Texas Managed Land Deer

When deer seasons come to a close, it’s that time to start thinking about hunting wild hogs! Pesky mosquitos buzzed around my ears. I pulled a Thermacell from my pack and started it. I did not want to be distracted by or swatting at the aggravating little vampires. I settled back against the big oak tree’s trunk, readjusted my tripod shooting sticks and continued my vigil. Moments later all the mosquitos in my immediate area wanted to be elsewhere. I glanced down at the Tauru

“That looks like a teddy bear crossed with a saber-tooth cat!” said a young lady pointing at a photo of a Chinese water deer in the Scandinavian Prohunters booth at the DSC Convention where John Langdraf and I were visiting with Sofia and Stefan Bengtssen about an upcoming Swedish moose and Finland whitetail deer hunt. “Good description! They really do resemble what she just described.” Commented John. He added, “Let’s put that one our next to hunt list!” I nodded in full agr

The first mention of the .454 Casull cartridge in print happened back in 1959. But, it was nearly 25 years later, 1983 to be exact, I learned about and got to shoot the round created by collaborative efforts of Jack Fulmer, Duane Marsh and gunsmith Dick Casull. As a wildlife biologist working in North Texas I was visiting with A. C. Gilbert and Mike Morris about handgun hunting. Mike, a dear friend, was the game warden working the area west of Fort Worth. A.C. helped landowne

“Know what time it is?” asked Luke Clayton. I reached for my cell phone to see. Before I could do so said he, “It’s hog killing time!” Then added, “It’s cooling down nicely at night. We can hang the meat overnight, then cut it up when get back from the morning’s hunt.” Luke continued, “I’ve got some ground pork from about a 40-pound shoat I shot a couple of days ago in the smoker. Using wild plum wood, to give it a bit of smoked flavor. Will take it out of the smoker in about

“I’m in!” “But I have not yet told you all the great things about hunting Coues deer on the El Durangueno Ranch in Durango, Mexico!” I responded to my friend Terry Anderson’s statement. “If you think it’s a good hunt, that’s all I need to know. We’ve known each other for quite a few years and we’ve never hunted together. It’s time we do so! Plus, I really want to hunt Coues whitetails. The El Durangueno from what you told m being at the southern edge of the Coues deer range i

I grew up watching western movies. The statement “My heroes have always been cowboys!” has long run true with me. I was enthralled with the “six-shooters” packed by my early silver- screen western heroes. They created within me a desire to learn about handguns and hunt with them. About that same time, I started reading stories by Al Georg who built his own single- shot handguns and Hal Swiggett who hunted with revolvers and single-shots. Growing up, while in grade and middle

“Larry, truly glad you could make it. I kept telling Jesse and Bequette you’d be here if they didn’t put you back into the hospital.” Said Dusty Vickrey, manager of the Choctaw Hunting Lodge as he greeted me at the lodge’s back door. “Been a busy hunt thus far, even though we’re only a day into it. Several bucks have been taken as well as two bull elk.” I nodded. “Of course Bequette has not yet taken a buck. Think he was hoping and waiting for you to get here before he pulled

“Are you really going to try to rattle a buck across the Red River from Oklahoma into Texas?” Asked Dusty Vickrey, manager of Oklahoma’s Choctaw Hunting Lodge as we were discussing the hunt I was headed to after leaving on of my favorite places on Earth. “Yes Sir, I am going to do my best to do just that!” I replied. That statement set the stage for what followed. I was fortunate to spend time in northern Texas as a wildlife biologist and hunting in south- central Oklahoma a

The morning hunt had been great fun! David Cotton, William Nixon and I had been out for the past couple of hours trying to rattle up bucks. And we had been successful. It was as if the really nice 8-point had read and followed the script just as I had written it. The 3-year old came within feet of David sitting against a tree. Love it when a plan comes together! I debated going back to the deer woods, or, spending some time shooting paper and steel, making certain my .454 Cas

Sitting by a crackling campfire, in the inky darkness, savoring a steaming cup of cowboy coffee, I cast an eye skyward. Above the black, star-studded sky showed nary a hint of the coming Opening Morning of the 2025 Texas general whitetail deer hunting season. “The Hunter’s Moon” only a couple of days from being full, shone brightly just above the western horizon. I had trailed that moon around world numerous times in search of adventure. “The Hunter’s Moon” brought back memor

Out of the darkness approached a man wearing clothes befitting a vaquero, a mere ranch hand; tattered shirt and jeans, tall boots and spurs, well-worn leather gloves, topped with a sweat and blood-stained western felt “properly screwed on”. His swagger bespoke authority. “Your fire is warm and inviting. But you look down at the mouth. If you continue with this negative attitude you just as well spend the rest of your hunt sitting here and staring at the dying embers!” The int

“Debes tener la confianza de que te llevaras un ciervo!” Spoke Cuernos as we poked our campfire’s mesquite coals sending skyward prayers in the form of glowing embers. “Si no crees que te levaras un ciervo, tabien puedes quedarte sentada en la fogata!” “OK Cuernos, you know my Spanish is more than a bit rusty, and I doubt seriously our friends here from downtown Atlanta speak much more Spanish than tacos, enchiladas, and maybe guacamole.Too, they may think of you simply being

Tall bluestem hid the buck’s running body.  But it did not hide his rack.  It seemed to float just above the wall of grass.  A mere glimpse was all I needed to know not only was it a buck but one with extremely long browtines.  His “dogcathers” had to be at least eight-inches long, if not longer.  They were so tall, they nearly reached the top his long profiled back points.  Brow tines of that length are rare no matter where one hunts white-tailed deer.  And, I had hunted Ame