I was fourteen when I shot my first deer. I was standing next to a large gray tree, shivering, early on a cold November morning. I had been left alone there on my “stand” by my father two hours ago, in the darkness just before dawn. I was lonely and a little scared, the gun… Read More »
Few residents of Missouri or Illinois have prospered more in the 20th Century than have our deer. Early in the 20th century white-tailed deer were rare in the midwest. Uncontrolled hunting had reduced their numbers to about 500,000 nationwide, and some states had no deer at all. In order to protect the remaining deer, laws… Read More »
Is it my imagination, or have the last decade’s winters been uncommonly mild? In the 1970s, single-digit winter mornings were common, and below-zero not unheard-of. I don’t remember so many really cold days in recent years. While I have no doubt these milder recent winters reflect global warming to some degree, in far larger measure… Read More »