Outdoors

Why? What makes a normal law-abiding persondo some incredibly stupid things when it comes towildlife?I can’t point a finger at anybody else until I confessa crime I committed as a pre-teen on a beautifuloriole. This handsome black and orangebird was singing its heart out fromatop a big oak in my grandparent’s yardwhen I raised my Daisy Red Ryder to myleft …

I have never, not once, been harassed by a snakewhen there is frost on the ground. Let the weatherstart to warm up and I have to watch where I step,sort of like it was when I was a barefoot boy growingup and we had chickens in the yard. You’remuch more likely to step in a chicken dabthan one left by …

(In honor of the recent passing of Phil Robert- son, I found this article I wrote about him 45 years ago on February 7, 1980 when I was outdoors edi- tor for the Shreveport Journal.) Joe Aillet should have realized earlier that he was fighting a losing battle. Phil Robert- son, his promising quarterback, had other things on his mind …

(Following is a chapter in my new book, “Fa- thers, Sons and Old Guns”. The book, containing 50 of the columns I have written over the years is available from Amazon.com) I met the old fellow once way back in the woods as he ground his pick-up to a rattling halt and stopped to chat when he noticed me walking …

It started for me long ago. My daddy always had a copy or two of the Big Three in outdoor maga- zines – Field and Stream, Sports Afield or Outdoor Life lying around and one of my early childhood pleasures was picking one up, flipping through the pages and reading articles written by guys that became my heroes. My favorite …

Y’all may not be old enough to remember it butI still do. Hank Williams had a bunch of hits backin the day as his twangy voice sang all sorts of sadlove songs, such as ‘I’m so Lonesome I could cry”,“Lovesick Blues”, “Mansion on the Hill”. But hehad one that was a jumpy little ditty abouttaking his girl friend out for …

Since I was a little bitty kid, squirrel hunting washigh on my list of fun things to do. Following alongbehind my dad, careful not to step on dry sticks orbig brown leaves, I watched him as he sneaked upon a feeding squirrel.Observing the way he did it, sneakingup behind a big tree to conceal his movements,he would get the squirrel …

Goldonna, Louisiana. Ever heard of it? That’s the small town/hamlet/village in rural Natchi- toches Parish where I grew up 88 years ago. Actu- ally, I didn’t grow up in Goldonna; we lived a mile out of town next to a red dirt gravel road that in summer, created a fine red dust that cov- ered everything. It was worse when …

Our beloved state of Louisiana is low on the listfor some things but we have one thing we can claimthat no other state has. We have the only modernday Will Rogers as senator representing Louisiana.Senator John Kennedy often appears in clips onnational news channels for his commentsthat have the nation laughing.Here’s an example. While appearingwith a panel of Senators on …

The first day of Spring, March 20, is a specialday for folks around these parts who are dog tiredof winter. Although we don’t have winters like ourfriends up north, we still have to contend with drablandscapes, an occasional frost, cold rains and incessantwind. However, the calendar saysit’s spring so we have reason to celebrate.Already our hardwood trees have freshgreen leaves …