Outdoors

Time for Running with the Bulls

Pamplona Spain is best known for a wild andcrazy event that takes place each July in this city of100,000. Men with more sense of adventure thansmarts take to the streets of this European villagefor the “running of the bulls”, a week-longevent that promises to result in scores ofinjuries and almost always a few fatalitiesas bulls are released into the narrowstreets …

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Reed comes full circle back to Lincoln Parish Hills

(I spotted something sitting on a shelf in myoffice, a Wheaties box honoring Willis Reed that heinscribed for me. Seeing the box rekindled memoriesof an interview I had with him, a local fellowwhose NBA career was spectacular and whopassed away at age 81 in 2023. In memoryof Reed, here’s an article I wrote about myvisit with him in 2009.)Willis Reed …

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Mississippi picked wrong state bird

The mockingbird is Mississippi’s official statebird; I looked it up. After spending several days inour neighboring state a few years ago, I’m of theopinion that whoever chose the mocker picked thewrong bird. The right choice, in my opinion, wasright there all along, soaring, dipping anddiving over the Mississippi terrain, the ictiniamississippiensis.If the Latin name fails to yank yourchain, try Mississippi …

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Centuries wrapped around Natchez Trace

I’ve seen the sign dozens of times traveling east on I-20. The brown Natchez Trace sign just east of Jackson point to where to get on this highway. I’d heard little about driving the Trace to spark my interest, especially the part that mentions the 50 mile per hour speed limit. Compared to the speed we can zip along the …

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Three Louisiana lakes in the top ten

Louisiana is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise” with good reason. Although we’re not at thetop for deer, turkey and duck hunting, we hold our own rather well. With our proximity to the Gulf and its great salt-water fishing along with topnotch lakes and rivers within the state, we often turn heads when it comes to fishing.An organization, Fishmasters.com, recently did …

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A Prophetic 4th of July Message

In our time of instant communication, we are inundated with talk shows, news programs, and a myriad ofcommunications that keep us updated on all the happenings of the world. Every once in a while, a speechseems to capture the essence of the moment. I came across a speech from a radio program thatembraces the magic of our nation’s birthday, the …

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A question begging for an answer… why?

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 …

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Warm weather puts snakes in motion

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 …

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Blowing a call didn’t bother this tech quarterback

(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 …

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The Old Man’s Place Revisited

(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 …

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