Small Game

I was very fortunate to grow up with a

Sleet and snow stung my face. A foot of powder covered the ground and the wind whipped through the spruce forest.  For a moment I let my thoughts drift to the low country, where spring was on its way.  Here at 4,500 feet, however, winter showed no sign of retreat.

The bay of hounds suddenly reminded my frigid fingers why we were there. I was accompanying Bob Beahm, former school principal turned hunting guide, and his skilled beagles on a hunt for snowshoe hares.

Way back in the olden days when I first started hunting with my father, two of the older men in camp would light out at night with their hounds for a few hours to hunt raccoons.

If you take care of gamebirds bagged in the hunted field or forest, they will take care of you at the dinner table. Having the right tools and techniques for field dressing gamebirds can make the job much easier.

Quick link to "Pressing Gamebirds": in five easy steps.

One of the greatest rewards of hunting upland game birds, waterfowl and wild turkeys is the d

A crisp fall morning, a .22 rifle in hand and squirrels grating on nuts; what a way to spend the day in the woods!

Squirrel and other small game seasons happen throughout the country, giving hunters a chance to enjoy some of the finest opportunities for woodsmanship, fellowship and shooting skills. 

Squirrel hunting is not the national past time it once was, but it is a fun way to sharpen shooting and hunting skills well before the deluge of fall hunting seasons arrive. With the right plan, you can score heavily on summertime squirrels.

February is the time of year when small game hunting seasons are the sportsman's only focus — a time to join some rabbit-hunting friends in pursuit of cottontails. Beagles will chase the rabbits using their instinctive drive, and the hunters will move to cut them off.

Winter in the north can be an awfully long season. Ice fishing, tying flies and the planning of hunts certainly make it more enjoyable, but sometimes even these things won't cure cabin fever. That's when I go hunting for snowshoe hares.