Secrets of a Camp Fire By Larry Hatter   Dusk had crept silently into my midst as I plodded doggedly along the meandering creek bottom.  The mountains that stretched dauntingly to the west, an impenetrable fortress of snow, shale and sheer bluffs, had long since claimed the blazing arctic sun for their own.  A failed stalk on a lumbering grizzly, once promising, had in reality been long on promise and short on time.  Leaving me with precious few minutes to reach my makeshift shelter … [Read more...]

Autumn Affair     Dusk had struck an eerie quietness upon the craggy landscape which sprawled out before me.  The steep, winding canyon, once alive with the gentle glow of the afternoon sun, was now gray and lifeless.  A persistent breeze, which carried the faintest odor of  wood smoke curling up from the trapper’s cabin in the valley below, once a nuisance, was now downright uncomfortable.  I was reminded that, although the sun’s rays had been calm and soothing, old man winter would be … [Read more...]

Miles and I briefly discussed our options.  With the prevailing wind squarely in our faces and reasonable cover between us and our quarry, it was an easy decision to make a play on this buck.  We left the nonessentials on the rock, bringing only one pair of binoculars and my tried and true rolling block rifle.  Although extremely accurate, I still like to gain a position of at least one hundred fifty yards or less from any potential target.  A four hundred grain ball carries a lot of knockdown … [Read more...]