Fall 2003

The conventions of bird hunting distract the uninitiated from the sport’s finest points.People are always asking, “Did you get any?” As if that were the point. And bird hunters don’t help, showing around their snapshots of…

Flyfishing within the still clear waters of Ben Hart or Thompson spring creek, you would never realize that you also stood within a cattle ranch that has operated upon the barometric pressure of the rest of the world.The…

Ski training a season ahead.Pre-season ski training. You’d never catch me even thinking about it during the pig-hot days of summer. Summer is for play: mountain biking, swimming, windsurfing, trail running without a watch—…

Early fall is a temperamental time in Southwest Montana. As night temperatures ease into the 40s, the daytime thermometer might reach 80, but it might also plummet to 30. Snow might collect in the rocky couloirs, or anglers…

Dealing with the gore of hunting season. Our days are much shorter now, the rays of sun have faded in intensity, and the blades of grass have lost their luster. Although the leaves of autumn have merely begun, winter calls…

The wind has died and sunset is not far away now. Birds are trilling in the bushes while insects hum and buzz above the peaceful wetland. Here and there, a fish rises to snatch an unsuspecting fly for dinner. Ducks squawk…

There is a certain sickness involved in being a foodie. On a 100-degree summer day, I was fantasizing about French Onion Soup and rifling through the cabinets to see if I had the ingredients for Smoked Chicken and Corn…