Paul Markel Let’s play the word association game for a moment. I will say “Thompson Center” and bet that 90 out of 100 of you said “Contender.” The rest likely…
Jacob Hofbauer, IAFF 4660 A friend and fellow firefighter and I decided to go to our deer hunting lease on a very cold and snowy day. We made our plans…
Submitted By: Duane Puckett, Retired IAFF Local 157 member Congratulations to Duane Puckett on being drawn as the lucky winner in the USA member story contest, which ran from July through…
Craig Boddington I grew up in what we used to call the magnum craze, the late 1950s and on through the 60s when every new cartridge wore a belt and…
Babe Winkelman To be a successful deer hunter, you need to be in the right place at the right time. And in order to BE in the right place, you…
Tony Kinton Practically everyone who frequents the outdoors knows that mosquitoes and black flies can be problematic. Not only are such pests a huge nuisance, but they also present a…
Hayley Lynch Around this time of year, I glance up at my calendar and suddenly realize archery deer season is almost here. Rifling through a closet full of camo, boots…
Paul Markel Most every hunter has a first-aid kit. The contents of that kit will vary depending on the individual’s training and experience. More often than not, the first-aid pack…
M. D. Johnson Everyone wants to save every dollar they can, no doubt. And at no time in my 44 years has this budget-mindedness been more evident than today, what…
Craig Boddington The greater kudu is probably the second-most recognized of the hundred-plus African antelope. Thanks to Chevrolet the much more common impala is probably the most recognizable, but there’s…
Peter B. Mathiesen First hunts are always approached with great expectations and excitement. Scratching and saving for the “hunt of a lifetime” has special meaning for anyone who has waited…
Doug Howlett Spring gobbler season is long gone and despite the summer’s heat, many hunters’ thoughts have already turned toward deer season. For the truly serious, scouting has already begun…
Peter B. Mathiesen I wanted to give some special attention to some of the best bikes I rode this year and they just happen to made be in the U.S.A.…
Tony Kinton Regardless of the historical era, any mention of firearms will likely focus the mind to rifles: the Kentucky long rifle; the Winchester ‘73, ’94 or Model 70s; M1…
Craig Boddington Despite all the brave new magnums, the cartridge we know as the .30-06, properly “caliber .30, model of 1906,” remains America’s favorite hunting cartridge. In the states we…
M. D. Johnson Here in Iowa, the early Spring Conservation Order, or snow goose season, runs through early April, and Missouri’s dove season—Iowa doesn’t have a dove season, so we…
David Hart For most hunters, the notion of going green isn’t a new concept. After all, we are the original environmentalists. We eat natural meat that was not raised on…
Craig Boddington Nobody said it better than Robert Ruark when he wrote, “A buffalo looks at you like you owe him money.” It’s the eyes, dark, implacable, boring into you.…
M. D. Johnson Let’s be honest. At one time or another while watching your 1,005th episode of Gunsmoke, the thought ran through your mind that it would be cool to be the…
Paul Markel I had my eye on it for better than two months, the blue steel beauty with a hardwood walnut stock. Long before I was of legal age to…
Lee J. Hoots Does a bullet need to be so tough that it completely penetrates a deer or elk to perform at its maximum capabilities? Should it be designed to…
Craig Boddington Many years ago I invited my then boss to join me in one of my secret public land hotspots for wild hogs. I will never forget how he…