Opinion
Outdoor Truths: I want to be like Caleb
I’ve never been much for hiking even though some of my friends love it. And I feel the same way about camping. I’ve often said that if I’m camping, there needs to be a hunting or fishing trip involved somewhere. Otherwise, I prefer a weekend getaway in a condo and breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.…
Read MoreRidge Runner Chronicles: Deer and the Mississippi River
By Bill Hoagland I have a duck blind right on the banks of the Mississippi River. I tend to be a minimalist and this is definitely a minimalist’s duck blind, with three hog panels stuffed with willows, three plastic chairs and two bags of decoys, similar to the way I hunted ducks when I was…
Read MoreOutdoor Truths – December 27, 2023
That One Particular Buck Ever since last summer, I have been watching one particular buck. He’s not a giant but he has a short third beam that protrudes straight out from the bottom of his main beam.
Read MoreRidge Runner Chronicles – December 27, 2023
Pink is the New Blaze Orange—or Is It? By Bill Hoagland According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, there is a movement on a national level to encourage deer and upland game hunters to wear blaze pink when they are hunting instead of blaze orange. The blaze pink proponents contend that blaze…
Read MoreWeek of December 20, 2023: Cards and Contemplations
Hard work, roadblocks and contemplations IX The Hermit, Knight of Pentacles, IX of Wands Merry meet, dear readers. Before you continue, take note: Tarot is for everyone, no matter your walk of life. While the cards have their own singular meanings, tarot is also largely intuitive and the meanings can change; no two tarot readers…
Read MoreRidge Runner Chronicles – December 20, 2023
“Chopt—a Creative Salad Company” By Bill Hoagland On April 7, 2023, Allison Cozzi was eating a salad in a New York restaurant named “Chopt.” If you didn’t know,“Chopt” promotes itself as a “creative salad company.” As Ms. Cozzi was enjoying her arugula salad, she encountered something that had a tad more texture to it than…
Read MoreOutdoor Truths – December 20, 2023
Circumstances Change In most areas I hunt in, the prevailing good wind is out of the Northwest. The hardest places to hunt are the ones where that wind is downwind to my deer because I am unable to place a stand in any other position. The common phrase we hear when it comes to all…
Read MoreWeek of December 13, 2023: Cards and Contemplations
The way forward sometimes requires a step back VIII of Pentacles, II of Cups, IV of Swords, XII The Hanged Man Merry meet, dear readers. Before you continue, take note: Tarot is for everyone, no matter your walk of life. While the cards have their own singular meanings, tarot is also largely intuitive and the…
Read MoreOutdoor Truths – December 13, 2023
A sin is a sin My ground blind leaks. Yours does too. Yeah, I know you have the top-of-the-line, largest, most cushy, made-of-the-best-waterproof-material-blind money can buy. I’m sure it’s nice. But it leaks.
Read MoreRidge Runner Chronicles – December 13, 2023
A New Case of Conflicted Loyalties By Bill Hoagland I have been a life-long St. Louis Cardinal fan, hooked like many other fans in the 1950’s by Harry Caray and his bombastic style of calling a game on the radio. Despite my ongoing loyalties, the 2023 Cardinal team, frankly, was difficult to watch and all…
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