Articles

Blood brother

A hunter explores the relationship between himself and the deer
Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

He materializes out of river-bottom tangles, silent as the morning mist that hangs thick in the cottonwood and hackberry limbs. The young buck isn’t cruising for girls; it’s still a week or more away from pre-rut festivities. Most likely, he’s ambled over from a nearby plum thicket sniffing for the burgundy-colored honey locust pods that litter the forest floor. I was counting on deer with a sweet tooth when I hung this stand back in late September.

I’m going to kill him if I can.

Review: ECHO OHS fly rod

ECHO's One Hand Spey rod offers versatility, opens new fishing opportunities
Photo: Cosmo Genova

In the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, from mid October to early December, landlocked Atlantic salmon run up countless tributaries to spawn, often coming in waves as water levels rise and fall with autumn rains. I have been fly fishing for them since I was barely out of diapers. Over the years, I have honed the gear and techniques I employ in search of these leaping salmonids, but I am always experimenting and refining.

Love the outdoors? Here are 8 Senate races where we can make the difference.

Anglers, hunters, hikers, bikers, climbers and more have the power to choose those that fight for us
Jon Tester at the 2018 "Last Best Outdoorsfest."

Those of us who rely on the outdoors to move us, rehabilitate us or sustain us—whether as anglers, hikers, bikers, kayakers, skiers, rafters, climbers, riders, hunters or so on—represent a gargantuan segment of the U.S. population. We drive billions in consumer spending. We contribute more to our nation's GDP than mega-industries like fossil fuels and agriculture. We create 7.6 million American jobs. And, given our numbers, we have enormous power to leverage at the polls. But we don't use it.

Review: Thomas & Thomas Zone fly rod

The brand's first foray into the mid-priced tier has a lot to offer
Photo: Cosmo Genova

The Thomas & Thomas Zone came into my life like a short, pleasant fling that left me wanting more. She was a 9ft 5wt, and I only had a few weeks to get to know her. If I’m being honest, she wasn’t much to look at, but we just jived. Then she was gone, on a plane back home, and I find myself missing her terribly. Though I need not wait long to be reunited, because at around $500, even I can scrounge up enough cash to make her mine once more.

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