T. Edward Nickens

Ode to Joie: Hunting the Cajun Way

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:20:10 -0500

Following Our Father

Sarah Smith — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:54:45 -0500

by T. Edward Nickens

Walter DeSales Witt was in a good place: with his back against a hemlock, green boughs dropped with snow all around, like a half-opened umbrella.

Whitetail, U.S.A.

Online Editors — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:29:19 -0500

F&S Classic: "The Descent"

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:17:15 -0500

The idea that there are two Alaskas came to me in a cold wave as my canoe was swept into the toppled trees and I was thrown overboard. I caught a glimpse of my pal, Scott Wood, sprinting toward me across a gravel bar, knowing that this was what we had feared the most. Wood -disappeared into the brush, running for my life, and then the river sucked me under and I did not see anything else for what seemed like a very long time.

The Hunter’s Job: Carving

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:45:15 -0400

There may be other deeds more laden with American pomp than carving a Thanksgiving turkey—folding the Stars and Stripes comes to mind—but there aren’t many that train so keen a spotlight on a single moment, a single person, a single act with a knife in hand. The bird has been in the oven long enough to send its aroma wafting through the house, and now the gathered clan sits at the table, gawking at all the wedding china and silver that has emerged from the attic on a schedule similar to that of Halley’s comet. All eyes turn to the turkey. Cue up Norman Rockwell. And don’t screw it up.

By now you should have paved the way for a civil service. Go ahead and decide which kids get the drumsticks before you say grace—no use ruining the meal with a fistfight right out of the gate. Let folks know they shouldn’t eat till Grandma first lifts her fork. No cursing. No ketchup bottles on the table. And honestly, it’s a celebration, so if little Johnny wants to slip a whoopee cushion under Grandpap’s seat, where’s the harm?

The Hunter’s Moment: Blessing

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:39:18 -0400

Give us this day our daily bread…

I’m the last one out of the kitchen. When I step into the dining room the lump that has been inching toward the top of my stomach suddenly vaults to my throat, and I have to shut my eyes for just a passing few seconds. Let the wave of emotion settle down. This happens every year.
Every Thanksgiving.

Give us another dawn with golden light in the decoys, light that lifts our hearts toward heaven…

A Brief History of Thanksgiving (and Why It's the "Hunter's Holiday")

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:57:55 -0400

“Our harvest being gotten in,” wrote the pilgrim Edward Winslow in 1621, describing that iconic inaugural Thanksgiving feast, “our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.”

It has been the same ever since, across America. Get your work done. Head to the woods. Rejoice.

How To Make A Handmade Slingshot

Online Editors — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:57:41 -0400

MADISON PARKER IS a former U.S. Navy SEAL who now trains SEALs in wilderness skills—including how to make and wield the most wicked slingshots on the planet (primitivesupply.com). How wicked? Parker's handmade slingshots fire big chunks of lead at 225 fps. Where legal, he's used them to take game from squirrels to wild turkeys and more. While we're certainly not suggesting you hunt with a slingshot, there's nothing wrong with drilling empty cans on a summer afternoon. Here's how to make one:

What’s the Most Bizarre Critter You’ve Ever Cooked?

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:50:52 -0400

In the October issue of F&S, editor-at-large Eddie Nickens wrote a story with tips on how to cook a few critters that, for one reason or another, have fallen out of fashion over the years. He explains how to cook merganser, groundhog, opossum, and more. Click here or on the photo to check out the story.

Aquired Tastes: 5 Cooking Tips for 5 Underrated Animals

colinkearns — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:05:38 -0400

Our grandparents didn’t turn their snouts up at some of the lesser creatures to wind up in a cooler. Maybe it’s time we all threw a possum on the grill if for no other reason than to see what we’re missing. Here are five ways to cook five critters that will certainly broaden your culinary horizons.