Field & Stream October/November 2018

SEASON’S GREETINGS Good luck to all the hunters counting down. May your season come quick and stay long. Chris A. Jensen, via Facebook LET THE GAME BEGIN The “Opening Day” issue (Aug.–Sept. 2018) was fantastic, and it brought back a flood of memories. After 60 years of hunting, I have many opening days under my belt, including many of the ones you listed. I could not, however, find an opener for rails and gallinules in your story. My Lab and I hunted opening day (Sept. 1) on the Texas Gulf coast for 25 years. We had the golden marsh to ourselves; I never saw another soul unless I had brought him along. We hunted early, before steam began to rise from the marsh as the temperature climbed. Then the…

A LINE OF HEMINGWAY’S inspired this issue. The passage doesn’t come from the usual suspects—his books or short stories—but from a eulogy he gave for a friend. I first read the line more than a decade ago. My friend—and first boss—David DiBene-detto used it as an epigraph for his superb book on striped bass fishing, On the Run, and I still marvel at those seven perfectly arranged words: Best of all he loved the fall. That sentence came to mind during the early brainstorming phase of this issue, which we unofficially dubbed the Best of Fall issue. We thought of the things we love most about this time of year, then crafted stories around them. We love deer hunting—who doesn’t?— and leading off this issue is our 14th annual…

Though hunting was a big part of his childhood, photographer Cedric Angeles’ first F&S assignment (“Off the Rails,” p. 58) was also his first time shooting a hunt. CK: What were your favorite parts of photographing this story? CA: Working with the writer, Eddie Nickens, was a treat because he told stories about cooking game and hunting. My other favorite thing was the location. Cruising down Cape Fear as the sun rose was beautiful. The early-morning light bathing the marsh was a photographer’s heaven. CK: Did you get to try the rail meat Eddie cooked? CA: Yes, and it was really good—on the sweet side and not too gamey. CK: Speaking of Eddie, how many birds did he miss? CA: I’ll have to plead the Fifth on this one.…

• THE SEASON • FISHING• ASK PETZAL• THE WILD CHEF• SHOTGUNS• HUNTING• THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN• RIFLES THE BULL DIED in the shade, and when I came to his side, I just about collapsed. I remember resting my forehead on his right antler, struggling to gather my breath in the thin air. The 4x4 was not the biggest bull I’d seen all week, but kneeling beside him in that moment, it was hard for me to fathom that a larger animal could exist. All first elk, I imagine, must leave this impression. We made short work of the field dressing and quartering, and after I carried the last load up the small, but steep, hill to the truck, I turned around and looked into the country below. The area was…

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AGO, I was swarmed. Waves of little Batmen, Optimus Primes, and Frozen princesses rushed my doorstep, all clawing at my plastic pumpkin filled with sweet Halloween staples. Instructing them to take one or two was futile, so I just let them have at it. The dust would settle eventually, and I’d be able to assess what was left of the candy stores. Now, on the night of November 1, I’m in a similar situation. At my feet, a 30-plus-pound flathead catfish is flopping around with a hook still in its mouth. The monster I’m fighting is pulling drag out into the darkness. Susquehanna River guide Joe Gunter is frantically trying to clear the other lines. In the front of the boat, another rod is bent to the…

Q: If you could carry one gun for hiking and protection, what would it be? —JAY L. BOLYARD, FELLOWSVILLE, W.VA. A: I would carry a 5-inch-barrel Smith & Wesson Model 629 .44 Magnum. For bears, load it with magnums. For general protection, use .44 Specials. Q: What makes the best meal after a hard hunt? —RONNY EVERSTON, ERIE, PA. A: I’m partial to hash, either corned beef or roast beef. If it’s the former, throw a couple of fried eggs on top, and with either one, heavy on the onions. Good hash should sit in the stomach like wet cement so that you know you have, by God, eaten something. Q: In 25 words or less, how would you describe Jim Carmichel? —STAN KEMMERER, SPRING CREEK, NEV. A: In…