On April 11, 2018, Pat McManus, one of America’s greatest humor writers passed away. He was known far and wide for his humor columns in Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, as well as stories in Readers Digest, and, of course, his many books and plays. 

Having spent a lifetime in the woods, there are a few things out there that terrify me. I speak not of grizzly bears and nefarious snakes, and other critters that can seriously change my lifestyle, if not end it. I refer to the tiny skin-eating, flesh- drilling, often invisible vermin that I thoroughly despise.

I’ve always been enamored with all sorts of wild critters, whether it was bees, snakes, lizards, spiders, frogs, you name it. So it was just natural that I’d develop a fascination with the snapping turtle. This sharp-jawed,  beady eyed, nasty looking beast lived in all the lakes and ponds where I grew up. I’d see them with just their heads poking out of the water’s surface, or swimming near shore, or crossing a road. Several times I tried to catch one by skewering a chunk of fish on a hook and tossing it out in the lake, leaving it overnight. I always came back to find a busted line or straightened hook. 

Last year we were able to hunt wolves again in Wyoming. The wolf season didn't come easy. It was a hard fought battle in the courts, and the state was able to get the Federal Court of Appeals to sign off on it late last winter of 2017.

Elk season is here or about to start, depending on where you hunt. Most hunters traditionally head to the range to insure their rifles are still zeroed. Having confidence in your firearm is all-important. Before I hunt, I want my rifle to be as accurate as possible, as we all are. We should demand the best performance possible. My sweet-shooter is a Mossberg .308 equipped with a Timney trigger and topped with a Swarovski scope. With that combination, I'm ready to hunt.

As one who lives in wolf country, with wolves commonly seen around my home in northern Wyoming, and as one who has been researching and writing about wolves long before they were introduced into Yellowstone and Idaho more than 20 years ago, I'd like to clear the air. At least -- my perspective.

"That lion is scared of you," Willis said, as I slowly climbed up the juniper tree.

When the editor of Outdoor Life told Pat McManus and I to go on a hunt and write a double feature, we were all for it. For those of you unfamiliar with Pat, he wrote the back page for Outdoor Life for years. He was the Humor Columnist, and was regarded as the most-followed outdoor writer in the business. In the double feature article, Pat and I would each write our own versions of the hunt. Interesting concept with plenty of room for humor. And maybe some of it would be true.

Even though I'm no longer writing for Outdoor Life or hosting my TV show, I constantly get requests from people who want information about hunting elk. Most of these folks have never hunted in the west, and most live east of the Mississippi.

"What's that?" Madonna asked as we drove up the forest road. None of us in the truck saw what she saw. "Probably nothing," she said. "Keep driving." Maybe it was the shadow of a willow bush or a stump. But something told me to back up. When I did, I saw a huge bull moose in a willow swamp, slowly walking away from the road. I'm no stranger to moose hunting, and quickly realized what I was looking at. This was a world class bull. Larry Weishuhn was in my truck, and he was as impressed as I was. Larry also had a moose tag, but in a unit adjoining mine. We were both fortunate to have drawn Colorado moose tags.

Wanna laugh? Shake your head in disbelief? With the 2016 spring turkey season over in most states, and still open in a few, I thought I'd offer a few funny stories of my past hunts.

One of the perks of my career was hunting with the best of the best. As Hunting Editor of Outdoor Life, that was my job-- to seek out the experts and write about their techniques and strategies. I learned much along the way. There were failures as well as successes; each incident added to my store of knowledge.

Every hunter misses shots at birds or animals. It's a fact of life in the hunting woods and fields. If a person has never missed, he or she hasn't hunted very much or they have a bit of a problem with the truth. Missing is caused by many factors. No two shot opportunities are alike, and a variety of external and mental conditions can contribute to the miss.

Want to start an argument among turkey hunters, or get a lively discussion going? Then announce to your group that you plan on shooting a jake if one comes along. In most instances, that's guaranteed to cause some consternation and gnashing of teeth among some of your hunting pals.

Wanna see a fistfight in the woods? Find a place on public land where a lot of people are looking for shed antlers. You might get your money's worth if you're at the right spot at the right time.

I've been asked many questions about hunting over the years, given my full-time career as a hunting journalist, especially with Outdoor Life magazine. Of all those questions, the one most asked is my opinion on elk rifles. Most of those were from folks who didn't live in elk country and were coming west for the first time, but some came from experienced hunters who were no strangers to the elk woods.

Never in my wildest imagination did I dream I'd have a massive heart attack. I know now that I'd been having symptoms, but was always in denial. I figured that since I've been on this planet for seven and a half decades, that it was normal to be short of breath easily. I figured I was doing the right thing to eat Tums and Rolaids for what I thought was simply recurring indigestion. I figured that since my Dad lived to be 93 and had open heart surgery at age 88, and recovered, that I had some good genes and wasn't at risk, at least for a while. I figured that since my diet was exclusively wild game and fish, I was eating correctly. I figured that since I've always been very physical, hunting big game in mountain country the last 40 years, I had plenty of exercise. Not to mention 25 to 30 cords of firewood I cut in the forest and split each year. Putting those all together, why should I be a candidate for a heart attack?

Hunting season is here in many areas, and various forms of transportation will be used to get to the hunt location. Most people will travel in their own personal vehicle. While in might seem simple, transporting firearms can be complicated, since states have different rules. Check the laws before you hit the road to be sure you're complying with them.

     The whole world pretty much knows that Cecil, a collared Zimbabwe lion, was shot by Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist. What we don't know are all the facts, though a "conservation charity" stated the lion was wounded and had to be tracked for 40 hours before being killed. There are other statements, maybe true, maybe not. Of course, the press dug into Palmer's life, and found that he was arrested for poaching a black bear, and, he was involved in a sexual harassment charge. There has been a case made that this aging lion was 13 years old, and was no doubt driven out of his pride by stronger, younger lions. He was at the end of his life. That, however, in the eyes of many, did not justify killing him. This lion was collared and photographed thousands of times by tourists in a park. He was beloved by many.