Neglecting to vary the way you present a lure can make all the difference no matter what species of fish you hope to catch My favorite pond has been yielding bluegill plenty big enough to filet for the 20-odd years I’ve been fishing it....... Full story

Regular readers may recall the day early last summer when a two-month-old beagle puppy named Amy joined the already firmly established team of Gerald and Grace, the latter being a 10-year-old canine superstar. My plan was for Grace to teach Amy...... Full story

When I walked into a local pharmacy about a week ago, one of the women behind the counter said, “This is a bad turkey season.” A wave of panic swept over me. Had she been following me? Did she work for Homeland Security? A millisecond...... Full story

Few of us will ever get to cast a lure into a  private pond packed with big bass, but we can all fish in Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) impoundments. My consultations with biologists and local experts have produced one impoundment...... Full story

Choosing who your first-round pick will be in the NFL draft can be difficult.Teams either look to fill a specific need or go for the best player available.Time will only tell what the Kansas City Chiefs will do.After watching quarterback Matt Cassel...... Full story

Largemouth bass evolved in small, shallow bodies of water. While there’s no denying that the species has adapted well to large reservoirs, it’s logical to assume a higher percentage of the largemouths living in small bodies of water will...... Full story

I have no idea how many hats I’ve owned over the years, but it’s well over 100. Out of this constantly changing sea of headgear, four have gained immortality. They are what one of my first writing mentors called “vault...... Full story

These days I do most of my spring turkey hunting in blocks of timber scarcely bigger than wood lots interspersed within broad expanses of cropland and pasture.   I’m not complaining. How could I be? The number of turkeys and the number...... Full story

Michael Desmond, a good buddy of mine and former Democrat sports writer, introduced me to the Kansas City Royals in the fall of 2008.Of course I, being a devout lover of America’s pastime, had heard about the Royals, the red-headed stepchild...... Full story

The high school football district assignments were released Saturday, and the Smith-Cotton Tigers’ district just keeps getting tougher. The Tigers will play in Class 5, District 4 along with past district rivals Camdenton, Rolla and...... Full story