I’m often asked what is my favorite scotch. My short answer is I don’t have one. One of the best things about scotch is that every batch, not to mention distiller or expression, is different. So while I have a few go to’s in my closet I like to have a variety of styles, Read More
Category: Food and Drink, STS Bar and Grill, The Deal Tags: Aberlour, cracking a cold one, Hunting, scotch, single malt, whiskey
“Mama, why is Dada crying?” “That’s the sound of failure son. Avert your eyes. It’s impolite to stare at someone’s shame.” Wyoming winters are long, dark and cold. Not being a snow-sports person, I’ve cast about for years, with increasing desperation, for an activity that will help keep me sane from the end of, Read More
Category: Angling, Just Plain Fishing, The Deal Tags: Fish, Flies, fly fishing, Fly tying, harmless to animals, patterns to avoid, wooly bugger
I was about to step haphazardly into the run and throw a few half-hearted casts. Although it was as nice of water as you could imagine we had seen little sign of life. It was early in the season and the water was frigid. As I let the ice-cold liquid wrap around my ankles my, Read More
Category: Big Game, Con Kiddo, family, Hunting, The Deal Tags: Backcountry, Big-game hunting, Elk, fatherhood, fishing with kids, fly fishing, Mule deer, trout
“Look Dada a clue, a clue!” Live water is an hour away this time of year, and viable bird hunting is nearly as committing. With only a two hour window to spare, Everett and I had opted instead to creep around the sage and look for small game. Maybe the dog would kick up, Read More
Category: Con Kiddo, Fatherhood, The Deal Tags: fresh air, hunting with kids, kids in nature, mouse ambush, sagebrush sea, small game, Snowshoe hare, winter activities
Raising my gun at the sound of wing beats, I hoped for a wild rooster to flush from the under brush. Nothing materialized. Moments later my precocious pup came out of the brush with a hen that was a little too slow getting off the ground. It was Christmas Eve 2008 and I was, Read More
Category: Con Kiddo, family, Fatherhood, The Deal Tags: Christmass, deer, fishing with kids, fly fishing, Hunting, hunting with kids, just being a parent, kids outdoors, parenting, photography, trout, upland birds
I knew dawn, when it finally broke, would be anemic and gray – little help in driving the cold from the house. Too bad, I thought. I needed all the help I could get. The sun hadn’t cleared the mountain yet, but already I was behind: behind on the errands, the house chores, the, Read More
Category: Big Game, family, Fatherhood, Hunting, The Deal Tags: deer, deer watching, Kid in Nature, kids and nature, Mule deer, solstice, wildlife watching, yard deer
I’ll admit, I struggle to take my kids hunting with me as much as I would like. It’s logistically challenging and not all situations are well suited for children under the age of five. Winter is tough and so is anything that involves a lot of hiking or long days. In the absence of, Read More
Category: Big Game, family, Fatherhood, Hunting, The Deal, Waterfowl Tags: Big-game hunting, Elk, fatherhood, geese, hunting with kids, just being a parent, parenting, watefowl
We write occasionally on STS about the gear we find useful to our pursuits. We’ve examined, fly rods, optics, backpacks and assorted other essentials. But thus far it’s gone unsaid that no piece of equipment is half as critical as what we carry in our heads. It’s worth saying so now. I’ve been taught, Read More
Category: How-To, The Deal Tags: Caring for kids in nature, First Responder, NOLS, SAR, search and rescue, WFR, Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Medicine, WMI, Wyss Campus
“Dada… um… is that elk dead?” asked Everett, peering tentatively from the garage doorway, eyes pinned to the hanging animal. “It sure is.” I answered from my seat at the butchering table. “Want to come in and see it?” “That means it can’t move anymore” he said, either reminding himself or seeking confirmation before, Read More
Category: Big Game, family, Fatherhood, Hunting, The Deal Tags: dinner on the hoof, Elk, Elk Hunting, fatherhood, mortality, parenting, tough questions, Venison
I’m no reptile expert, but even I recognized the alligator as a monster. He was 10 feet long, black as tar and as broad across the midsection as a kitchen table. And unlike the typical gator sighting – nothing but nostrils and eyes – we could see every last menacing inch of him floating, Read More
Category: Con Kiddo, family, Fatherhood, The Deal Tags: alligator, blue springs, blue springs state park, central florida, Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, florida state parks, gator, magic kingdom, Manatee, orlando attractions, st. john's river, tim tebow, Volusia County Florida