“Natural causes”: Life and death, food and fantasy
What is so compelling about the idea of life lasting until an organism gives up the ghost of its own accord?
animal predation
Zen and the art of deer hunting
Don’t try too hard, some folks say. Desperation can drive the deer away. The less you expect, the more animals you see. How this philosophy dovetails with the undeniable value of perseverance, I’m not sure. But there may be something to it. In my first few years as a hunter, I dragged home exactly zero … Read more
Coyotes, deer, and the very idea of ‘game’
A few nights ago, coyotes yipped and howled nearby. I was delighted to hear them. Granted, I was in bed at the time. My sentiments would, I suspect, be substantially different if I was, say, deep in the woods with a turned ankle and no flashlight. The next day I got thinking about those wild … Read more
Snake food: Humans as prey
The sound was quiet, but close: a rustle in the leaves a few feet from the hiking trail. Curious, I peered under the ferns and caught sight of a garter snake. Then I saw what it was up to. Not one of Mr. Frog’s better days. The image of the amphibian in that reptile’s maw … Read more
Feathers in the snow
First, a downy tuft. Then a barred tail feather. I scanned the path ahead and the woods to either side. Usually, when I find a few grouse feathers, there are more nearby, then more, then the spot where it happened. This time, I did find more feathers, perhaps a couple dozen. But no epicenter. One … Read more