During my break in July, Jet and I headed over to the mountains of North Georgia to do some scouting for bear. Earlier in the summer, I purchased a fifteen-foot camper to serve as basecamp on wheels for these more remote hunting adventures we are starting to enjoy together as he gets older. So, in addition to scouting for bear, it was also our first real test of the new camper.

We had a great time. The camper proved that it would serve us well on these sorts of adventures. And we are planning to get back over there soon to chase bears in some of the areas we scouted.

While we didn’t see any bears while scouting, we did have one pay us a visit in the campground one afternoon. (Sorry for the grainy pictures. It was close to dark.)

And yes… a bear hunting book will be out soon.

I’m thrilled and honored to announce that Sticks and Strings received the Outstanding Achievement Award in the book category at the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s annual meeting. The Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) membership consists of writers and other creative professionals who produce traditional, outdoor sports-focused content (books, articles, photography, and other media). POMA’s 2025 meeting was held at Ohio’s Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center from June 23-25. I was happy not only to receive the award but also to have had the opportunity to do some fly fishing in a stream that was so full of trout it was like fishing in a barrel.

It is rewarding and a true honor for my writing to be recognized by experts within the outdoor industry. I am so very grateful.

Me with James Shin, Director of Marketing and Communications for Safari Club International (SCI), the sponsor of this year’s awards.

One of the trout I pulled out of the barrel.

The stream was not only loaded with trout, but also a beautiful place to fish. 

If you didn’t notice, I missed sending my newsletter last month. Part of the reason was that I was super busy with school visits (and fulfilling book orders related to school visits). I had a great time meeting with students at several schools and getting them excited about reading—and the outdoors!

I know school is about to wrap up for this year, but I’d love to get on your school’s calendar for next year. If you’d like to help me out with a visit to your child’s school, you can direct the school librarian to my website and have them complete the school visit form.