Roger Wiltz

In 44 years of column writing, I don't recall that I've ever touched on alligators. Today, that's about to change.

The past week was an eye opener for me as Betsy and I spent it on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. We made the trip with our daughter, Lisa, son-in-law, Rodney, granddaughter, Nichela, and grandson, Sam. Nichela and Sam were on spring break from college. In the past, Betsy and I had spent...

As mentioned in the past, I'm in the process of writing a book I've called A Dakota Rod and Nimrod. As the title reveals, it is primarily a collection of hunting- and fishing-related stories. The book is comprised of three sections: The Dakota Scene, Beyond Dakota Borders, and People...

About a month ago, my column dealt with Little Jane, a children's book character who preferred guns, archery equipment and elk hunting to dolls and girl things. I also praised Kim Rhode, an American female shotgunner, who has won medals in the last six Olympic Games. With reference...

I am not a political analyst, and it is not my job to discuss politics. I will do my best to write about the outdoors, not politics, in this new year. Having said this, I want to deviate for a moment as there is a point I want to touch.

Just before the Thanksgiving weekend Christmas shopping got underway, there was a story in the paper about how much the average adult spends on Christmas gifts. I was shocked. People are far more generous than I imagined. Then it went on to talk about how much people spent on themselves...

Deer season is important to me, and we are currently in the midst of our South Dakota deer hunting season. West River Rifle ended Nov. 20, but East River Rifle runs through Sunday, and then resumes with antlerless tags on Dec. 31 through the Jan. 8. Archery, as well as Muzzleloader,...

Editor's note: This column first appeared in the Yankton Press & Dakotan on Nov. 28, 1987. It was rerun in the P&D as "The Best of Wiltz" on February 1, 1992. I had this dream the other night that left me terror stricken until I woke up and found Betsy beside me. Often something happens...

The Vietnam Era was not the best of times.

About a month ago, I wrote in detail about a fishing trip with friends on northwest Ontario's Kwinigans Lake. I mentioned that during the first two days, the action was slower than one might expect on pristine waters. Jeff Doom, my boat partner, brought up the slow action as a topic...

In gathering my thoughts for today's column on waterfowl hunting and non-toxic shot, I got to thinking about the old days and some of the old-timers I hung around with. Gus Wilson came to mind.

Back in the Aug. 3 column, I reported that I had failed to draw a West River Deer tag for the first time in 46 years. I'll be out there on the Nov. 12 opener with Mike, my faithful West River Deer partner, but I'll be toting either my shotgun or a varmint rifle and predator call....