– A Story from a Reader in the Texas Hill Country

I’d been looking forward to this day all year!! It was opening day of youth deer season in the Texas Hill country. My dad and I got to the blind around 4:00 and settled in. We sat and watched the bucks chase does, but could never get a shot.

It got really dark so it was time to go. Dad opened the door to get out of the blind, and I said, “Daddy, what’s that sound?” (This was before he got his hearing aids and probably why he got them!!) He answered, “What sound?” It was a rattling sound. When he finally heard the sound he knew it was rattlesnake. He slammed the door quick. We couldn’t find a flashlight, and his phone was dead. It was so dark by that time that that we couldn’t see a thing. My dad was going to make a run for the truck. He told me to shut the door behind him and do not open it. He made a huge leap out of the blind and ran as fast as he could. He said it was like doing hurdles in high school! He thought everything was a snake! I was sitting in the blind by myself, and had shut all the windows because I was really scared.

Eventually, my dad made it back to the blind with the truck and found the snake two feet from the door of the blind. He was trying to tell me he was going to shoot it, but I couldn’t hear because of the windows and door being shut. Luckily, I didn’t get out of the blind.

He shot it many times in the head to make sure it was dead. All the while I was hoping the snake didn’t bite him. He got me out of the blind after it was dead. We looked at the snake. It was massive! I felt a huge relief when I finally got in the truck. That is one hunt I will never forget. And now, we have five flashlights in the blind!

I took my first trip out of Texas during Spring Break and was able to
see 4 states! These awesome rocks were in Arizona. My sisters and I
saw all sorts of lizards on them. I never could catch one. Those lil
boogers were FAST!

She told me there was fish there, but I think she was lying.

Here’s my friend’s pit bull and my two hunting dogs – Dachshunds. Most people know them as “weiner dogs” but they are fierce hunters with great noses. They hunt and kill mice and rats on our walks around New York City and Central Park. They are a male and female named Gus and Jaden.

That’s pretty wild for the city!

“I know what I’m not telling, and that’s where we were hunting! Can’t give up our secret spot…. It was cold that day I was hunting with dad! I missed the buck twice over the shoulder, but then I made a good shot. I was pretty excited and couldn’t wait to get to the house and show my mom and sister. An 11-pointer!”

I arrowed my first buck while hunting on my great uncle’s property. The six point buck responded to my grunt call. It was incredible!

My dad found a black swallowtail in our front yard. We brung it inside since it was cold, and its abdomen looked full so we put it on some parsley. She laid her eggs in about four days and then died. In a few days the eggs hatched and became baby swallowtail caterpillars.

When I’m walking in the woods, I see pretty leves. I see deer. Some times my cat goes with me.

I read Wilder today from a double tree stand on our place. Dad and I were sitting there watching for deer. We saw birds and bats and spiders…

I harvested this bull with my Dad. He had open-heart surgery four months ago and I didn’t know if we would ever hunt together again. He has healed up and it was a very special hunt that I will always remember. I love my Dad.

I felt like Wilder stepping over these big logs. I pictured the woods like this when he got hurt while carrying all that elk meat down the hill. I was on a camping trip with my family.

I love the book The Elk Hunt. It is an adventurous book with great
characters. My favorite character is Gale Loving because I like how he
is patient, loving, and cautious with Wilder Good. I can’t wait for
the second Wilder Good book!

My granddad took me camping in this state park and we caught this cool lizard. It was hot but we toughed it out.

I like how Wilder gets scared to shoot the elk. I feel the same way sometimes. But then he gets brave and does some cool things.

I went bass fishing all day and wasn’t expecting such a beautiful sunset to end my day.

This is a picture of the clouds reflection on lake water. I went to a refuge we live near and really liked this picture I took. It reminds me of God’s beautiful creation.

This is the blind I build onto my boat this past waterfowl season. It was an amazing project to plan, build and then hunt out of. Can you see it in the background? The ducks can’t either.

A few buddies and I made a quick trip up to Snowmass Mountain in the Elk Range of west-central Colorado. During the summit to 14,092 feet, all conversation ceased as we sucked the mountain air hard for oxygen with our un-acclimated Texas lungs.

My sister said, “You’re a daddy now!” after this chrysalis I raised hatched into a black swallowtail butterfly.

My dad and I from the top of a mountain ridge in North Carolina named “Devil’s Courthouse”. We could see four states; North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee & Georgia!

Sitting on the Mogollon Rim (pronounced mogyon) in AZ, with my brother
and friend. We saw wild raspberry patches with black bear scat close
by too!

I’m sketching the dunes of Long Island and drifting too far out in my kayak. (This photo is from Wilder Good illustrator, Cliff Wilke.)

My brother and I spent a week in California this summer. Here is a photo of us building up courage to get crushed by some waves in the Pacific Ocean.

I caught this 6 foot bull snake on my ranch. They are good snakes that eat mice and rattlesnakes.

He lives in a pond by my house. His name is Ned. I try to catch him once a week. He’s sneaky and most of the time he doesn’t bite. But sometimes he does.

I had to rope a heifer that escaped into a fresh cut hay pasture. It got pretty wild.

Planting Cora Vinca annuals and Zinnias.

My dog Scout’s encounter with a black rat snake.

These water snakes were everywhere at this lake, one even tried to steal a fish off our line!

I found a Robins nest on the ground by the pond at the Ranch. The eggs were still warm, so I put under an incubator to see if they will hatch. I’ve been doing a lot of reading up on Robins, they are pretty interesting.

Here’s a ‘Wilder’ pic from Juneau.

Bluebonnets tell us spring has sprung in Texas.
Temple, TX

35 degrees, 20mph wind,4 layers of clothes, fly rod, and an 18 inch
rainbow trout…being wilder!

Blue catfish – Lake Belton, TX

I thought you’d appreciate Ellie and I “Living Wilder” out by Nates place.
Life couldn’t be any better!
Riverhead, NY