Nature boys and girls
Zlotnicki: Five high school students stood knee deep in a grassy field while a light rain fell Monday. They held wooden sticks at arm's length at a stand of pines in front of them.
Her life's still on target
Zlotnicki: Three years ago, I was at Camp Butner covering the inaugural Eastern U.S. Junior Highpower Clinic and Championship. Katherine Keville and her mother, Donna, were a rare mother-daughter pair among the participants.
Learning to be happy
Zlotnicki: I never thought I'd have three daughters. Seven years of playing football, 20 years of dirt bikes, judo, golf, hunting, fishing -- I just figured I harbored some genetic imperative for maleness.
MAD III honors troops
Zlotnicki:Saturday, as Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament week cranks up, another fishing event will take place just down the Morehead City waterfront from Big Rock headquarters.
Hooked on stripers
Zlotnicki:When Jason Caplan of Raleigh went fishing on May 3 with Terry Suess, they caught (and released) 133 striped bass up to 21 inches long, a great day by most standards. But it was fish No. 134 that made it a career day for Caplan.
Mothers' guide to fishing
Zlotnicki:For many moms, Mother's Day will mean breakfast in bed, flowers or perhaps a fancy meal.
Speaking up about flounder
Few things in North Carolina elicit more emotion or are more convoluted than the management of saltwater fishery resources. A veritable Pandora's Box of issues must be addressed on many levels, and the compromises in the end invariably leave some faction dissatisfied with the result.
A happy fishing debut
'Can I go fishing, Daddy?" My oldest daughter's words took me by surprise recently, causing some pangs of guilt as well as feelings of anticipation.
Sort a bit, but don't get crazy
'A place for everything and everything in its place." Mom's adage about organization reared its ugly head recently when I decided to clean out my tackle box, a task only slightly less daunting than cleaning out an attic.
Note to self: Plan ahead
The saying goes that even a blind squirrel can find an acorn now and then, and the lack of vision in that colloquialism often is self-induced, which makes the rare acorn sweeter.
Beagles and bunnies
Few things in the hunting world are more fun than hunting rabbits with beagles.
Hound hunters bark back
It took awhile for word to get around, but it seems plenty of folks who enjoy hunting deer with hounds ("dog hunters" in the colloquial) were none too pleased with my views on running deer with hounds.
Readers have lots of ideas
It seems I touched some nerves two weeks ago. The column in question, "Our state needs changes," was from-the-hip personal opinions regarding Sunday hunting (I want it), running deer with dogs ("dog hunting" should be outlawed), catch-and-release fishing (OK, but keeping some for the fryer is just fine) and using crossbows for hunting (it's time to permit it).
Our state needs changes
All right, it's toe-stepping time. I'm not old enough to be a curmudgeon, I'm too old to be an idealist and I'm just experienced enough to be jaded when it comes to the outdoors.
Looking for more in 2004
Greetings from the staff (well, this part of it) of Carolina Outdoors. This year of transition from working for our former monthly magazine Carolina Adventure to producing the weekly Outdoors pages in The News & Observer's Sports section has been a memorable one.
