Tuesday, April 21, 2009

predawn stillness
in the distance . . . that first
turkey gobble

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

geese coming
in low over the treetops
. . . take 'em

Saturday, March 14, 2009

off season
window shopping for a new
pickup truck

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

the ribs
of the deer
in spring

Monday, March 09, 2009

first robins -
up in the pastures
woodcock

Friday, March 06, 2009

March twilight
sniffing around the hen house
the first fox of spring

Wednesday, March 04, 2009


evening sun
somewhere in the brush
a woodcock peents

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

a rope dangles
from an empty tree stand -
spring woods

Monday, March 02, 2009

season's end -
in the Penny Saver
guns for sale

Sunday, March 01, 2009

looking ahead
on the calendar to
October

Saturday, February 28, 2009

last day
of grouse season
- snow flake

Friday, February 27, 2009

bare ground
blood trail signs
disappear

Thursday, February 26, 2009

bare ground
snowmobile trail signs
disappear

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Bass Pro Shops -
sounds of turkey callers
fill the store

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

spring -
time to bury
the dog

Monday, February 23, 2009

my weight
supported on late winter
snow crust

Friday, February 06, 2009

Somewhere I read that Basho wrote about 2000 haiku in his life of which 100 or so are considered excellent, and of which he believed there were maybe ten that truly hit the mark. This is a tough ratio but perhaps holds a realistic perspective for us all. Excellent haiku craft requires tireless resolve to keep at it despite the misses and bunches of weaker attempts, with hope that out of the effort will surely come some keepers, and, if we are lucky, serendipity may provide an opportunity to create a haiku that will stand the test of time.
--Tom Clausen, "A Haiku Way of Life"

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Napping pup

Curled on my lap
New puppy snoring softly
Soft jowls but sharp teeth

Saturday, July 19, 2008

classic hunting haiku # 10

Here is another in our series of haiku by Issa.

1824

.追鳥や狐とてしも用捨なく
oi-dori ya kitsune tote shi mo yôsha naku


bird hunter--
even for a fox
no mercy

Translations are by David G. Lanoue, who includes the following note: "Translations based on Issa zenshû (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79) 9 volumes. Some of the translations first appeared in Issa, Cup-of-Tea Poems and Pure Land Haiku: The Art of Priest Issa."

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Thoreau's birthday -
seized by a desire
to kill woodchucks

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

the cool
of a sporting goods store
in July

Friday, June 20, 2008

summer solstice -
fall hunting catalogues
in the mailbox

Sunday, June 15, 2008

June puppies -
the dog training books
come off my shelf

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

at the mouth
of an old woodchuck burrow
fox scat

Monday, May 26, 2008

copper fouling
on the cleaning patch -
morning after

Thursday, May 22, 2008

spring morning
watching the sheep
watch for foxes

Thursday, May 01, 2008

May Day
an ominous lump on
the radiograph

Monday, April 14, 2008

a woodchuck hole
still filled with leaves -
spring pasture

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

hay field -
at a woodchuck burrow
fresh dirt

Thursday, March 13, 2008

two geese
circling the woodlot -
melting snow