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

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

off season
window shopping for a new
pickup truck

the ribs
of the deer
in spring

first robins -
up in the pastures
woodcock

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

evening sun
somewhere in the brush
a woodcock peents

a rope dangles
from an empty tree stand -
spring woods

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

looking ahead
on the calendar to
October

last day
of grouse season
- snow flake

bare ground
blood trail signs
disappear

bare ground
snowmobile trail signs
disappear

Bass Pro Shops -
sounds of turkey callers
fill the store

spring -
time to bury
the dog

my weight
supported on late winter
snow crust

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"

Napping pup

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

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."

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

the cool
of a sporting goods store
in July

summer solstice -
fall hunting catalogues
in the mailbox

June puppies -
the dog training books
come off my shelf

at the mouth
of an old woodchuck burrow
fox scat

copper fouling
on the cleaning patch -
morning after

spring morning
watching the sheep
watch for foxes

May Day
an ominous lump on
the radiograph

a woodchuck hole
still filled with leaves -
spring pasture

hay field -
at a woodchuck burrow
fresh dirt

two geese
circling the woodlot -
melting snow