Being as stealthy as possible while moving through hunting grounds is essential. If you're still trying to hunt through potential bedding areas, closing in on game you spotted from afar, trying to sneak to your tree stand for a sit, or you're tracking bucks as they do in New England, every noise you make is too much.

They start from the base, rising with bumps, bruises, and little rings. At last, they turn back, bending to form a bow. With their thick bases, a pair of them sits atop a white face with dark, lengthwise stripes. Every European mountain hunter dreams of this trophy -- the horns of a chamois.

You want to release the fish you just caught unharmed, but do you know where to hold it without damaging any of its vital organs so that you can remove the hook safely?

Lost in the woods! It can happen to anyone. I have a good friend who was suddenly stunned when he realized he would have to spend his first night in the woods alone. Darkness caught up with him while tracking a buck, and he lost his way in the dark. It can happen when you’re concentrating on tracks on the ground and not keeping your eyes on your surroundings. Fortunately, my friend didn’t panic, and his rain gear saved him from a wet, cold night in the woods.

My good friend Ron Spomer recently read a letter on his website from a knowledgeable Army veteran explaining why the MI .30 carbine was one of the best rifles in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I agree, and with good reason. I served in the U.S. Army for two years in Germany. I was trained as a Combat Engineer, and, most of the time, I carried my 10-pound M1 Garand. Some days in the field, that M1 Garand felt like 25 pounds! I never saw combat, but I would have carried that Garand in the field. The M1 Garand was and still is a great rifle. That .30/06 with its 8-round clip was the rifle that won World War II. But it just weighed too much.