The Yarn Spinner

                                                       Chicken of the Woods              I  have done my fair share of hunting over the years, mostly upland game like pheasants, but ducks and geese have also run “afoul” of my double-barrel. Typically, I would hunt with partners, and sometimes, with a guide, like my good friend Rick a.k.a. “Hoot” Larson. Hoot dragged me over hills and through hollows of Iowa’s Allamakee County for many seasons always putting me onto a gobbler for my Thanksgiving table. Today, however, I set out with another guide, my friend Ruben, an experienced hunter. A  chilly wind scurrying over the surrounding fields altered the tall prairie grass into an undulating seaway of dark green as we entered the woods. It sighed up through the branches of oak, elm, sycamore, cherry, and maple...