Ernie's Great Outdoors

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors SPECIAL GIFTS THAT TRULY WARM THE HEART There are few presents from Christmases past that I can even remember. The toys, trinkets and shiny fads-of-the-day have all faded from memory. But there are lasting gifts that my heart will never forget. It seems our young lives were focused on the tangible; the latest and greatest, the most expensive, and the number of gifts under the tree. As the years accumulate, however, we encounter people, events and circumstances that touch our heart and those are the gifts that matter most and shine the brightest in our memories. One of those events was the result of a Christmas message from a friend. He knew of a family that had nothing, and he wondered if we could gather a few things to bring a little joy to the children. The holiday spark of giving ignited and within hours a group had gathered far more than had been asked for. In addition to blankets, clothing, toys and food, a small Christmas tree was decorated. In the darkn...

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors YEAR FULL OF MEMORABLE, PICTURESQUE EXCURSIONS How could this year be anything but great when it began with a pilgrimage to Salvation Mountain and a side trip to East Jesus? As regular readers will know, I usually offer a yearend report card of sorts of the outdoor activities I have shared and enjoyed throughout the year. This year was a good one. The visit to Salvation Mountain wasn’t exactly a pilgrimage, but was actually a New Year’s Day trip to the Salton Sea and surrounding areas I often call “The Land of Odds.” Some have suggested I  might be the Wizard of Odds. Winter is peak time for migrating waterfowl and a great chance to see huge flocks of sandhill cranes, geese and ducks, along with views of resident hawks and burrowing owls in the wildlife preserves around the  area.  There are other attractions around Salton Sea that we wanted to share with friends, including the bubbling mud pots produced by deep underground geothermal wells. An...

My Latest Sierra Report from Western Outdoor News

By Ernie Cowan They are big, elusive and exciting to see, and what is more appropriate as the subject of the November column than the wild turkey? Longtime San Diego birders will tell you that there were no turkeys here until the 1990s when a group of sportsmen teamed up with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to introduce 293 birds into the county. Birds were imported from other areas and released near Julian, Ramona and south of Interstate 8. It was love at first sight for the birds, and today the population is estimated at upwards of 30,000 extending from the Mexican border to Riverside County and from the avocado groves of Fallbrook to the desert fringe of East County. I even had a reader recently tell me he had one on his feeder in eastern Oceanside, and I get the credit for the only verified sighting of a wild turkey in Imperial County, after taking a photograph of one in Carrizo Creek north of Plaster City. Like quail and dove, the turkey is a game bird and a ...

SPIDER WASPS ARE MIGHTY FOES FOR TARANTULAS - The San Diego Union Tribune a

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors LATEST HOBBY BRINGS TEARS TO ONE’S EYES “Are you crying?” “No, honey, it’s just all the smoke in my eyes from my new meat smoker,” I told my understanding bride. “There’s no crying in barbecue.” I had come to the pinnacle moment when I had assembled all of the paraphernalia necessary to produce mouth-watering creations through the economy and magic of a home  meat smoker.  It all began so innocently. I was sucked into the vortex of an irresistible Black Friday deal. My middle son has established a family reputation for his skill as a meat smoker, often providing chicken, turkey, ribs and fish or some of our harvested game for all to enjoy. Nothing is left behind when he  brings smoked meat.  His old smoker had sadly seen better days, so the idea of getting him a new one for Christmas was rolling around in my head. On Black Friday I visited one of our local home improvement outlets. There in stacked boxes were just a few remaining “deals” th...

For nearly 30 years I have been writing about all subjects in the Great Outdoors in a weekly column that has appeared in several newspapers and outdoor publications. This blog will feature current columns when posted along with updates and any comments your wish to add. Let's begin with my Union Tribune column from last week.