When living in places distant from West Virginia, I always looked forward to returning to the state in late December. No matter what crummy job you were working at, you could always get some time off around Christmas. I usually had friends from around the country that would come to turkey hunt during the winter turkey season. The time was looked forward to as an annual holiday tradition. The woods were settled down from the seemingly perpetual deer season and there were only a few groups of bear hunters at that time. It was a good way to wind down the year. The WVDNR ended the winter turkey season a few years ago to "allow for more deer hunting opportunities." That was right before the deer population crashed in the mountain regions.

I am hoping; by the time you are reading this, to be busy grinding and cutting up venison for the freezer. Those of you who live in the western areas of the state don't realize how lucky you are. Those of us in the eastern readership area usually have to scrounge for every delectable morsel. I bought a new muzzleloader in hopes of adding another deer to the freezer.

Usually, by the time muzzleloader season opens, the weather in the mountains is so bad that it isn't fit to look out of the windows. I hope that we get a few tolerable days this year.

With the season of giving approaching, I will give you a list of essential reading that should appeal to all outdoors people. Give the gift of knowledge, it will last a lifetime.

Joe Humphreys's Trout Tactics is in my opinion, the only trout fishing book anyone needs to own. After you read it the second time, you will understand why. This is the eastern trout fishermen's bible. Anyone who has evolved beyond the "When'd They Stock" stage, or hopes to, should own this book. It is not only for fly-fishers. All anglers should be capable of understanding and adapting.

The Butterflies Of West Virginia and their Caterpillars, written by Thomas J. Allen, is an excellent and thorough book. The book gives complete descriptions, range maps, photos and food sources for all species of butterflies present in West Virginia.

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog, written by Ted Kerasote, is must reading for every dog owner or dog owner to be.

Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians, written by William C. Roody, is the mushroom reference for our area. This is an excellent book for anyone who wanders the West Virginia hills.

The books listed above are all available from Amazon.com, and possibly at your local library.

One other book that I would like to mention is the Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide. The book was written by Allen de Hart and Bruce Sundquist. It describes 180 U.S. Forest Service trails and is a valuable source of information for hikers, back-country hunters and anglers. It is available for $17.95 at www.wvhighlands.org.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS