As I write this, I’m entering my second month with Lone Star Outdoor News, but yesterday marked the first day without the former managing editor, Lili Keys. While I’m sad to see her leave, I’m certainly grateful for the well-oiled editorial machine she left behind.
To any exposed journalist, this genre of news is fascinating. In no other segment of media does such a niche audience deliver such consistent readership, a phenomenon I believe can only be explained by the readers themselves — who are always reading.
The need to learn is at the core of who outdoorsmen and women are. This shared love for wildlife wholly correlates with our conceived obligation to understand it. And, if you ask me, there’s no one better for a writer to connect with than a reader who lives in such a sentiment.
Perhaps that’s what made this publication so attractive to me, as not only do its readers offer the powerful connection with the outdoors, but also the reputable fellowship among Texans.
No other state has an outdoors newspaper like LSON, largely because no other state is as large. To even try to wrap your head around the reality that Caddo Lake and Big Bend National Park share the same borders is seemingly impossible. And yet, to a Texan, the two feel linked. That’s what gives this paper its bones, and that’s what makes this opportunity such a privilege for me.
I’ve been living in Austin for seven years, traveling all over the state with my trusty English setter, Sage, who coincidentally graced last issue’s front page. I’m a diehard upland hunter with a passion for finding new covers, and I’ve spent most of my life fishing for bass and catfish. But ultimately, I enjoy any chase, whether it’s big game or small game, freshwater or saltwater.
Texas’ size and diversity have a way of satisfying that do-it-all desire, which is what makes telling your especially broad spectrum of stories so exciting.
I can’t wait for everything that lies ahead.
