Anyone interested in wildlife, hunting, fishing and the great outdoors knows the name Terry Knight. In fact, they probably know him personally, for there’s little Knight enjoys more than interacting with others — which might seem strange, considering his engineering background. Knight moved to Lake County in 1986, following 28 years with FEMA and private firms that took him to such distant locales as Vietnam, Morocco and Libya. Some recognize him as the Record-Bee’s outdoors writer, but he also appears in Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Western Outdoor News, Fishing and Hunting News. Wilderness Unlimited and other publications. In between he gives talks, serves on boards such as the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee and more. Oh, and he was recently nominated to the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.
1. So I’m sensing that you enjoy the outdoors.
Yes. Actually, I like nature—the environmental stuff, the biology of the outdoors. That’s the fun part.
2. Would you rather fish, hunt or watch?
I like to watch wildlife. I spend a lot of time hiking. Lake County is a treasure. I enjoy the lake and the wide array of wildlife here.
3. What’s it like to be nominated for the hall of fame?
If I get elected I’d just fall over. Members are Ansel Adams, (John) Muir — those type of guys. It’s an honor just to be nominated.
4. How did you get interested in all of this?
I grew up that way — in a remote area of northern Minnesota. The nearest town was 20 miles away. You learn how to survive. I was actually born in a log cabin.
5. Like Abe Lincoln? Do you have a top hat?
(Laughs). No. A lot of people were born in log cabins. My dad actually built it.
6. Do you have trophies mounted on the wall?
No, I don’t do that. I’ve never had a stuffed head. I was taught respect for animals. When I’m out on the lake fishing, I sometimes forget to fish. I get caught up watching their habits.
7. What’s the toughest fish to catch?
The bass, for game fish.
8. You’re favorite bird?
My favorite would be the golden eagle. We have them in Lake County. It’s one of the largest birds in the county and a top hunter. They’ve been known to take down fawns. And they are rare to see. My next favorite would be the osprey, and they are not rare to see.
9. Will you ever run out of stuff to write?
No, and I’ll tell you why. I get many of my ideas from readers. I’ll get up to four calls a day — ‘why don’t you write about this?’ That starts me on the research. I’ll see someone in a store, ‘I have a story for you.’ Most of them are good leads. That makes it fun. And as a writer I learn a lot.
10. Any moments in the outdoors stand out?
I hunted turkey once with Wally Schirra — you know, the astronaut. To listen to him talk about going to the moon was mind blowing.
