It is a sad day in Whoville. My one remaining Tennessee Outdoor Writing Hero has abandoned ship, flown the coop, deserted his troops and otherwise gone by the wayside.

I have, however, no ill will or animosity toward Bob Hodge. I understand his decision all too well, as I too (at the request of Editors) have been forced to abandon my own outdoor writing ship at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Freelancers like me were obvious targets for budget cuts.

Bob Hodge however was the fulltime Outdoor Writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel. In fact Bob was the ONLY fulltime Outdoor Writer remaining in the entire State of Tennessee. There are some freelancers who claim to be full timers… but Bob was the only one who actually got paid by a company to report exclusively on the Outdoors five days a week, every week, with insurance and other benefits that come with a "real" job.

Bob however, cut the cord with the Sentinel of his own volition, giving up what he described as the perfect job… a job others are envious of… because he saw the handwriting on the wall.

"There is just no future in the newspaper industry," said Hodge. "Right now the industry is just not sound... it doesn't have a business model that works. I just didn't know how much longer they could pay someone to write about the Outdoors. I had a great opportunity come along and I felt (leaving) was in the best interest of my family and myself."

Every other major newspaper in Tennessee long ago gave up fulltime Outdoor Writers. Some still have writers who are assigned to cover the Outdoors, along with basketball, football, softball and other responsibilities. The Knoxville News Sentinel will now be going the same route, with periodic freelance contributions from Hodge.

There was a day when Outdoor Writers were movers and shakers among their journalism peers and among the conservation movement. In the 1950's the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association (TOWA), along with the Tennessee Conservation League (now Tennessee Wildlife Federation), were credited with creating our current form of wildlife management strategy, well-documented in Lou Williams "Tennessee Conservation Revolution." These days TOWA struggles to keep its head above water.

And outdoor readers struggle to find words and pictures to feed their lust for information. On a local level, the void of words created for the hook & bullet crowd grows deeper, darker and harder to find.

Hodge says he feels a certain amount of guilt for adding to that void.

"Yea, I do feel bad abandoning people out there," said Hodge. "We were one of the few who would cover the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission along with other important hunting and fishing issues. But I have to weigh that against the state of newspapers. Everyone at the Knoxville News Sentinel was forced to take a 3 percent pay cut.

"When you're on the Titanic and don't jump on a life boat when you have the chance, you only have yourself to blame," said Hodge.

Now he is working for Energy Publishing, writing about the coal industry.

From the environment to coal, he says some accuse him of selling out but with classic Hodge-humor he adds that "I haven't sold out. I'm just being rented out."

"Besides, I've always been a coal guy," he said. "I know coal keeps the lights burning at my home."

What does the future hold for the Outdoor Writing industry?

"In readership surveys by the Knoxville News Sentinel the outdoors always scored extremely well," said Hodge, although he admits that much of the interest is among the non-consumptive outdoor users…. the hiking, biking, canoeing and climbing crowd.

He says the Sentinel and every newspaper needs more coverage for those folks, however says "you can't serve two masters."

"Hunters and fishermen who see a headline about a wild flower walk are going to throw it down," he said. "There is very little overlap between consumptive and non-consumptive users, and right now the hook and bullet guys are getting thrown under the bus."

Part of the reason he says is financial, however another part is social.

"Let's face it, hunting and fishing is not politically correct in many circles," said Hodge. "Most people in the world have the perception that hunters shoot it and then walk away from it. Of course nothing could be further from the truth, but most people don't realize that."

Hodge tells a story about an argument with an Editor over whether the Sentinel should publish the typical picture of a deer hunter posing with their dead deer.

Hodge said, "I won the argument permanently when I turned to our food section in the newspaper, showed her a picture of a ham and said, 'That's a dead animal too. It's just in a different stage of processing."

Bob Hodge had quite a way with words.

"When I walked out the door the last time I told them, 'if this industry turns around, please call me because I'll be back."

Here's hoping for a turnaround.