Merry Christmas 2013

What a magical time of the year it is when Christmas rolls around; I hope that by the time you read this column you will have had the best Christmas in memory. I also hope that you can keep in perspective the real truth of Christmas…God sent his only son to us as a gift to guide us and it all happened so very many years ago….and where….among the animals in the outdoors.

Being that we are in the last week of 2013 I have had some time to look back on the year and the many awesome experiences that I was able to have, being outdoors in the grandeur of nature. I so look forward to each and every season and try not to hurry through…looking for better weather or better fishing or hunting…but take the time to enjoy each facet of the year.

Spring means two things for me; great fishing and turkey season. This past year was great for both and here in southern Indiana we can do both in the same day…and sometimes almost at the same time. Way back in late April I was able to experience one of the best turkey hunts of my lifetime as I coaxed a big ole Owen County Tom to come a looking for love in all the wrong places. Rarely does it all come together but on this day I found the right bird, the right place and the gift I got on that day was not only a great hunt but a full size turkey mount that I will be picking up sometime in the next couple months.

April also found Vickie, Frank Terkhorn and me fishing the North Fork of the White River in southern Missouri. We were able to spend a couple nights hovering over the water at ROLF (River of Life Farms) and floating the beautiful and clear water as it winds and gushes its way southward towards Arkansas. Our first day out found me hooked up with a 21 inch wild rainbow trout and the photos taken will always live on both in my memory and on the walls of my classroom.

As summer came about my attention turned to fishing and all the water we have here in southern Indiana. Dad and I enjoyed a couple different camping trips to Shades State Park where I was able to sniff out many of the great smallmouth spots along the sparkling waters of Sugar Creek. While I was able to land a passel of nice smallies the time spent floating one of the most brilliant waters in Indiana made it all very memorable. So many times I was the only person on the creek and was able to witness wildlife at its most pristine. As I said in those columns…if you aren’t taking advantage of fishing or floating Sugar Creek, you are missing out on a true gem.

Late summer also brought a new friend and new hope into my life; Vickie and I made our way to Northwestern Ohio where we picked up a new German Wirehair puppy by the name of Pappi. He wasn’t just another dog then and for sure since then he has given me back my spirit and love for bird hunting. Taking daily walks…the two of us have become buddies and that relationship continued through lots of training and right into the state of North Dakota where he and I shared together his very first ever rooster pheasant. I can only hope that Pappi and I will have many days afield left traipsing along looking for upland birds.

The common thread with all of these people, places and things is the beauty of time spent in the outdoors. The friendships that I have with special guys like Charlie Warthan, Frank Terkhorn…and especially my own two sons (Harrison and Jonas) as well as my best friend and dad (Ivan) just wouldn’t be the same without nature and all it has to offer!

The time spent alongside my gal Vickie is always special but our time camping and sharing with each other have truly built a bond that is strengthened by our time together in nature. This upcoming year of 2014 is special for me and for both of us as we will be off on an adventure to Glacier National Park to drink in all that Montana has to offer. I have always wanted to have enough time to leisurely travel to Glacier and drive the Highway to the Sun…and this is one of our big plans for our upcoming summer.

My hope and prayer is that 2014 will be the best ever; that you will search out and find time to go camping, take a long walk with your significant other, stroll a spring woods in search of a bag of morels, wet a line with a kid who hasn’t enjoyed fishing…whatever it is that gets you up, out and going all while Enjoying the Great Outdoors!