re: Best outdoor memory with dad or grandfathers

My father became disabled due to a degenerative disease at 42. I was still young and my years fishing and hunting with him were short. 10 or 12.

He still never failed going to his friends camp with me and laying there hurting (his back) just so I could go hunting. His friends would take me, they are pretty much family. He'd stay at the camp but himself waiting our return.

I'm so blessed. It taught me a lot. I deal with a sometimes debilitating issue but I still make it a point to bring the kids camping and outdoors and suck it up. If he could do it then dammit so can I.

He was a fantastic outdoorman. Fish and hunt. Great duck Hunter. Lost his right eye and just picked up shootin left handed. Helps he ambidextrous.

Our last hunt was a marsh down big pasture road. He was wearing his green goose down jacket. Tons of water in the blind. Cold. We killed 13. 9 were green heads. I remember sitting there looking at his silhouette and him asking me what the hell I was looking at and to pay attention if i wanted to kill.

I never did tell him I just wanted to look at him and appreciate everything he did for me and how much I just wanted to enjoy the time with him and could give a frick about killing anything. He hurt so much and I knew how hard life was with him out of work and in constant pain.

Somehow my young self just knew it'd be our last duck hunt I guess..

Sorry for the diatribe. Great thread.