Published: October 24, 2007 11:31 am         

OUTDOOR COLUMN: Women, sons and outdoor memories

As I sit down to write this, my son Matthew is on his way back to Ole Miss for his final couple of months and my wife Janet is on her way back from Arkansas, after visiting her mother and aunt. I reckon this set my mind to wondering and memories I’ve long forgot into motion, in my minds eye. We had like a little bachelor party this weekend as it was just Matthew and myself, of course Jason and my brother Joel had to come up and feast with us last night.

We cooked out wild hog sausage and venison tenderloins wrapped in bacon and laced with onions and bell peppers. Lord, did we feast. My boys and I spent the day sighting in deer rifles and plinking with other guns. It was a beautiful day and we had some good father and son bonding time.

I got to thinking as the house got quite and every body was gone about all the women in my life and the outdoor influences they’ve had on me. I reckon I was missing my wife.

Any way , I thought back to my great-grandmother, I can still see her in her big straw hat and cotton dress going fishing with her cane pole for a mess of red bellies from Bear Creek. I can also remember her admonishing me while I was cleaning a mess of squirrels for her and she caught me cutting the heads off, one of her favorite parts to eat. Before you get to squeamish or judgmental about this remember these people grew up during the great depression and nothing went to waste on wild game nor a farm animal, times were hard. I can still see my great aunt holding my first wild turkey with as much pride as if it were a sack of gold. I remember another great aunt watching me dress a deer and bragging on what a good job I was doing. My mother is not a outdoors person but she grew up in the country and I remember a cold winter we spent in Virginia as my dad was stationed there in the Air Force. It had snowed pretty deep and stayed on the ground for a couple of weeks, as spring finally broke, one warm morning a boy was on his way to school, whistling the bob white mating call and she answered out the window and that young man thought he was talking to a real wild quail. That told me she had a little outdoors in her also. I remember her taking us kids fishing and on picnics when dad was over seas. I remember my wife on our first fishing trip and dove hunt. Yes, the women in my life have had a great influence and fond memories.

As my son left to go back to Ole Miss, I thought of the times we had together over the years and being a Daddy you always think of when they are small as they seem more dependent on you then. Matthew was, and is, not the big outdoorsman that my twins and I are but that does not change the love I have for him.

I remember taking him squirrel hunting when he was small and he could not walk very quiet. I had killed a couple and we were setting against a large oak tree and I looked around and he was stuffing acorns in their jaws, I said, what in the world are you doing son and he said, I don’t want them to go to heaven hungry. I could go on and on but time nor space are not enough. Anyway, he forgot several things as he was attempting to leave and I told him I loved him and to be careful, but I failed to get up and hug him, anyhow, he came back in as he had my four wheeler key in his pocket and I got up and hugged him properly, he said, I guess there was a good reason I forgot and came back. There is a lesson in that; our youngin’s never get to old for a hug.

The women in my life are important and my sons are, too, not to mention the grandchildren that are building new memories. As you sit on that deer stand or against that big oak, think of your own special people in life and thank God for your blessings.

Dirk Thayer is an outdoor columnist for The Star Herald.