Steve, when next week rolls around and the film crew is at your place it all sounds like a great day to me. Enjoy it!
I was pondering what you said and a few things came to mind. Back about 30 years ago I happened to be back in my hometown of Ortonville, MN for a couple of days. As is my custom, I found myself stopping to see those individuals and or families that I knew when I was a kid in town. One of the ladies I stopped to see was Mrs. Nolop and she was in her 80s then. Her husband was my dentist when I grew up and their son, Tuck, is still a friend. As Mrs. Nolop and I talked she looked at me and said, "Didn't you used to live in Alaska?" I nodded my head and smiled with a "Sometimes I wished that I hadn't left that exciting, most beautiful place in North America." She then said, why did you shoot those magnificent animals like the white sheep and caribou? She had remembered the local newspaper when it had an article about me living in Alaska and hunting big game. I looked at her and said, "That is a great question. Might you have a few minutes for a discussion?"
Here is the around about way we talked. I asked her if she ate meat and she said she did. So then I asked about beef, pork and lamb. She liked all three of those meats. I then looked her straight in the eye and followed up our conversation with this. When I moved up to Alaska I quickly found out how much those meats cost me to have on the dinner table. My next door neighbor in Anchorage, was a hunter and he made darn sure that he shot a moose every year for his family's meat supply. I asked Mrs. Nolop if she had ever tried moose and since she hadn't, I told her that moose meat was the next best thing if you couldn't have beef. I loved it and of course my hot dogs,sausage, hamburger, roasts and steaks all came from moose meat.
Then what I said next, which I thought might not make sense to her, was all about hunting Dall sheep. I told her that I have always loved to hunt just like her husband and her son, Tuck, did. As for the sheep, I think they are the most beautiful animal that walks on terra firma in North America. I love studying this animal and during the summer times I would spend a week just observing the habits of the rams. Then I looked at Mrs. Nolop and said, "Have you ever sat back and smiled after you finished eating the best T-bone steak you ever ate?" She just started laughing because of course the answer was yes. Well, at that moment I told her this. "I know that I had packed that Dall ram's horns, cape, and all the meat on my back and had to walk out 7 air miles to reach the spot where the outfitter said he would meet me on a certain day. Then when I got home I had to process all the meat and get into the freezer. I guess it was a day in October when I pulled out a package of back straps and had them for supper, along with a salad, potatoes and corn. What made me smile was that I used the fork to cut the meat because it was that tender and oh my gosh was it ever tasty." That following spring, my Dall ram, that I had mounted came by cargo ship to Anchorage and I quickly drove home and found a perfect spot to hang the trophy on a wall. Please remember this, Mrs. Nolop. Those dall sheep in Alaska are carefully monitored by biologists working for the state. They make sure that the herd is healthy and only so many animals can be taken by hunters. There is a special season just for them. This way they can be enjoyed by naturalists, hunters, hikers, and photographers.
She looked at me and said, "Sounds to me like maybe your moose and sheep were animals just like my cows and pigs." We both agreed about one thing and that was that we respected the animals.
I normally hunt ducks in the early morning hours with my Benelli Nova and take pictures of my dog bringing me the ducks. Then later in the day I hunt ducks with my Canon camera and take pictures of them.at Bosque del Apache NWR. Not everyone understands but it is amazing how many really do.
Mother Nature sure is unique. She has so many different avenues that you can approach her with. When I think about it, she has definitely made a tremendous impact upon my life!
Al
Hey Troy, some day you might have a mulligan bull's (young bull moose) rack in that boat frame hanging from the rafters.
