Great point Shawn! As I recall, that was the last hunt of the Coastal Zone last year. You, Connor (as you seem to call him), Tyler and I. That is a brief story that Pat would love.
Pat- On one occasion Tyler and I had made a quick stop into the local Harbor Freight. While at the register, Tyler spotted one of their cheap fire-starters in the impulse section near the counter. I don't think Shawn is far off on the price. It was certainly less than $2. Being a young teenage boy, Tyler was convinced he had to have it and wanted to learn to start a fire with the "flint and steel" device. I gave in because what "boy" doesn't think it's cool to start a fire with a spark. Well, Tyler tossed the fire starter on the counter and that is the last I saw of it. Fast forward to the final hunt of the 2014-2015 season. Shawn, his son Connor, Tyler and I decided on a place to meet up. It was going to be a higher than normal tide, the wind was blowing pretty hard, and the rain was coming down cold and icy. We launched the boats and headed to our spot. Once the decoys were set and the boats were anchored up, we began to get the rest of our things ready in the boats. As our movement in the boats began to slow down, we turned to look with anticipation at the morning sky and sunrise. While we waited anxiously for wings and grey shadows to move in our direction the cold began to set in. First the hands, then the feet. We made the decision to give the little trusty portable propane heater a try. Shawn and Connor went to work on theirs, Tyler and I on ours. No luck. Prime the fuel, push the igniter, and nothing. Just a click. Upon closer look, there was no spark from the igniter. We continued to try to no avail. We could smell the propane, so we knew gas was flowing, but we couldn't convince a spark to come forth. The search began in both boats for a lighter, matches or something. Nothing. Tyler began to look over the blind into the marsh with a thought roiling in his brain. I asked him what he was looking for, to which he replied "rocks." I asked him why he was looking for rocks and he began to explain how maybe we could strike them together to create a spark and light the heater. As he was formulating his idea, a light bulb went off in his head and he quickly grabbed for another small "possibles" bag he had with him. His hand quickly reached into the bag and came out with the Made in China, $1.50, fires tarter, purchased and later forgotten, from Harbor Freight. He handed me the fire starter and asked if it would work. A couple of attempts later, we had a flame lit and the heater was drying itself off. As the flame burst forth, I was humorously reminded of Tom Hanks' line in Castaway, "I make fire!" I then moved over to Shawn's boat and we got his lit as well so he and Connor could also enjoy the warmth of their heater. At that moment, Shawn reminded me that know matter how many times I may get frustrated at Tyler when something doesn't go just right, he just bailed us out of what could have been a miserably cold day.
I figured, having met and hunted with Tyler before, and of course being a Boy Scout, you might enjoy the son coming through being prepared!
Chad A
