Gary Greene’s Memories from an Old Hunter…….#28
During the summer of 2016, I reunited with seven of my college fraternity brothers that I haven’t seen or talked to since 1973. None of them were hunters and I tried to explain to them my love of the outdoors, our five Labradors and specifically game bird hunting. It was difficult for these golfing suburban Chicago men to relate to my passions.
After listening to my frat brothers’ golf stories, my thoughts went back to a stocked pheasant hunt that I guided in 2015. I had four young men, 30ish, that were best friends. After leading 400 plus guided hunts, normally, I can appraise my hunters’ experience and skills pretty well before they even step into the fields. These men shot pretty well and were laughing and teasing each other and generally having a great time. I occasionally would also slide into the conversation with a quick verbal wisecrack. During a break, one of the men was feeling pretty good about his hunting skills. He went on to state: “Hey Gary, I bet you didn’t know that we have only been hunting for two years and I think we are doing really well. What do you think?” He was looking for a big compliment, but the atmosphere was light so I continued in that direction. “Well, I think you men hunt like golfers!” They looked at each other and one hunter commented: “I don’t think that was a compliment!” I just smiled and did not respond further. We laughed throughout the remainder of the hunt and they did harvest nearly all 40 stocked pheasants. I received a substantial tip for my guide work and probably a little for entertainment. As a guide, I have to know when and if I can add a little hunting satire.
Greene and his almost eleven year old Hershey after the last pheasant hunt of the 2016 season.
At the reunion, after declaring what we had done for the past 40+years, our college memories were brought forward. Outside of me cleaning a rooster pheasant in the dorm’s bathroom, hunting never came up again. My frat brothers seemed to remember far better than I, my college extra-curricular activities and that list became quite lengthy. Their memories seemed to humorously haunt me, but they all favored the true story of me climbing an outside wall of the Madison capital building and making it up to a second floor balcony before I had the Madison Police nicely talk me down with only a warning. While on that balcony, I don’t recall their memories of me quoting Patrick Henry’s 1775: “Give me liberty or give me death!” or me imitating the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Again, I don’t remember those to be true, but……
As I look back, when we were young college men out on our own for the first time, we didn’t always make the wisest decisions. As a young hunter, I was fairly rule conscience, but did not always make the wisest choices in the field. Just to harvest that extra game bird, I might have stretched a property line or a minute or two on the clock. I am not proud of what I did, but I learned from my wrongdoings.
For several years, I have been fulfilling my bucket list of hunting trips. I’ve driven 12-17 hours in any one direction to find the next honey hole of hunting. I realize that Wisconsin has quite a bit to offer. My son Nate and I get out at least once a week for ducks, but we feel our portion of the Mississippi Flyway does not offer the best hunting. Our waterfowl hunting is good at best, but never great. As I see it, our success depends a lot on if we are capable of catching weather related migrations and getting out in those weather fronts if they pass through our region.
If I am not duck hunting, I am in the field pursuing pheasants. If I am not chasing pheasants on the public hunting grounds, I am guiding at several of our state’s fine hunting clubs. Because of the state stocking program, our state pheasant hunting is outstanding. In each of the last three years, the Wisconsin DNR has stocked over 70,000 huntable pheasants. I hunted several public grounds this past season and I made it out to Bong State Recreational Area nearly a dozen times and only once, did I come home with an empty game bag.
Nate and Gary Greene with a nice harvest of Ringnecks. (2015)
When I’m guiding a pheasant hunt, I know the guide is only as good as his dogs. For a few years, I was a high school varsity baseball coach, and according to the parents, during that brief period of time, I ruined their sons’ future major league careers.
I see it the same with hunting dogs, and here, I really do believe it is the fault of the owner/trainer if that dog doesn’t perform properly. My dogs definitely are an extension of my training abilities, and my control. If they are flushing pheasants 100 yards out ahead of us, that’s my fault, but it sure wasn’t my fault when Billy took that called third strike with tying run on third.
On most of our trips, we have hired guides, because I know they are more familiar with their areas than we are. As traveling hunters, we are on a limited time schedule and don’t have the excess time to scout for birds. During those hunts, we have had some real good, bordering on great guides. Then we have had some guides that were ill–prepared and didn’t attempt to work as advertised. I hope I am viewed as a guide that is intelligent, has decent dogs and works hard for his clients.
This past year, I read about the passing of hockey great Gordie Howe. What got me thinking was that he was known for his famous, “Gordie Howe Hat Trick.” In a hockey game, his hat trick consisted of a goal, an assist, and a fight. So I thought to myself, what three characteristics regarding the outdoors would I like in my hat trick.
My hat trick would be a simple day including a bird hunt, my Labradors, and something I said or wrote that made someone and I laugh, making their day and my day just a little better. That’s a perfect hat trick for me.
My health is failing and my frat brothers were aware. As I was leaving, I hugged each man good bye, they all made comments, as I could not speak and silently walked out the door of their Lake Geneva rental. On the drive home, I thought of what one frat brother had stated regarding my story telling: “Greene, you are larger than life.” I don’t know if I could have been given a better compliment. That’s 1/3 of my hat trick!