Why I Hunt and Fish
()
About this ebook
My newest book "Why I Hunt and Fish" documents my journey from a young boy growing up in the country and first realizing what a joy it was to spend my time outdoors, to recent years enjoying the blessings and bounty that a life spent in the woods and on the water has afforded me.
If you or someone you know has a deep appreciation for all the intangibles that can be realized by spending a quiet day on a trout stream, sharing a remote deer camp with friends, or simply sitting quietly in the fall woods, this book should help rekindle some of those fond memories.
John Alan Negich
John A. Negich is an outdoor writer and photographer as well as a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor writers Association. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and strives to convey what a treasure we are blessed with in the woods and streams we are fortunate to have at our disposal.
Related to Why I Hunt and Fish
Related ebooks
Woods, Water and Wonderment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Praying Atheist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPond Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Pines Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvest of Memories: Grandpa and the Pup Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCooked Raw: How One Celebrity Chef Risked Everything to Change the Way We Eat Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Swamp Archeologist: Dead End Kid Adventures, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cutest Little Animal Horror Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Yeti: Nine Years from Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaved by LOVE: An Incomplete Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSparks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Dago Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmall Events: A Collection of Haibun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Leaf In the Wind - From Sherwood Forest to the Amazon Jungle. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Search for Adventure Leads to Alaska Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Trip Through Time: Poems by Max Bess Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWildflower Girl Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecret of the Satilfa: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFound in Sanity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Dago Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife's Lessons for the Hunter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMe 'n' Shorty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMatthew's Secret: The Story of a Young Pioneer in 1845 on the Oregon Trail Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCockroach and other stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hawk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alone in a Cabin for the Winter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMisadventures of an (Almost) Average Canadian Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sage of Dibbin Creek Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuby's Spring Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHiding in Plain Sight: Guardians: Barrie Tales, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Outdoors For You
Ultimate Survival Hacks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How To Think Like A Spy: Spy Secrets and Survival Techniques That Can Save You and Your Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/552 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prepared: The 8 Secret Skills of an Ex-IDF Special Forces Operator That Will Keep You Safe - Basic Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emergency Survival Manual: 294 Life-Saving Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sailing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Survive Anything: From Animal Attacks to the End of the World (and Everything in Between) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bushcraft Illustrated: A Visual Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for ANY Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles: Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mushrooms of the Northwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Winter Survival Handbook: 157 Winter Tips & Tricks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual: 272 Wilderness Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pocket Guide to Prepping Supplies: More Than 200 Items You Can?t Be Without Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Basis of the Motion Picture 127 Hours Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Wilderness Survival Handbook: 172 Ultimate Tips & Tricks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThey Shoot Canoes, Don't They? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Survive Off the Grid: From Backyard Homesteads to Bunkers (and Everything in Between) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOutdoor Survival Guide: Survival Skills You Need Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Why I Hunt and Fish
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Why I Hunt and Fish - John Alan Negich
Short Stories and poems
Honoring hunting, Fishing, Nature and Other Things I treasure
Written and illustrated by
John Alan Negich
© 2018 John A. Negich. All Rights Reserved
Other books by the author
Available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle
––––––––
Retribution – A dark tale about a WWII army ranger’s fight to protect, defend and right the wrongs done to the ones he loves
––––––––
My Life in Rhymes – Is a book of poetry that depicts the times, people and places that have impacted the author’s life.
Many times, a poem leaves the reader to wonder what message the author is trying to convey.
––––––––
The poems contained in this book were written well before these stories were penned. I hope the stories will provide a glimpse into my intended thoughts and feelings when I wrote them.
This book dedicated to:
––––––––
My parents, John and Margaret Negich
My in-laws, Walter and Mary Jane Coldren
The aunts, uncles and cousins that helped shape me
All my friends, family and extended family who shared many of these memories with me
We must treat our planet as if it was our only child and remember that human progress is not always Mother Nature’s friend
Fencerow
Fencerow in the snow
Bleached gray by countless days
Your borderline determined
By the ground on which you lay
Your purpose is long since gone
And now you stand forlorn
Dividing now progress and past
Not pasture fields and corn
Table of Contents
Memories of My Father
Morris’s Pond
Hunting with Uncle Moose
The All-Nighter
A Tree in the Woods
The Monday after Thanksgiving
Poker Flat
Crossbow Buck
The Old Man’s Gun
A Rainy Day Jake
Black Raspberries
Wyoming Fish on Ranch
Christmas Morning
My Day at the Gym
Sergeant Michael F. McHugh
Memories of My Father
1957
––––––––
The love of the outdoors is like a seed which, when carefully planted in an individual and properly cultivated, will, through the years; blossom into an infinite number of truly unforgettable experiences. Some of which will linger in a special place reserved for only the most precious kind of memories. Remembrances of stepping into the woods long before sunrise on a freezing cold, frosty morning the first day of buck season, the sound of beagles running a rabbit on a rainy and chilly day in the fall, or sitting in the woods waiting for a bushy tail to appear from hiding on a bright sunlit November afternoon.
The following story of recollected memories is for those of us who were lucky enough to have had that seed planted by a father, uncle, cousin or brother long ago. A seed which has bloomed into a deep appreciation of hunting in the fields and forests of Pennsylvania and the gift of being able to look back fondly and recall the people and moments that shaped us as hunters. Great memories of special times can easily be relived simply by leaning back in your easy chair, closing your eyes and recalling the good times which were part of Days Gone By.
I was just a fuzzy headed kid with dirty rolled up jeans, a pair of high top black tennis shoes and a Davey Crockett t-shirt roaming the woods and fields near my home. I recall having a mason jar tucked snugly under my arm, a long straight walking stick in my hand that served a multitude of purposes, and there was always a pen knife in my pocket. The jar, of course, was for any interesting specimen I would manage to catch, or for the frog eggs that I hoped would finally be in the pond near the old deserted farm house. How proud my teacher would be if I was the first one in class to capture such a rare prize. She would surely display them on the window sill so we could watch as they became tadpoles, and I would have the opportunity to describe the metamorphosis to all of my interested classmates. The stick, on the other hand, could transform into a tool of many purposes. It could become a climbing aid if I decided to attempt to scale the steep slope of the slag pile at the edge of town pretending it was Mount Everest. Or it might magically become a shiny new Ithaca pump shotgun if I happened to bounce a bunny from the thicket or flush a rooster out of the brush during my trek into the wilderness. The knife was, of course, for protection from any and all dangers or imaginary creatures a boy of my age might encounter while I explored the countryside. It might simply be used for carving my initials into the bark of a tree or shaping the end of my walking stick into a spear. I feel so fortunate to have experienced many such days during my youth in the outdoors, with the sun, the woods, the abundance of game and the wonders of nature so close at hand. They stick in my memory and are as vivid to me now as the day they happened.
The room was dark when I awoke, with just a faint glimmer of light that slid under the door of my bedroom to disturb the darkness. I snuggled deeper into the warm softness of the bed and pulled the covers snugly around my body to shut out any cold air that would try to creep in. I knew someone was awake because I could smell the mixed aroma of coffee and bacon coming from the kitchen. But knowing it was Saturday, it was still dark outside and there was no school, the bed felt just too comfortable to leave.
Saturday!!!!! I was suddenly wide awake as I realized today was the first day of small game season. To a young boy of nine going on ten, this day held as much joy and excitement as any day could ever hold, even if I was not old enough to hunt myself. I cautiously, but quickly slipped out of bed, trying not to wake my little brother who was sharing the bed with me. A brief chill ran through me as my feet hit the cold linoleum floor. Today I did not give it a second thought as I dressed quickly and made my way to the kitchen as fast as possible and said, Good Morning, Dad.
Hey, kid,
He said without looking up from his breakfast. Dad was not much for idle conversation, especially when he was eating.
Where are you going to hunt today?
I asked with all the enthusiasm I could muster.
He slowly leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment as he picked bacon from between his teeth. I think I’ll go out to the Karp farm and hunt the apple orchard behind the house where it meets the corn field. Maybe I can catch that old rooster we saw crossing the road there the other day feeding in the corn.
I knew the place well as we had spent a lot of time in the area picking wild black raspberries in July and collecting black walnuts in the fall. Can I go with you please, Dad, please, please?
I pleaded.
I had asked to go with him many times before and had always been met with the same response. Maybe when you get a little older, I will let you walk along with me
he would say. He was a man of few words and his most common response to any of my other questions or requests was usually an emphatic NO!
Exactly the answer I did not want to hear.
However, this time he hesitated just a bit and my spirit began to soar. He walked over to the white porcelain stove, poured another cup of coffee and said, Dress warm, put on your rubber boots and wear my old orange vest.
My mother, of course, was hesitant, but he assured her we would only be gone for a couple hours and he was growing tired of me pestering him about going. It’s time the boy gets a taste of it to see if he really wants to be a hunter,
he snapped.
She reluctantly agreed, so we piled into the old Chevy and I was off on my first real hunt.
I walked behind him, tracing his footsteps, and watched intently as he moved along the thick hedgerow that separated the apple orchard and the harvested corn field. I could hear the dry autumn leaves crackle under Dad’s boots as he walked slowly and alertly through the brush, searching out and kicking every possible piece of cover that the big bird might be hiding in. Suddenly there it was, a brilliant thundering mass of color and blurred wings climbing through the now barren limbs of the apple trees. With a quick and rock steady movement, Dad raised the JC Higgins 12 gauge pump, took quick and careful aim and sent the ring necked bird plummeting to the ground.
––––––––
After he retrieved the bird, he turned, and with a sly grin on his face, he winked at me. The experience was all and more than I could ever have imagined, and I knew that on that overcast morning in October of 1957, a new hunter was born.
It was a hot and bright August afternoon in 1958 without a cloud in the sky as Dad and I sat along the fence row in the shade of a red oak watching over the newly mowed hayfield and waiting