GRANDPA’S OLD HAT - Doug Campbell

[Terry_Green]

GRANDPA’S OLD HAT
by Doug Campbell

The old felt hat had been sitting on the shelf in my office ever since
grandma had given it to me. A Clint Eastwood style flat top hadn’t
appealed to me, but it had looked fine on grandpa. I had decided I
needed a change of luck and got the hat down. When I punched the crown
up and put a crease down the middle it looked to be just fine.

Now here I sit feeling sorry for myself. After tonight my season will
pretty much be over since this is the last weekend. Missing a big buck
early, the elk not bugling out west, being laid up with a shoulder
injury for nearly a month, then losing a doe late in the season. It
didn’t seem fair to have to end the season like this. One of the good
things about sitting in a tree for hours on end is it gives you time to
think and contemplate life. For some reason tonight with the mood I’m
in it seems better to reminisce about the past than to dwell on the
problems I seem to be having now.

Grandpa was a major factor in my having a life long love of the
outdoors mainly hunting and fishing. Back before I was even old enough
to think about shooting something myself, I was hearing stories and
seeing pictures of hunting and fishing. When I was six years old my
Uncle Charles made me a hickory long bow which launched thousands of
kid made arrows. Between this, Grandpa and
Dad taking me fishing every time I could talk them into it, I developed
a passion for the outdoors that couldn’t be stopped. Over the years I
chased a lot of critters without Grandpa, but he was there when I shot
my first deer with the same rifle he and two of my uncles had shot
their first deer with. He enrolled me in the NRA before I even had a
clue what it was.

Grandpa’s tastes leaned toward guns and baitcasters, while mine have
gone more to traditional archery and flyrods. There was an affinity
between us and I’m sure if he was still around he would be in the
middle of what I’m doing now. Grandpa always seemed to have something
interesting going, whether it was reloading his own ammo or making the
crappie jigs that always worked so well. I couldn’t wait to see what
was coming next.
I thank the Good Lord for the influences of these men and a few
more I’ve run across through the years. They helped establish the
morals and ethics I’ve tried to live by.

Grandpa, Uncle Charles and dad are gone now, but wearing this old hat
makes it seem like their not so far away. When I stop to think about
the good things of this season and the great experiences I’ve had over
the years because of what the man who wore this hat instilled in me.
It’s hard to imagine having a bad season. I believe I am going to have
to break this hat in, it seems have to become an important part of my
hunting gear.