Outdoor Passions
Phil Taunton
Friday, January 12, 2007
I set Wifeus back a bit the other day when I told her my next column would be about how certain passions influence our life.
The anxiety left her face when I promised I wasn’t going to write about our relationship, nor her overwhelming fondness for golf! Passion aplenty there, I guar-ON-tee you!
The Kansas City Sportshow, featuring 400,000 square feet of exhibits from boats, RVs, vacation destinations to hunting and fishing interests, started Tuesday and will be on tap this weekend at Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Seminars on everything from dog training, crappie fishing and turkey hunting will be given throughout the exhibition. All the latest hunting and fishing gear also will be on display. I feel my blood pressure rising already!
It was sad to hear that for the first time since 1984, lure designer Butch Millard won’t be manning a booth at the Sportshow. Butch, 59, suffered a fatal heart attack on Dec. 14 while talking to his wife on a cell phone after a tremendous day of fishing on Melvern Lake.
He and a friend boated over 200 crappie that day and had a marvelous time on the water. His wife, Cris, and friends were consoled because they understood his love for fishing and knew Butch went out the way he would have wanted to, enjoying what he was doing and not suffering.
Most people who share a love for the outdoors are people persons, and Butch was no exception. At the Sportshow, Butch loved to share stories of his fishing adventures and talk to other fishermen, especially about fish they caught on the lures he designed and manufactured.
The Butch Millard story reminds me of an old friend of mine that passed away several years ago.
S. Orlando Somers, a noted Emporia dentist, was an 81-year-old bird dog enthusiast when I first met him. Our love for bird dogs bonded us into a caring and sharing friendship over the next nine years until “Doc” died at age 90.
Orlando commented to me many times that his passion for bird dogs, a love for wildlife and being in the country were things that kept him going when the pressures of life became too unbearable. Doc was my hero.
Any octogenarian who wants to handle three wide-ranging pointers and keep active with quail hunting and wildlife conservation had to be admired. There are too many young people that have already given up on the wonders of the Great Outdoors — not enough time, no place to go and other assorted aches, pains and complaints.
Even after Dr. Somers quit hunting due to his failing eyesight, he stayed very active working around his yard. It was always a pleasure to drive by and chat with him about how pretty the flowers were or how his grass and plantings were doing. He never let his age or the multiple heart bypasses slow him down.
Once, while working our young pointers, I asked Doc what I should do if he had an attack out in the fields. He said not to worry, just help him get a couple of nitroglycerin pills down and then seek help. Mind you, this was before cell phones or service like we have today was even thought about.
If and when the good Lord decided it was time for Doc to depart this world, he couldn’t think of a better place to be than out in the Great Outdoors working a bunch of young bird dogs. It was his passion.
Doc had quite a sense of humor once you got to know him and got a kick out of one other suggestion I made: With his permission I would use his new Tri-Tronics training collar to administer a few jolts of Number 5 and try to bring him around!
Anyone who knew S. Orlando Somers and his beloved wife, Harriet, admired their unselfish devotion to each other and the passions they shared. I can only marvel at the ambitions and energies they both displayed so late in life.
Sometimes outdoor adventures can be pretty strenuous, and each of us must realize our personal limitations and capabilities. It also is wise to have someone in your group who has had formal training in First Aid should an unexpected emergency arise. You also might want to seek this training yourself.
Newman Regional Health in Emporia will host an American Red Cross First Aid, Adult/Infant/Child CPR class on Jan. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Continuing Education Classroom. Individuals wanting to take the class can register in person at Newman Regional Health’s Marketing and Education Department on the second floor. For questions, please call 343-6800, ext. 2520.
Kansas Winter Bird Survey
Also on tap this weekend is the Kansas Winter Bird Survey for those who have a passion for bird watching.
With cold, icy weather in the forecast, the backyard bird feeders should really be active.
Each January, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks asks bird watchers from across the state to observe their feeders for two consecutive days between Jan. 11-14 and report the different species they see using the feeders. Information from this survey helps KDWP biologist track songbird population trends and types of feed that are most attractive to backyard birds.
For more information, phone (620) 672-5911, ext. 192 or visit the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, and either print a survey or access it online. (Click “Other Services” at the top of the home page, then “Wildlife Diversity” in the left hand column, then “Surveys” and “Kansas Winter Bird Survey.”)
Participants can use the form to describe their feeders and record the birds they see.