Hunting and Heroes Part One

The geese are finding it

as difficult as we are to find

a warm place to settle in.

They were here by the millions last week

and disappeared to the north quickly....

a few days later, blizzard conditions 

were hitting North Dakota and we started 

seeing them heading back south.

A crazy winter for everybody, I guess.

Today we've been watching them again in every direction

circling the cropland and searching for open waters.

 All the geese reminded me of some old

pictures Sall has of his Uncle Clarence

with his hunting party in Southern

South Dakota along the Missouri River

called "The Mulehead"

The Mulehead is quite a historical piece of 

property near Bonesteel, South Dakota (population 350).

Back when Uncle Clarence was hunting there

the Haisch family owned it.

Clarence and his wife Fay hunted 

geese there annually back in the 40's and 50's

Clarence was Vice President of 

the John Morrell Packing Plant in Sioux Falls

and hunted with some well-known 

businessmen of Sioux Falls and one very 

famous man from South Dakota....

Joe Foss

Joe Foss

April 17,1915 - Jan. 1, 2003

was the leading fighter ace of the 

United States Marine Corps during World War II.

A 1943 recipient of the Medal of Honor,

a General in the Air National Guard,

the 20th Governor of South Dakota, 

and the first commissioner of

the American Football League.

Joe and Uncle Sall along with Herb Shoeneman,

Jess Taylor, Billy and Curly Haisch,

Lyle Sheldon, Bob Foster,

Harry Tunge, and Myron Efting

and others that names have been 

lost over the years,

one big happy hunting party.

(Every time I look at the pictures 

I can almost smell the cigar smoke!)

The geese proudly hung on the side 

of the old truck.

"It was a good hunt, men!"

I love these old pictures...

Men and Hunting,

doing what they love, 

the comradeship,

great memories and stories they 

all surely passed on to their grand-children.

I know that Uncle Clarence who passed away in 1983,

was a huge influence in a certain young boy's life.

Sall looked up to and admired his uncle as

if he had also won the medal of honor.

To this day he loves to hunt and

talk about Clarence and the boys

shootin' at the mulehead!

That was many years ago,

I wonder if they are in heaven flying beside the geese now?

R.I.P. men

your legacy lives on.

Have a great week, my friends!