Tales From the Marsh

By

Marshall MacFarlane 
 

      Well, my seven year old daughter finally went on her first hunting trip, and what a great trip it was! Not because we came home with any game, but because she learned some very valuable lessons, while Dad cashed in on some very special father-daughter time.

      Mikaela has been fishing several times, but also loves to talk about hunting. Every day that I got out during javelina season, she waited anxiously for news of my success, when I returned home (empty-handed, I might add). She also asked constantly when she could go with me. I’m not a very proficient glasser, so my hunting technique involves putting some miles on. During an average day in January, looking for deer and javelina, I put on between 4 and 7 miles tramping the desert washes. I knew there was no way that she could hack an outing like that. I had stumbled upon a spot though, not far from a road, was a fairly easy walk, and contained an abundance of deer and javelina tracks. I decided on an afternoon outing – Mik could spray some doe pee around, clack some antlers together, and play with the grunt call. At this point in the season, my luck wasn’t going to get any worse….  Boy, was she excited!

      So, one Sunday after Church, we headed out, as planned. I explained that the first important step was telling someone where you were going. We told her Mom the area to which we were headed, packed up, and hit the road. About 45 minutes later, we were parking the truck. Mikaela had her own backpack – I explained that it was important that we each had our own water and food. I showed her how to find on a map, where you parked - and how to determine which direction to walk, should you get turned around. I showed her how to use the compass. I explained to her the contents of my pack – jerky, apples, granola bars, and lots of water. Several ways to start a fire. Maps, extra knives, compass, GPS, etc. I answered all of her questions, as I explained that you always plan for the worst scenario. Finally, we were ready to hit the trail. Walking up a large sandy wash, we soon came upon both deer and javelina tracks. It wasn’t long before she could easily tell the difference between the two, and even identify the coyote tracks, which sprinkled the sand. She learned about crossing fences safely, and different cacti. She learned how to tell direction by the sun’s location. Of course, she had a ton of questions. She even learned, for the first time, how to answer “the call of nature”.

      At some point, we had stopped for a break. Mik was on one side of a wash, and I was on the other. She was grunting and rattling, munching granola bars, and chattering away. I was looking around, and answering questions the best I could. Imagine my surprise when I looked up to see a lady emerging from the brush about 50 yards away! I caught her eye and waved – she immediately made a beeline towards me. The lady appeared to be very upset, and asked if we might help her. She told us that she was lost. She had been hiking with her husband, and hadn’t seen him for over two hours. The lady couldn’t describe to us where she had parked. She didn’t have any water or food. Her husband had a cell phone, but she didn’t know the number. Well, we got her calmed down, and assured her that she wouldn’t have to spend the night in the woods. We gave her a bottle of water, and an apple. We told her we’d walk her out to the main road, and that we had sandwiches, chips, soda, and more water at my truck. Once there, we’d figure out how to find her husband. On the way out, Mikaela entertained Claudine with lots of conversation – everything from her newly learned survival techniques to the names and breeds of her four dogs. We discovered that Claudine and her hubby Dwayne were visiting from New Mexico. Coincidentally, on the way out, we heard Dewayne calling. We answered back, and headed in his direction. Calling back and forth, we got closer and closer. Soon, even Claudine was hollering. Apparently, Mikaela felt left out – when Dwayne was very close, but not visible due to thick brush – Mikaela blurted out “We come in peace!” Claudine was obviously relieved to be out of her predicament. She told us that she has a bad hip, and is supposed to be taking medication every 4 hours or so. Dwayne was relieved, I am sure, but seemed a little irritated by the whole thing. All in all – it served as the perfect reinforcement for all of Mikaela’s earlier lessons. It felt nice for both of us to have been able to help. Upon returning home, her mother asked how we made out. Mikaela replied nonchalantly “Oh, I learned about tracks, I found a cool bone, and we rescued some lady”…. 
 

      A lot of people hear horror stories about the “big” outdoor stores that get high marks for convenience and sheer volume of goodies and gadgets, but are often accused of poor customer service and crowding out the small, “Mom and Pop” shops. Recently, I had a technical mix-up involving the sale of a shotgun at the Goodyear Sportsman’s Warehouse. I have to say that the Store Manager, Roger Berends, and the District Manager, Don Thomas out of Texas were more than helpful in resolving my issues. Not only were they sympathetic to my time and efforts, they went out of their way to make sure that I was recognized for my troubles. Mr. Thomas even decided to implement one of my suggestions on a District-wide basis. Score one for the Sportsman’s Warehouse! By the way – there is another one expected to open on this side of the valley, in about 4 months – near Baseline and Greenfield! 
 

      Don’t forget that the Arizona Fish & Game website is THE place to start, for all of your outdoor-related questions. Go to www.azgfd.com .