The Hunting Bond
This story comes from a family who has visited the lodge every year since we opened, four years ago. It is the heart and soul of hunting, the sport we all love. The Bowdens, from Sioux Falls, heard about the lodge from one of our first guides back then and gave me a call. I can remember the first phone call, from Esther, the grandma of the family, who caught me on the cell phone as I was driving through Sioux Falls. She asked if we had any room for three or four guys on a Saturday, which I believe was the second weekend of the South Dakota pheasant season. From the sound of her voice, I could tell she was elderly but the sound of excitement when she learned we had room for the hunters was unmistakable. I could here her talking to someone in the background during the call and I soon learned that her husband, Herb, and her two sons would come for a hunt. Over the next couple of weeks, I heard from her several times as she asked more questions about the hunt, including the kind of terrain, whether we had dogs, and if it was possible for someone to "just block" during the hunt. Each time, I could hear her relaying the messages to her husband Herb, in the background.
The day of the hunt was perfect, little wind and a few broken clouds and rather moderate temperatures for a late October hunt in South Dakota. The Bowden vehicle showed up and two middle-aged men emerged, one was driving and the other was in the back seat. They introduced themselves with warm smiles as Ron and Doug, Herb’s sons, and quickly moved to the passenger side and lifted the elderly gentleman out of the vehicle. A slight man of maybe 150 pounds, Herb seemed to be rather uncomfortable. Soon to learn, he had just had surgery that morning but insisted he would not miss this opportunity to hunt with his two boys. As the day progressed, Herb moved slower and slower but would not quit on the hunt or as his boys knew, would not give up on them. He had the opportunity to shoot a couple birds, as did the Doug and Ron. It was very evident that the three shared an incredible love of hunting and a father-son bond perhaps only known by those who hunt and fish with their Dads.
It was later that year, Doug brought out his Dad again along with his two sons, Andrew and Nick and a couple of family friends. After a very successful hunt and lunch Doug caught me just prior to leaving and told me something that only hunters and fishers know and understand, "Bruce, you don't know how much this means to us. To give me the opportunity to hunt together with my Dad and two sons this close to Sioux Falls is incredible. You see, this is the bond I have with my Dad and the bond my boys have with me. I have hunted with my Dad every opener since I can remember and my boys and I plan to do the same. Dad has always loved hunting and the Parker area is where he grew up and lived for many years. The pheasants were always plentiful here and Dad took my brother and me hunting when we were boys.
Last year, Herb, Doug, Andrew, and Nick were here for the opener, which they have now reserved forever, and had a great hunt. I remember Herb standing up at the head of the table and telling the group, "That sucker was gliding in from the food plot and thought it was going to get away. I raised my Citori and let him have it." In another funny instance, we were having lunch and the television had a deer hunting show running, as we have several good wildlife tapes around the lodge. Most all of us were making small talk around the table when Herb stood up at the head of the table and said, "Pull the trigger you dummy", referring to the overly-patient hunter he was watching on the screen. We all got a good laugh out of that along with many other cute stories he told about early days hunting in the Parker area.
Herb didn't make the pheasant opener this year as he was in hospice struggling with cancer. True to their word, the rest of the Bowden group showed up on Saturday and dedicated the hunt to Grandpa. Doug checked in with his mom, Esther (whom Herb affectionately referred to as "E-Harmony"), a couple of times during the hunt, as he was aware Herb could pass away at any time. She assured Doug that all was stable and they should enjoy the hunt. During the course of the day, KSFY, a Sioux Falls television channel, came out to interview some hunters, as this is big business for South Dakota and a good hunting story on the economic impact is good journalism. My intent was to send Caitlin, the young reporter who grew up in Minnesota, and her cameraman up to the group from Tampa, who were hunting about ten miles north of here with one of our guides. Instead, for convenience purposes, I told her to catch up with the Bowdens just north of the lodge and ask about the dedicated hunt. She quickly agreed and we walked to meet the hunters in the field.
Over the next several hours, the young reporter put together or do I dare say she stumbled on a story of what hunting is really about. She wired Doug with a remote microphone and followed the hunt, in which the group quickly bagged a few birds as well as missed a few. Doug spoke of what is great about hunting, enjoying the beautiful outdoors, the great comradely and bonding and about why they dedicated this hunt to Grandpa. He mentioned this was the first opener he could remember he hunted without his Dad. Soon, the young reporter interviewed Nick, Herb’s grandson. Nick did his best to keep his composure but his cracking voice soon gave into the emotion he felt, not being able to hunt with his Grandpa. Everyone witnessing the interview was teary-eyed, as well.
Later that night, on the six o'clock news, the story of the opener came on and while most of the channels in Sioux Falls were talking about the economic impact of hunting to South Dakota, how commercial hunting is destroying the sport, or highlighting some of the famous people visiting the state, a young reporter from Minnesota was revealing to her audience the reason we all hunt. It's not to kill, it's not to get food for the freezer, and it's not to compete with fellow participants, like many other sports. As hunters, you all know what I’m talking about. The Bowden group watched and cried.
Herb Bowden passed away five days later at the age of 82 and left a legacy. Not just of his service in WW II as a gunner and radioman. Not of his dedication to the troubled youth of South Dakota with his donation of the Bowden Youth Center, an outreach program in downtown Sioux Falls Not that he was the NASA Convention Chairman at one point in his life or one of his Person of the Year awards, of which he was awarded several during his life along with being named to the South Dakota Hall of Fame for his contributions in business and his fifty some patents in electronics. All of these are tremendous accomplishments for a man dedicated to his loving wife, Esther, his children, his grandchildren and his job. At his wake, as his friends and family eulogized him, the theme most common was his love of hunting. You see, Herb left a legacy of father-son bonding through hunting that will remain long after the other accolades are forgotten. For I, like you, can remember your first hunt with your Dad or your sons and daughters like it was yesterday. It’s a bond that transcends all our faults, all our accomplishments, our wealth or poverty.
On the printed obituary there is a picture of Herb walking in a food plot, his trusty over-under in hand (which he gave to Andrew prior to this season), tipping his orange hunting hat to the world as if to say "so long, happy hunting."
Thank God for all we have in the wonderful country and thank all those who have fought for our freedoms.
By Bruce Weller
