Some of my favorite childhood memories include a 10-acre farm pond tucked away in the rolling prairies of southcentral Kansas. Mom and Dad gave me a fishing lease for an eighth grade graduation present, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. I actually remember the first trip Dad and I took to the pond after graduation. Through high school, several of my friends and I spent some fantastic times at the pond, camping, fishing and hunting. The landowners were generous, giving us permission to hunt deer and waterfowl during the fall. Now flash forward 35 years. New landowners allowed an old friend and I to fish recently. I hadn't seen the pond in 20 years and wasn't sure how well it had aged. When we drove through the gate, I was relieved to see that it was still just as beautiful as I remembered. But I knew it couldn't possibly live up to my childhood memories of fishing. But you know what? It did. We caught several nice bass on a warm evening, including a couple that were big enough to get excited about. Memories of past fishing trips flooded my mind as we fished and reminisced. It was a great evening, and it reinforced my feelings about this special place and the people who are most important to me. When I write about the impact spending time fishing and hunting with youngsters can have on their lives, I mostly focus on the relationships between people. However, time in the outdoors also develops relationships with the land. It's a puzzle made up of people, experiences and the land, and each piece is crucial.
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