Duck Camp | Summer 2022 | Brand Lookbook

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hat does Outdoor Good mean? We left it pretty open because the world is pretty open and there’s lots to do out there. Fish to catch, birds to hunt, time to kill. We like

doing all that stuff, and more, so we built a company about it. Dedicated to giving people the gear to get out there, stay out there, and have fun out there.

Everything we make is expertly designed, made to last, and tested by some of the best in the world. It will stand up to the toughest conditions, but also happily sit down beside a fire and drink a few cold ones if that’s more your speed. Because we know that one of the best parts of hunting is the gathering.

We believe that nature nurtures. It brings us closer to the land on which we live, the food we eat and the people we love. We’re dedicated to leaving the outdoors better than we found it, and work dutifully with our conservation partners to provide for the places that provide so much for us. At Duck Camp, we only take what we need, but we always take our time.

In our pursuit to Outdoor Good, we’ve created the following issue to bring you closer to the people and places that inspire us to reconnect with the land and each other. In the next 30 pages we’ll take you duck hunting on the Texas Gulf, across the honey holes of the Yellowstone, and from the elk rich Rockies to the Tarpon playground of the Everglades.

We hope you enjoy it, and see you out there.

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ACT I

Welcome to the Club Let’s go to Anahuac, Texas - gateway to some of the best duck hunting in the south. John Dunaway introduces us to El Capitan Hunt Club, whose members build community while introducing younger generations to outdoor traditions.

How to Dove Hunt

ACT II

Many Houses of Mill There’s nothing typical about Andy and Nicky Mill. From Colorado elk country to tarpon flats of the Florida Keys, this father-son team has a knack for hunting big game. Now, with their popular Mill House Podcast, they’re archiving hunting and fishing tales from the industry’s biggest names.

ACT III

How to Tie a Clouser Minnow

Contents

Testing of the Timbers

Mapping Out a Passion An annotated map; a slightly used drift boat; a well-worn sheep gun. Gloria Goñi on the multi-generational gifts that keep on giving, and how her partner, Chris, found his way from wanderer to guide.

John Dunaway @abstractconformity / www.abstractconformity.com

CONTRIBUTORS :

Gloria Goñi @lapescadora / www.gloriagoni.com

Ryan Brod @rybrod

Dave Fason @dafason / www.davefason.com

Isaac Neale @isaacneale / www.habitatinfluencer.com

Nick Kelley @ngkelley / www.nickkelleyphoto.com

Samuel Martin @spmartin_ / www.spmartin.com

Erick Montes @heyokstudio / www.heyok.studio

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W ELC OM E – to the –

CLU B Words and Photos by John Dunaway

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he globe was our playground, limited by the depths that could float our vessels. In our professional pursuits, we captained ships and tugs

around the world which required good gear and camaraderie amongst the crew. You may travel from point to point, but without strong fundamentals, the passage is more grueling, the time together far less enjoyable. These days, we travel from Alaska to Argentina, in pursuit of the wild places where quality times are demanded and camaraderie thrives, hunting and fishing as

WE LC O M E TO T H E C LU B

shipmates of El Capitan Hunt Club.

It all started in the marshes of Anahuac, Texas,

The focus was on duck hunting, but these guys

at Gene Campbell’s famed Oyster Bayou. In

lived the salt air of the Texas coast which we all

operation since 1974, Campbell has pursued the

called home. By 2013, we were just a group of

shifting waterfowl patterns east of Houston

buddies duck hunting together, splintering off

season after season with his own tight-knit

sometimes to chase trout in the salty bays, or

family of guides. When we were fortunate

stalking whitetail in the scrub brush of South

enough to start hunting with Gene, in the early

Texas, and even diving the depths to spear fish

2010’s, our founding member, Sean Arbogast,

in the Gulf of Mexico. We were all ship captains.

knew immediately that this place was special.

We all loved to hunt. Fortunately, our schedules mostly aligned to do it together. It seemed inevitable that we should have a base of operations so close to home to pursue our outdoor endeavors.

El Capitan Hunt Club was born.

Today, the club has grown to 30 official members, with plenty of friends joining along the way. The “season” is no longer relegated to 60 days of waterfowl. Members are pitching ideas all year

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“We were just a group of buddies duck hunting together, splintering off sometimes to chase trout in the salty bays, or stalking whitetail in the scrub brush of South Texas.”

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“Ducks do not always fly thick and plentiful. The right buck doesn’t come out on a timer. Learning patience and knowing a bit of disappointment strengthens their resolve for the future.”

El Capitan 4

Overhead shot of the Oyster Bayou waterfowling experience in Anahuac, Texas.

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long: from chasing billfish in Costa Rica to Cape

patience and perseverance. Ducks do not always

Verde Islands, to wingshooting from Argentina

fly thick and plentiful. The right buck doesn’t

to the tundra of Canada, to searching for big

come out on a timer. Learning patience and

game from South Texas to the mountains of

knowing a bit of disappointment strengthens

Alaska. The finest locations offer new challenges

their resolve for the future. Their attention is

that will leave us either walking out with a good

where it should be: on the landscapes we love and

story or with a bitter taste of defeat. So far, our list

return to. It’s easy to enjoy a place when the times

of “we have to return” locations keeps piling up.

are good. But the slow days and empty-handed returns build fortitude that carries over in life far

Although the “seasons” seem to keep getting

from the field.

longer, we don’t just hunt and fish together. It’s Just like the crew of a good ship, when

spend mornings in the duck blinds, long before

camaraderie strengthens, the voyage always

they can shoulder a shotgun. Some of them are

finishes on a high note. We are long from signing

merely holding binoculars to glass the marshy

off from this hunt club. Each trip builds upon

landscape, while others ping BB’s off the spread

the last, and relationships strengthen, forged on

of decoys. We want them out there with us,

trust. We lead by example for our next

building their appreciation for the wild places

generation, so that they too can have wild

that still remain. These places should not and

places to pursue their outdoor dreams. At

cannot be taken for granted, just as the game

El Capitan Hunt Club, we are not exclusive or

we put on the table cannot. By introducing the

elitist. Our goal is simply to spend time away

next generation to the places we love, they

from the concrete jungle, appreciating moments

absorb these habitats into their blood long

afield with friends and family. In the end, we

before many of us did.

aim to finish this leg of voyage knowing that

WE LC O M E TO T H E C LU B

become a family. Our kids join us at the club to

the next generation has places for their own Watching youngsters take their first duck on

adventures, long after we’re gone.

the wing has marked the best days for us. It’s John Dunaway is merchant mariner, photographer, and writer who’s spent the last

the building blocks we hope to forge within the

decade traversing the oceans on a cargo ship for 6 months of the year, visiting lands and cultures across the globe.

club so that others may have these chances in the future. These kids are learning skills that might otherwise be lost, while also building

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STEP 1:

A Guide To:

D OVE

CAREFULLY SELECT THE CORRECT BUCKET

HUNTING

This is the most important thing for a successful dove hunt.

STEP 2:

STEP 3:

SIT ON THE CAREFULLY SELECTED BUCKET

PERFECTLY TIME A JOKE ABOUT THE HEAT

Hurry up and get settled - the doves are almost here!

STEP 4:

YELL “BIRD!” Birds love yelling and your chances of hitting one will soar.

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Jokes are essential to build camaraderie in the field.

STEP 5:

TIME TO GO HOME

No birds? That’s okay, there’s always tomorrow.

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Wader Contact Sheet

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It’s 6 a.m. and 12 degrees. You’re watching ice form at an alarming rate – around trees, around your pant legs. In fact, you tripped about 20 minutes ago and just realized your jacket cuff is frozen to the soggy handwarmer in your pocket.

Somewhere, a few trees over, there are two guys from Georgia both named Jacob. Earlier they were just mere strangers on a boat – at this point they’re practically family. You see the faint glow of a freshly-lit cigarillo, followed by the smell of a gas station pickle, followed by another cigarillo. From either excitement or cold you hear a lab losing his mind nearby. Someone starts splashing water with their boots to imitate the safe sounds of ducks landing, and you join in just for the chance to feel your feet again.

But now all of that work is starting to make sense. Backpacks are strapped to the trunks of ancient hardwoods, a buffet of mallard and pintail decoys are strategically placed, and a chaotic symphony of calls are rising from every hunting hole across the flooded forest.

From the deep darkness, rhythmic wing beats merge with the beats in your chest. You realize you haven’t thought about anything, or anyone, outside of this experience, since the alarm chimed at 1 a.m. For the last few hours you were just concerned with making it here, but now that you have, the reward is 25,000 acres of public land waiting for shooting light.

This in-between moment is disrupted by the faint break of sunlight, shattered by hundreds of winter-naked trees.

Despite all the work and discomfort, despite the shelf of ice protruding from your boots at the water line, you reach the same conclusion:

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Written by Ryan Brod | Photos by Dave Fason

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Let’s say you’re a tarpon.

Not some backcountry baby hiding beneath mangroves but a full grown, one-hundred- fifty pounder, back as wide as a football. You’re forty, fifty years old, familiar with banks and channels of the Florida Keys, since they’re part of your annual migration. Even though your stay is temporary, and resident sharks want to eat you, you’ve got to eat, too: mullet, pinfish, shrimps, crabs, worms. You’ve also grown familiar with strange offerings that fall from the sky—black, or tan, or chartreuse—some of which move too fast or swim toward you or sink unnaturally.

These days such offerings appear at every corner. But sometimes there’s a perfect little morsel just out of reach, skittering away and you just cannot help yourself, so your oversize eyes nearly cross as you hunch beneath it, then you lunge upwards to grab the snack except: it’s not a snack at all, and then you’re in the air, trying to rid yourself of your mouth’s strange sting.

If you’re a tarpon who’s been around a while, traveling myriad edges and banks, occasionally feeding and sometimes making a mistake about what you feed upon, there’s a good chance you or someone you know has met Andy Mill.

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n the eyes of many guides and anglers, Andy

And it was his middle son, Nicky, now 27, who

Mill, age 69, originally from Aspen but having

dreamt up their podcast; one that archived stories

fished and hunted across the globe, is consid-

from living outdoor icons, many of whom

ered one of the greatest fly anglers in history.

were getting on in age. He knew his father was

His accolades support such bold claims: more

well-connected in the fly fishing and hunting

invitational tarpon fly tournament wins than

worlds—after all, Andy introduced him to elk

anyone, including five prestigious Gold Cups.

hunting, and fly fishing for giant tarpon. So two

One of three anglers to ever win tarpon, permit

years ago, without much journalistic experience,

and bonefish fly tourneys. According to many,

Nicky convinced his father to help him launch

there’s never been anyone who can feed tarpon

what became the Mill House Podcast. Nearly

a feathered hook better than Mill.

sixty episodes later, with over four thousand YouTube subscribers, Mill House has become an

Before fly fishing dominated his life, Mill was a

industry leader in vivid outdoor storytelling, with

well-known TV-show host; before that a

a focus on conservation and raising awareness

broadcaster; and, before that, an elite downhill

about environmental issues facing anglers

skier who competed at the 1976 and 1980

and hunters alike. It’s through Mill House, and

Winter Olympics.

outdoor connections forged in the field, that

Around forty years ago, Mill caught his first tarpon on a fly, an oceanside fish near Islamorada. “One came up behind my fly,” Mill recalls, “and then my fly grabbed a bit of sargassum grass, so I just started shaking my rod tip. I was young and innocent but I knew

Andy and Nicky found Duck Camp and became brand ambassadors—an accomplishment both are proud of. Despite offers to work with larger companies, the duo chose Duck Camp for the smaller, family-style connection, and for the ability to grow Mill House alongside the company.

something was about to happen. With a big open mouth that tarpon came up and ate the whole thing. I’ll never forget that image.”

Since that life-changing bite, Mill estimates he’s fished for tarpon on average 40 to 50 days a year, working with some of the game’s top guides along the way. Mill established himself as one of the prominent voices in tarpon fly fishing, given his vast on-the-water accomplishments, particularly his prowess at feeding and fighting massive, difficult fish, for winning tournaments, and for producing his 2010 best-selling book, A Passion for Tarpon.

An accomplished elk hunter, too, Mill spends his falls in the high country of Colorado, bow in hand, often accompanied by his middle son.

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“One came up behind my fly,” Mill recalls, “and then my fly grabbed a bit of sargassum grass, so I just started shaking my rod tip.

I was young and innocent but I knew something was about to happen. With a big open mouth that tarpon came up and ate the whole thing. I’ll never forget that image.”

The Many Houses of Mill - Ryan Brod

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“How do you provoke the likes of Steve Huff, Flip Pallot, Rob Fordyce, Stu Apte, Al Pflueger, and Harry Spear, to name a few—into sharing personal stories and secrets from the wild?”

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while, and hear of his own accomplishments,

proper introduction.

and listen to his father’s proud assessment, and you realize Nicky possesses his own fire, his own

So let’s say you’re an elk. Not some horny spike

unique attributes separate from his parents’.

chasing every whiff but a real giant, with a rack like thunderbolts frozen to your head, your

“My first day hunting, I was fifteen years old,

senses so refined you’ve survived this long

that changed my life,” he recalls. “After that first

among prowling lions and two-legged, upright

day, it was all over; I knew this was something I

predators that enter your woods come autumn

wanted to do, and do well.”

with bows and rifles. You’re ten or eleven years old, so you’re not fooled by just any bugle echoing through the aspens. Even if you’ve been around a while, seen a thing or two in the high country of Colorado—even with your gift for survival—you don’t want to be upwind of Nicky Mill.

Because as much as he enjoys fishing—which is a lot—Nicky Mill is a hunter at heart. He’ll tell you that—that he likes fishing, but loves hunting.

Nicky recalls his Mill House conversation with outdoor icon Flip Pallot, of Walker’s Cay Chronicles fame. They were talking hunting, and senses, and of our hunter forefathers. “We’ve been hunting for thousands of years,” Nicky tells me. “It’s built into our brains, it’s what we’re supposed to be doing.” He feels at home in the mountains with his father and his bow.

“Everything he does is world class,” his father adds. “Rock climbing, motocross, scratch golfer, won state tennis doubles in high school. Nicky is

The Many Houses of Mill - Ryan Brod

But let’s back up: because Nicky needs his

an old soul. His sense of humor is on another level but he also likes having deep conversations.”

Speaking of conversations: Nicky, who has worked as a fly fishing and hunting guide, among other things, admits that conducting Mill House interviews with iconic outdoorsman does not come easily. “I’m naturally shy,” he admits, “so being mic’d up is challenging. I embrace it even though I’m uncomfortable. You have to adapt and think on your feet. My father, he’s a natural—he’s been on TV his whole life. He’s so comfortable.”

So how do Andy and Nicky walk into someone’s home, sit down and mic up their guest, then elicit

“I’ve always understood him,” Nicky says of his father. “I never rebelled against him. I admire and respect what he does and what he’s taught me.”

deep, thoughtful conversations? How do you provoke the likes of Steve Huff, Flip Pallot, Rob Fordyce, Stu Apte, Al Pflueger, and Harry Spear, to name a few—into sharing personal stories and

It’s easy to attribute Nicky’s predatory instincts,

secrets from the wild?

his ability to stalk big game in the mountains and on the flats to genetic privilege: his father a

The answer seems to be a combination of

former Olympic skier and highly accomplished

credibility, kindness, and balance—the elder

elk and tarpon hunter himself; and his mother,

Mill having earned respect as a key player in the

former world number #1 tennis player, Chris

fly-fishing world, and Nicky growing his own

Evert. Talk about hitting the hand-eye

reputation, acting as the voice of reason to

coordination jackpot. But speak to Nicky a

interject when interviews veer off-course.

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“Andy knows how to poke the bear,” recalls Mill House

Andy acknowledges the links in conversation—communicating

guest Bob Branham, a well-respected, now partially-retired

with big game, and also with his guests. As Andy puts it,

Florida flats guide who was on the platform for Andy’s first

“Fly fishing for tarpon is communicating with feathers. It’s

fly-caught tarpon. “Andy’s got an insider’s perspective,”

the same thing with a big elk—how can we make that

Branham says. “He knows what he shouldn’t ask, and then he asks it anyway.”

“And Nicky—we got going in a political direction and then

animal do what we want? We have to call it, speak to the animal.” With their podcast guests, the Mill duo takes time to listen, to show presence, and to allow space for stories.

Nicky brought us back on track,” Branham says. “With the

“It takes a long time to understand timing and comfort to

two of them present, there’s great balance in the room.”

dive into someone’s life,” Andy says. “If you’re not comfortable

Branham calls the Mill duo highly personable, and says

with who you are, this task is almost impossible.”

that Andy knows his family and asks of them often. With balance, credibility, and warmth, Mill House plumbs the

As one might imagine, the two occasionally butt heads

depths of angling and hunting history, extracting and

when it comes to the production side of Mill House.

preserving stories that would otherwise be lost.

“These podcasts are a big deal,” Branham adds. “We’re not getting any younger. Some of the guys they’ve interviewed for Mill House [Captain Billy Knowles, for example] have

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“I’m proud of what Nicky’s done,” Andy says, “all the editing and marketing. Except for when he doesn’t respect what I have to say in a production meeting, when he doesn’t admit I have a good sense of direction, I think:

already passed away. Mill House brings these stories to life.

‘I used to be a producer. I owned my own show!’ It drives

I’m so happy they’re doing it.”

me fucking crazy sometimes.”

With Mill House preserving stories before they’re lost, Andy is also considering the other end of the age spectrum. This summer, he’ll help curate a junior fly fishing program with the IGFA and Greys, donating fly rods to kids in north Florida and Wyoming who might otherwise never experience the sport.

In the early days of tarpon fishing together,

“You had a T.V. show a hundred fucking years ago,” Nicky interjects. “This day and age, I have a say in this stuff, too.” They both laugh.

Nicky recalls growing pains. “There was yelling, lots of F-bombs. It was brutal sometimes. I was 12 years old and would throw my rod down.

But then, I learned more when I was on the

These are the many houses of Mill: backcountry Colorado, stalking big bulls with bows and arrows; turquoise flats of the Florida Keys, hunting giant tarpon with fly rods; and within the homes of their Mill House guests, each of whom has a catalogue of stories enough for several lifetimes. The stories intersect and diverge: records are broken, knots hold or break, elk close the distance or remain hung up, just out of range.

Despite their podcast’s success, the duo

back of the boat, watching my Dad. I’m a

The Many Houses of Mill - Ryan Brod

“Mill House plumbs the depths of angling and hunting history, extracting and preserving stories that would otherwise be lost.”

visual learner; I had a front row seat.”

And he still does. Andy has stepped away from tarpon tournaments. He got so aggravated when he didn’t win that he started to lose enjoyment. He’s turned his attention to conservation—supporting Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Captains For Clean Water, among others—and to family. “I’m done [with tournaments],” he says. “Now I just want to go fishing with Nicky.”

remains hungry. They want to interview Joan

When he thinks about spring tarpon fishing,

Wulff while they still can, the fly-fishing icon

Nicky thinks of “sunscreen, cigars, and rum,”

born in 1926. They hope to chat with author

he tells me. He thinks about “that first bite

Thomas McGuane, who wrote better than

that everyone is waiting for, the jolt of

anyone about permit and tarpon in the heyday

electricity when that first fish opens its

of Key West, before all the angling pressure.

mouth.” His father, Andy—once mentor, now outdoor partner and co-host—thinks of super

Andy realizes that Mill House brings new faces

espresso, of running their skiff across chop

to the game, that his own advocacy draws

earlier than anyone. “The light is electric,”

participants to an already crowded arena.

Andy says, “and you’re wondering what the

“There’s friction with the success I’ve had

day will bring. It’s something I live for. It’s

promoting things I love because the beautiful

something that keeps my heart young.”

pie is being eaten up,” he says. “That is a personal war I wage; my mind constantly races over this

Ryan Brod is an educator, Maine Fishing Guide, and senior contributor at The Drake. His work appears in Gray’s Sporting Journal, The Maine

dichotomy. But my love for sharing will never

Review, FlyFish Journal, Bangor Daily News, and elsewhere. His first

take a back seat to holding my tongue.”

He lives in the original Portland.

book, an essay collection called Tributaries, will be published next year.

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A Guide To:

T YI N G A C LO U S E R M I N N O W

STEP 1:

GET TO TYING

STEP 2:

Cleanliness is next to godliness! Make sure your tying space and all your supplies are ready.

STEP 3:

ADD THE BUCKTAIL

Bind two shanks-length of bucktail to the top of the — respool broken thread, tie in two — tie in. Shoot. Pick bucktail up off floor. Snip off fresh clumps. Curse, startle cat. Chuck bobbin at wall.

TIE ON LEAD EYES

Use figure-8 wraps about a 1/4 shank back from the eyelet to secure the lead eyes.

STEP 4:

GIVE UP AND VISIT YOUR LOCAL FLY SHOP Wait, this fly is $2?

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M

y partner Chris comes from a long line of proud Montanans. His father was one of the family’s only members to leave small-town-Montana,

for a career in the Air Force. Moving from Germany, to Hawaii, to California and beyond, Chris struggled with the concept of home and family. But, despite those many moves, regular trips to visit family in the Greater Yellowstone Area added consistency to his childhood.

D

on Williams, legendary Paradise Valley guide and also Chris’s grandfather, gifted bits of Montana during those summer visits. When they floated the Yellowstone

River, Don understood which eddies and riffles held the cutthroats and browns. When they explored the mountains, Don knew where to find grazing elk and bighorn sheep.

These glimpses into his grandfather’s lifestyle sparked Chris’s curiosity. “They were everyday things to him, but they were so unimaginable to me,” Chris said. “I knew I was only experiencing these things because he had dedicated so much time on the water and in the mountains.”

As Chris grew older, his nomadic upbringing transitioned into seasonal work across the west. Soon enough, he migrated to Montana hoping to reconnect with his familial roots and, perhaps, discover his life’s purpose. Shortly after his return, Don fell ill with cancer. “I never got to float the river again with my grandpa after moving to Montana,” Chris said, “but we bonded over our past adventures.” During their visits, he shared stories of raft guiding and dog sledding, while Don reminisced about his career as a fishing and hunting outfitter, chasing game across the globe.

According to those who knew him, Don wouldn’t have been the guide and global traveler he was without Betty (Barghultz) Williams. “She didn’t get as much of the spotlight,” Chris recalled of his grandmother. “She prepared the client’s lunches, tied the flies, and took care of the kids and home – she worked so hard.” Betty believed a tasty shore lunch had the ability to turn around a slow day of fishing; her renowned salads and sandwiches were a staple of Don’s outfitting. “My grandpa became a Montana guiding legend, but much of that success was because of her.”

Don’s condition worsened. Then, during the summer of 2011, Don Williams passed away after a life packed full of adventure. Despite their time together, Chris wished to have known his grandfather better – he wished for one last float, or one last walk in the woods. What was it about hunting and fishing that gave Don so much life?

“I have so many questions for him,” Chris often said.

Although Don was no longer there to share his insight directly, he left Chris priceless possessions: a near-new drift boat, a lifetime of fishing and hunting gear, and stacks on stacks of painstakingly annotated

stream

and

river

maps

from all across Montana. Chris was arguably set up better than an one to rediscover hunting and fishing spots his grandfather frequented.

Equipped with his grandfather’s hand-me-down gear, Chris followed those maps to remote honey holes which would have taken him decades to discover on his own.

As he learned new knots, fishing techniques, hunter’s

The time Chris and I have shared camping along

safety and field dressing methods, things started to

river banks, following Don’s maps to alpine streams,

click. “It is a special feeling to know you are in the

untying each other’s wind knots, occasionally netting

same mountains and on the same rivers your family

a fish, sipping warm miso soup on mountain tops,

has been on for generations,” Chris said. “That is

and sitting together in the forest with our bows has

something I always think about: my grandpa and

been the most precious time of my life.

uncles and dad hunted these mountains long before

The pursuit of trout or game is so much more than just that. Don knew this. His friends and family

I was born.”

In 2019, Chris harvested his first elk with

quote one of his favorite taglines: “The fish are a bonus.”

Don’s sheep gun. “I felt like he was there with me,”

This spring, Chris prepares for his first guiding

Chris recalled. He often expresses gratitude to his

season on the Yellowstone River. “I hope to eventually

grandpa for that six-point bull; and I do too. If it

achieve that wisdom Don had. I never want to think

weren’t for Don Williams, I wonder if Chris and I would have connected over our mutual passion for Our first dates were spent floating the Yellowstone, our first joint purchase was a new shooting block, and our first argument was about the validity of egg patterns. More than anything, our shared curiosity, eagerness and ability to have fun anywhere and everywhere, made us a compatible match. These days, we often watch VCR tapes of Don helicopter-fishing in New Zealand, sort through old film slides featuring trophy rainbows in Russia, or read the letters he exchanged with outfitters from the southern tip of Argentina. We’ve spent countless hours deciphering Don’s maps and organizing flies from every fly shop in the Rockies. Between all of the travel inspiration and trout treasure maps, Don has supplied us with infinite date-night ideas. a

recent

“I hope I am never satisfied with my skills when it comes to these passions that make me feel so alive.”

hunting and fishing.

After

I know it all, I want to keep learning,” he told me.

and

somewhat

“With fly fishing you never stop learning and it is the same with guiding; you are always learning new methods or better ways to teach,” Don once said.

Don was more than an outfitter or a guide, he was a teacher and a steward who never took wild places for granted. He wasn’t there just to capture trophies, he was there to truly connect and inspire a love for the natural world in his clients.

Just the other evening, Chris, the dogs and I boarded Don’s drift boat for a spontaneous float. We shared a grand day on the river and when we got home the four of us curled up on the couch for dinner. We laughed over the day’s events: the fish that got away, his sloppy mending and my mediocre rowing. We quoted Don’s favorite tagline and then Chris added his own amendment: “Fishing isn’t about fish, it’s about family.”

grueling

From Don, Chris didn’t simply inherit a boat

weekend of shed hunting, Chris said to me, “It isn’t

or gun or the hundreds of maps that occupy our closet,

often you really share a moment with someone– you

he inherited a passion. And now it’s time for Chris to

know, when the two of you are both just right there

inspire that love in his own clients.

in that place.” I hadn’t ever thought much about that, about sharing time and being so present. How often do I truly share a moment with someone without

With a Bachelor of Science in biology-mathematics and professional experience in photojournalism, Gloria Goñi works as a guide, writer, and photographer. Despite her Spanish roots and insatiable travel-bug, Gloria recently settled in rural Montana with

interference from wandering thoughts or worries?

her trusty Aussiedoodle, Berto. Together they fish, hunt and photograph their adventures

When you are fishing and hunting, you can’t help but

one river and mountain at a time. Find her work in The FlyFish Journal, Modern Huntsman,

be in the moment.

Flylords among others.

Lifestyle + Headline

Lifestyle + Headline

See you out there!

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DUCK CAMP CO.

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