Thankful Times

ARTICLE BY DAN CHASON

As we move into the Thanksgiving season, even with all the craziness in today’s world, it is still a time to be thankful. I have found that as my hair turns more grey and my movements become more methodical, I find it easier to see and remember why I should be more grateful for the things that I have been blessed with in my life.

I am thankful for a Godly Father who always had time for me growing up.  I remember many a time when the whisper of “wanna go fishing” would spring life into my brother and me from a sleepy dream filled morning.  Many of these times, dad would do this on a school day only for us to jump out of bed and awake to the trick we fell for many times. Dad was a prankster and thought it very funny to play tricks on his two sons. But the times we did jump up and found it was Saturday and we were going fishing, was another memory we built with this man we loved. Dad was not a bass fisherman at the time, so our days were spent catfishing or finding a good bed of bream he so dearly loved to catch.  Those memories are forever etched in my mind and the times spent with my dad and brother are the ones I cherish today.  Both are in heaven now, but even in my dreams I am thankful for those times and the love we shared.

I am thankful to live in Louisiana. When you look at other states, our seasons are quite generous and the abundance and wide range of prey is like no other in the country. Many states require a lottery to even have a chance to bag a big game animal. In Louisiana, we can hunt from October to the end of January, unabated with no limits to opportunity within the boundaries of state limits. These limits are quite generous when you look at other states. The new regulations on wild hogs has upped that as well as now we can hunt hogs year round, at night and with little limitations.  Our duck hunting has declined from years past but the last couple of years have been pretty good compared to our neighbors. Louisiana is still the Sportsman’s Paradise and it is time we recognize the good work of the managers of our resources. It is easy to find fault and have disdain for some of the decisions made but in my opinion, we should be thankful that we have nearly 5 months to hunt game animals and no seasons on whatever freshwater fish we pursue.

Of all the things I am thankful for this year, on top of this list is my freedom of religion. We have the right to worship how and when we like. That right is very much overlooked and taken for granted.  Without it, our whole lifestyle would not be the same.  My next reason to be thankful for is my family. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren. Many of our family members hunt and fish  together and those times are my favorites. There is nothing that thrills me more than when one of my kids or grandkids wants to go fishing or hunting.  The ability to do any type of outdoor activity is a blessing and we are surely blessed with the abundance of opportunities all over this state to share with our friends and family.  

I am also thankful for the handful of people that I call my friends.  These friends are the ones I refer to as “stuck in the ditch” friends. I often say I am fortunate as if I were stuck in the woods, there is no shortage of people that would come to my aid as I would for them.  If you can count on one hand the friends that you can depend upon in any situation, you are a blessed human being.

I am thankful for the men who molded me as a child. It is one thing to introduce a kid to the outdoors. It is entirely another thing to not only introduce them but to nurture that desire into a talent.

When I started fishing, my most memorable moment was when I would bring those fish home to eat and see the look on my dad’s face. I also remember as a young boy, gaining permission to go fishing (after chores of course). I would strap my Zebco 33 on the handlebars of my bicycle and my brother and I would venture off to find a fishing hole. In those days, ponds were abundant and it only took enough courage to ask the landowner’s permission to make a day to remember.

One of our favorite places to fish was at the Butler pond.  Mr. Butler was a member in our church and had one of the best ponds I have ever fished.  He would come out to the pond on his tractor and park just to watch my brother and me catch bass. Bass fishing was not a trend or “in” thing back then, you caught bass to eat. My brother and I found bass fishing to be a challenge and soon were introduced to Creme worms and spinner baits. My brother lost interest after a while but I never did.  Every chore, every favor, every church member who owned a pond never had to worry about their grass being cut or hay being picked up.  If I could fish, I gladly provided my services in a trade.

This is what is missing in most of our young people’s lives today.  You can only imagine my sense of pride when my grandsons portray the same desire and drive to fish. I always said, “Take your kids hunting and you won’t have to hunt your kids.” It kept me out of trouble and still works today.

I see that desire in my grandsons and during this festive time of year, I pass that treasure on. And I am truly thankful that I am blessed to be able to push that tradition into another generation.