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Ron Schara: Looking back on early outdoor experiences… some a bit blurry, others still very vivid

Many ring-necked pheasants flushed in front of the author as a youth before he bagged his first rooster. Handling a mighty single-shot .410, he took his first bird in Iowa 65 years ago, and the memory of that ringneck launching itself skyward, then falling back to Earth remains an image he’ll never forget. (Stock photo)

Some moments afield never fade. First pheasant, perhaps. First deer, maybe. First wild turkey flopping around a log.
Still other moments – once bright and vivid – tend to fade over time from the mind. Memories of my first walleye are gone, while the moment I caught my first ‘’big’’ walleye, a 6-pounder, continues… perhaps missing a few foggy details. Oddly, I can’t remember the first ruffed grouse I dropped… or the first bobwhite quail… or the first sharptail grouse.

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