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Josh Haiar: When it comes to hunting, hard is good

Luke Hagen (l-r), former South Dakota GF&Ps Secretary John Cooper, Scout (the dog), Outdoor News columnist Joshua Haiar, and Jacob Haiar pose for a picture with their waterfowl harvest in a field near Eureka, S.D., on Nov. 1. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Haiar)

Some lessons stick with you. For me, one of those came from former South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Secretary John Cooper.
Cooper, age 80, has been many things, from a Vietnam veteran and loving husband to a former federal game warden and head of the state’s Department of Game, Fish and Parks. But to those who have hunted waterfowl with him, he’s something else too: a living reminder that “hard is good.”

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