Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010 - 34

brother George had been there to help and was just as excited as I was makes it even more special. It was on that same mountain about 10 years later, on the first day of buck season, that George passed away. Only 35 years old, in good physical shape, a wife and three boys at home, he was felled by a heart attack. My dad and his best friend were with him that year. My other brother and I were hunting at home with my cousins. Mark, my oldest brother, walked into the farm shed we hunted from and broke the news to us. I can honestly say it was the worst day of my life. Six months later, almost to the day, my first child was born, a daughter, and the oldest of George’s sons, my godson, became her godfather. As the years went on he became more like George, despite the growing years of separation. They have the same sense of humor, the same willing smile, the same competitive nature, the same fierce loyalty to family and the same passion for doing what’s right. He graduated college with a similar degree, and took to the woods and hunting with equal fervor. Riding down the highway he would spot deer in fields and woodlots where no one else would see them. Then an ear or tail would flicker and we all knew he had my brother’s eyes. And I will forever remember the opening day of deer season when I helped him field-dress his first buck, like his dad did for me, on the anniversary of his father’s death. We silently went through the process, an unspoken tribute to tradition, with tears in both our eyes. “Something about this day,” he said. It’s all he had to say. About the time I wrote this I learned that he would give the commencement address for the cadets at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation. The Game Commission is getting one of the best and brightest of the state’s sons. It is what he always wanted to do and, everything he’s done so far in life — hunting, teaching kids to swim, graduating college, nature hikes and stream wading with school students and coaching soccer — has been merely a step toward this goal. Every step has been a journey in itself and the experiences will serve him well as he serves his state, its people and its natural resources. Good luck to you, Matt, and to the entire 27th Class. All of us at home — and I’m sure those in heaven — are proud of you. COVER PAINTING BY RANDY ZIGO THIS MONTH’S COVER, “Night Watchman,” is the 2010 Working Together for Wildlife fine art print, portraying a great horned owl. As in past years, a limited edition of 600 prints is available. Image is 15 x 221/2 inches and printed on acid-free paper. Cost is $125, plus $10.95 s&h (for framing add $110, plus $15 s&h). Embroidered 4inch patches are also available for $5.66, plus s&h. PA residents add 6% state sales tax. All sales benefit Pennsylvania’s nongame management and research. Order online at The Outdoor Shop, www.pgc.state.pa.us or call 1-888-888-3459. GAME NEWS

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Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010