A lesson from artist Maynard Reese

More than once while hunting in the past two foggy weeks, I got “lost.”

Not futilely, to the point I where laid down on the ground in a fetal position and sobbed, but I will admit to shaking the compass on my cell phone.

And I did turn the phone off and on several times because I just couldn’t force myself to believe that little red arrow.

Yes, I had saved maps on my cell phone mapping app, but, blame Trump I guess, it wouldn’t show me my current position or allow tracking.

In short, I was uncomfortable. Then I remembered Maynard Reese.

In 2001 the Outdoor Writers of America Association held their national convention in Kalispell.

Lou Kis, FWP Warden Captain, at that time, had planned to take Maynard Reese and Keith Kirkpatrick fly-fishing on the Flathead North Fork.

When a grizzly bear Kis was releasing from a trap attacked him, I was asked to take Reese and Kirkpatrick.

As an Iowan, I had listened to Iowa Hall of Fame Broadcaster Kirkpatrick’s farm reports on WHO Des Moines.

Iowa-born Reese was a world famous waterfowl artist with five federal and several state Duck Stamps in his portfolio.

As we snacked on wine and cheese over a red and white table cloth (wife Nan’s touch!), Maynard told us this wasn’t his first trip to the North Fork.

Many years earlier he had been commissioned by Life Magazine to paint Montana’s fish.

After catching a fish, he’d return to his station wagon and paint before the colors changed.

Another Reese story was elk hunting in the Sun River country east of the mountains.

It was late in the day, storm brewing, and the guide, according to Reese, was leading the pack train in circles.

“Finally I asked if we were lost,” said Reese.

“When the guide admitted we were lost, I told him what direction we needed to go to return to camp. When he asked how I knew, I told him I was an artist and I’m always looking at light and shapes—in all directions—not just straight ahead.”

Even with my GPS, compass, and map apps, I’ll be spending lots more time looking 360 degrees while hunting.

Might even see more critters!

Jerry Smalley’s Fishful Thinking column appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.