As the managing editor of Great Days Outdoors and the host of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report podcast, it’s my job to know lots of good hunters and anglers. It’s my hope that, one day, interviewing all of that talent will rub off and make me somewhat better at hunting and fishing than I am now. But that may take a while. I’ve been told that watching me pitch a bass jig, chase a limit with some early-morning crappie fishing, or blow a duck call is similar to watching a kid tie their shoes by themselves for the first time.
As I’ve struggled to better myself, I’ve had to ask, “What makes a good outdoorsman?” Success in the field and on the water, obviously. But is that it? Is it enough to just catch more pounds of fish or put more ducks on a strap than the other guy? I’d argue that no, it isn’t.
A good sportsman, and I mean a really good sportsman, isn’t just somebody who finds success. You have to also enjoy the sport, respect the resource, and be willing to share that joy and respect with others.
I’m blessed to know a great many hunters and anglers who meet those criteria. But if I was forced to pick one individual who best represented those values, it’d be the delta’s very own resident crappie fishing expert, Dip McMillian…