When I was a boy if you were into outdoor sports you would most likely be both a hunter and a fisherman. Where we lived we fished in the spring and Summer for salt water fish like Grey trout, Specaled trout, Rock Fish and later Summer flounder. When unable to hit the Chesapeake bay you might drop a line for small or large mouth bass or with small children find a hot spot for crappie. I even learned how to fly fish using small popping jigs for bass. In the Fall it was birds both upland and waterfowl with one week of deer hunting.

Somewhere or some time along the way there was a big disconnect for most of my friends. If it was 70-80% who both fished and hunted in my youth it can't be much over 10-20% who do both these days and maybe only 1-2% who hunt only. By far I have more fishing only friends these days. I figure the cost and effort to keep dogs for hunting along with the decline in places to hunt was a major reason.

I feel sorry for those who never get to see a marsh at first light. Never get teased by a black duck which makes five passes just out of range or never watched a goose slip air under its wings to land in your decoys. Just like I would hate to never feel the hit of a big fish when it attacks the "bait"".