Allen Crater
Going Native
"A spot opened up for the Bowman Island trip." It's Thursday, February third around 10:30 AM when the text from my buddy, Joe, comes...
Stories
Allen Crater
- Jun 20
- 11 min
Don't Mention It
"The first rule of this river is that you don't talk about this river. At least by name." That's how the text read. "Understood." This...
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Allen Crater
- Jun 5
- 8 min
Five Loaves and Two Fish
I waded into the murky waters of fly fishing later in life, when my older son, Kyle, decided he wanted to learn, and requested a rod for...
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Allen Crater
- May 20
- 7 min
Dear Dad,
Kyle just pulled in the driveway, U-haul trailer in tow, after being in Montana for four years. It's hard to describe the feeling that...
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Allen Crater
- May 4
- 8 min
The Best Water Still Lies Ahead
The tartar-sauce-smeared walleye sandwich, deep-fried tater tots, and tall Two Hearted hit all the right notes – more than can be said...
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Matt Peisert
- Jan 21
- 8 min
Friendships Forged From Fly Line
The bass bumps hard as Seth and Sarah belt out the lyrics to “Old Town Road” with the band. Everyone’s dancing, partying, and drinking...
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Allen Crater
- Dec 6, 2021
- 11 min
Comfort Zone
It's black and silent. Deep in my subconscious something pulls me toward a light. A sound registers. Distant, but moving closer. Shuffled...
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Allen Crater
- Oct 12, 2021
- 3 min
Among The Bones
I've had it. Had it with the traffic. The RVs and buses and vans. The gawkers and rubberneckers. The safety signs and orange cones. The...
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Allen Crater
- Jul 31, 2021
- 4 min
One Last Walk
We’re heading into the wooded grove that has been our go-to spot for so many Sunday outings. The place I learned to hunt as a boy, and...
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Allen Crater
- Jul 26, 2021
- 9 min
The Balm Of Adventure
It's mid July, hotter than hell, and the AC in the truck is out. We're cruising the highway with the windows down and the music up. At...
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Allen Crater
- May 24, 2021
- 3 min
The Preservation Of Fire
It snowed last night. Just a light dusting, but enough to turn things white again. We throw in another log and stoke the wood stove to...
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Amber Casey
- May 5, 2021
- 6 min
My Why
In a world overrun by categories and labels, hunting is the great equalizer. The outdoors is one of the few places where age, gender,...
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Allen Crater
- Mar 15, 2021
- 4 min
Can't Be Done
I distinctly remember flying around the old logging road corner watching the boat trailer roll up hard on one wheel. Way up. I was...
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Allen Crater
- Jan 6, 2021
- 4 min
A Moment
I recently finished reading Harrison's memoir "Off To The Side". Out of the many brilliant writings in this book, one paragraph...
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Allen Crater
- Dec 16, 2020
- 5 min
Echoes Of The Forest
A light snow begins to fall in the forest. Coming to rest on the boughs and carpeting the now-brown pine needles and shriveled ferns....
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Allen Crater
- Dec 7, 2020
- 4 min
Bananas In The Boat
I'm a newbie to the world of upland hunting and, right out of the gate, I make a rookie mistake, asking Jon about his hunting dog on our...
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Allen Crater
- Nov 13, 2020
- 10 min
Footprints
We cut our first elk tracks five miles in, post-holing our way through heavy snow often reaching past the knee. Kyle has taken the front,...
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Allen Crater
- Aug 18, 2020
- 5 min
Return To Wind River
The overloaded pack creaks and groans in rhythm with the boots. One foot in front of the other. 12 miles behind us and just under two to...
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Allen Crater
- Jun 30, 2020
- 4 min
Parts Unknown
"OH SHIT!" The words erupt without permission after two quick strips and a metallic flash engulfs my streamer. The rod pulses wildly as...
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Allen Crater
- Jun 17, 2020
- 3 min
Taking The Bronze
I can feel the sweat trickling down my back. The thermometer is already pushing 90 and the humidity is on the rise. Even the beer is...
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Allen Crater
- Jun 10, 2020
- 2 min
River Thoughts
“I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars.” If you've spent any time...
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Allen Crater
- May 26, 2020
- 3 min
The River Gives
It's May in Michigan. The season has been wet with weather that can't quite make up its mind. A few days ago we had the furnace running,...
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Allen Crater
- May 6, 2020
- 4 min
Lucky Hats
As I released the third Cuthroat in as many casts, I was once again reminded of the incredible power of lucky hats. It was a...
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Allen Crater
- Mar 21, 2020
- 4 min
Embrace The Suck
It's military slang that means to consciously accept or appreciate something that is extremely unpleasant but unavoidable for forward...
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Allen Crater
- Mar 16, 2020
- 8 min
A Letter To Mom
My friends, Pat and Amber Casey, are bad asses. It's as simple as that. Not only are they incredibly successful hunters and anglers in...
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Allen Crater
- Jan 20, 2020
- 2 min
Dog Years
Sunday mornings have always been our routine. Walks in the woods on Sunday mornings. And somehow she always knows what day of the week it...
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Allen Crater
- Jan 14, 2020
- 8 min
Fishing Yellowstone - Three Generations, Six Rivers, Four Days.
It was supposed to be a hunting trip. My oldest son, Kyle, moved to Bozeman in 2018 to attend college and since that time my dad and I...
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Allen Crater
- Jan 5, 2020
- 7 min
Sawtooth
A backpacking and fly fishing trip into the rugged Sawtooth Wilderness.
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Allen Crater
- Jan 5, 2020
- 2 min
Bonds of the Wild
This moment, like all moments, is fleeting. It lives again only in the stories of older men shared around a campfire in the wild.
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Allen Crater
- Jan 5, 2020
- 2 min
The Lessons Of Silver Creek
Sometimes it’s good for men my age to have things that remain unattainable. Things that are still unspoiled and left to the imagination.
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