As I much enjoy experiencing my 80th year, I think it only natural to ask myself, “If I had it to do over again, is there anything I would have done differently?”

I didn’t dislike growing up on Chicago’s South Side, but one of the luckiest days of my life occurred when my high school wrestling coach, Lou Guida, asked me to consider South Dakota State for my post-secondary education. I can only imagine what spending my life anywhere other than South Dakota would have been like. I fully concur with the recent front page article in the Mitchell Republic that told of the housing boom in Sioux Falls as folks flee to our state for th political climate! We are so fortunate. If only they knew the wonders of our small tow life!

My life was spent as an educator, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. Some people concern themselves with a legacy, and a son-in-law once told me that my legacy was hunting, fishing, and outdoor writing. I care little about that when compared to former students telling me that I made a positive difference in their lives.

On that SDSU campus back in 1962 I met a girl from Wessington Springs. That was also one of the luckiest days of my life. She gave me three wonderful daughters, and a day doesn’t go by without my thanking God for my incredible family and their families.

So, is there anything I would have done differently, and is there anything I can pass on to you as a hunter and fisherman? I regret that I never hunted mountain goats, but my work prevented fall hunting until retirement. I should have gone for it immediately following retirement in 2003.

I regret that I never hunted cape buffalo in Africa. I could have as their winter is our summer. Friends and I talked about it. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, a Denver bank offered a cape buffalo hunt if you deposited $5000 in their bank. The $5000 would be returned ten years later. The trouble was, I didn’t have the five grand to deposit.

The biggest thing I’d do over if I had the chance? It all started in 1990 when I had a whitetail head mounted. In 2001 a caribou head went on the wall. In 2009 a New Zealand red stag head followed. In the meantime, my collection of African skulls grew – kudu, eland, impala, gemsbok, warthog, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, and springbok. I thought I was saving money by not having full shoulder mounts done, but the shoulder mount collection also grew – a 2008 mule deer head, a 2011 fallow deer from Argentina, and in 2014 another whitetail head along with an African springbok head.

How extensive is it? Our Wisconsin man-cave bathroom has moose on the shower curtain and moose antlers on the wall. In the meantime, about 35 European skull mounts of deer went on the garage wall along with pronghorn antelope skulls, caribou, moose, elk, and stag antlers. At least this didn’t cost anything as I did the work myself, and I’m guessing the deer antlers can be sold to someone who makes antler chandeliers.

As you can imagine, there’s a lot of critters on our walls including a few fish, and I enjoy looking at them and recalling who I was with and where we were. But problems come along with this ego-related collection of trivial bone. They collect dust and take up wall space. Most important, Betsy dislikes them to put it mildly, and the kids and grandkids could care less about this menagerie of eyeballs that seem to be looking at them.

So, if I had it to do over again from the beginning, I would forego all shoulder mounts and leave the skulls in Africa. In their place I’d have a collection of nicely framed photos on the wall – which I already have along with the heads.

I’m fairly sure that the guys and gals with the trophy rooms and big collections know exactly what I’m talking about. I actually know people who have built additions to their homes for trophies. To you nimrods and anglers just starting out, think about what will someday come of your collection.

Today’s column was not meant to be humorous. I’m “dead” serious. I can also picture wives shoving today’s column in front of their husbands. Guys – sorry about that.

See you next week.