DAN SIMMONS Sportsman's Quest MORE COLUMNS Special to the PVT Philip Moen relaxes after a hunt. Advertisement

Philip Moen is one remarkable outdoorsman.

You may not know him, but until recently his son, Curtis Moen, worked for Nye County. He and wife Pam recently opened the "Pahrump Early Learning Academy," and Curt is also now a partner in M3 Planning and Consulting.

But this is the story of his dad.

Phil was in an extremely serious auto accident while on a trip home to Arngard, N.D., near the Montana border. As he and his wife Donna were passing through Idaho Falls they collided with a semi-truck and trailer. Donna broke her shoulder, but Phil was thought to be dead (it's okay, it gets better and this is, after all, a hunting story).

The top his skull was removed, he was put on life support and there was no indication that his brain was receiving oxygen. You can imagine this close family's anguish and the decisions that were facing them.

The life support was eventually turned off, and old Phil opens his eyes, sits up, grabs the doctor by the shirt collar and starts removing the tubes.

You can also imagine the doctor's shock and surprise.

Philip was put back to sleep and in a few days was up and off to rehab. Three weeks later he wanted to go home, and here it is -- four months later he was hunting the opening of pheasant season.

Now in this small town of about a hundred people there was some doubt if he was up to it, but as the sun rose that opening morning he was packed and ready to go.

He did limp a bit, but as the first bird rose he raised his gun, followed to the left, and the bird cleanly dropped to the ground with that distinct sound when it is well hit. He even shot a double that day, as instinct and habit took over. His 11-year-old dog "Spud" hunted with him, and they are both still going strong.

Curtis got another of life's lessons, as he has all of his life, from which we can all benefit. Dad didn't give up. He hunted for the next four days while getting his limit on each outing.

This year he's ready to go and not even limping. Curtis is still trying to catch up with his dad's shooting abilities. He may have to put a leash on his dad just to slow him down.

Phil is now fishing for walleye at his cabin on Lake Sacagawea near the confluences of the Little and Big Missouri rivers.

Oh, did I mention, mom and dad both got their deer last fall, and her with a newly rebuilt shoulder? He cleaned it, she cooked it and even made some of her famous sausage, which she shared with family and friends (Donna, I'm your new friend).

Phil usually hunts, and guides some, with a bow, but this time he thought he might have a little problem belly crawling and chose to use his Remington .270-caliber. He's looking forward to maybe picking up the bow again this year.

And the farm?

He was back on his monster tractor last fall, and his wife may let him try the combine this year.

Bottom line: Father and son are lifelong hunting partners and have hunted everything from turkey to deer, antelope and even elk.

Mom and dad are good hunting partners too. He has a Wyoming 6X6 elk hanging on the wall and Donna got a nice 4X4 with her .257-caliber Roberts, going uphill at 300 yards, with one shot. It went in the freezer. This is one good woman. And, this is one tough hunting and farming family.

Curtis is passing that on to his daughters Devyn, Avery and Bailey who is the clown of the bunch. All are accomplished shooters and love to fish. They're looking forward to this fall and the opening of another pheasant season.

If you have a story or comment about this or other articles, please contact me at dansimmons@usa.net or give me a call at 775-727-9777.

Update

The news is TUNA, and this is the trifecta. Yellowtail, albacore and at the top of the food chain bluefin are all being hauled landed in ever increasing numbers ... And, the white sea bass are still biting off Catalina and San Clemente Islands. This is prime time in Southern California and Baja waters. My money is on the overnight boats; they usually leave around 10:00 p.m. and start fishing the hot spots at dawn, returning the following evening. The two nighters are even better and in both cases you save on hotel rooms and food as both are usually provided. I can even afford these without busting the budget. Take your son or daughter along for a reduced rate and this becomes the event of the summer vacation.

For more information, or a fishing report, go to, www.hmlanding.com, or www.thebiggame90.net.

Recipe of the Week

In a small town like Arngard families and friends often get together at one of those famous North Dakota potlucks. Here is an excellent way for the Moens to share their harvest. I am sure we would all like to be there with them for the pheasant season opener.

If you can't join them, try this with our local chukar or quail.

"Pam's Pheasant Appetizers"

Approximately one pound of pheasant meat, thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick by 1 inch wide; you will need 24 pieces); 24 fresh jalapeno peppers; 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated; 1 8-oz package cream cheese; 1 tsp. lemon pepper; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 12 slices bacon, cut in half;

Make a slice down one side of jalapeno (keeping pepper whole) and clean out seeds; mix cheese, cream cheese, lemon pepper and garlic together, stuff into individual peppers; wrap one piece of pheasant meat and then a piece of bacon around each pepper and secure with a tooth pick or small skewer; broil peppers turning frequently until bacon is crisp and cheese has melted; serve with your favorite dipping sauce.