Arkansas - Michael Fleeman
We at RefugeRat.com celebrate the people who continue the great tradition of hunting on public grounds, and applaud those who keep alive the proud heritage of conservancy and fine-spirited gamesmanship.
With those and other qualities in mind, we are pleased to honor Mike Fleeman of Arkansas, whose commitment to preserving the traditions of hunting make him our first-ever Rat of the Year award-winner.
In Our Words
Mike Fleeman represents all that is good about the sport of hunting, from his awareness of the land and other hunters around him, to his desire to maintain traditions that have lived with his family for generations. Mike is knowledgeable about his "home bases", the refuges he's hunted most over the years, but he also speaks intelligently about hunting in general, and has hunted in various regions of the United States.
As a sportsman who has hunted public lands his entire life, Mike was raised to appreciate the land on which he hunts. He also recognizes that public lands are to be shared by all hunters, and demonstrates a desire to not only enjoy the gift we call nature, but to share that enjoyment with other hunters.
As a knowledgeable hunter who like so many of us was introduced to the sport by listening to relatives tell tales from the fields, Mike makes a point to carry on the traditions he's learned by teaching his son to be a safe and responsible hunter. His son joins him on almost every hunt these days, and Mike uses the opportunities to pass along the knowledge, beliefs and techniques that have helped make hunting such an important part of his life.
For all of those reasons, RefugeRat.com is proud to name Mike Fleeman this year's Rat of the Year winner. Congratulations, Mike.
In Mike's Words
On passing along the hunting tradition: "Nine out of 10 times that I hunt, I have my son with me. He is nine years old and loves to duck hunt, but more importantly, he loves to share time in the outdoors with his old man. He is being taught on a regular basis that our hunting is important, and to keep it, we need to take care of it."
On protecting the environment: "If we come across trash, we pick it up and haul it out. I was stopped by some wardens a few years back and they checked everything we had. While they were patting us down, one of them felt something metal in my pocket and asked what it was. When I produced an old can I had picked up, he said to one of his fellow officers, "Let these boys go on. Anybody out here picking up old cans is alright."
On sharing space with fellow hunters: "No matter where I've hunted public grounds, some things are consistent. You are always going to have people who don't understand or have respect for Mother Nature or for their fellow hunters. If I have people set up close to me, we ask them to come hunt with us. If they refuse, we just move."
To read Mike's nomination letter in its entirety, click here.
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Josh Campbell