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We used to use donuts for bait when we were fishing for bear.

Dad would be driving the pickup and I’d be in the back with a line out with a donut for bait.

A bear would take the donut and then Dad would stop the pickup while I reeled in the bear.

Dad would be in the cab of the pickup eating donuts and drinking coffee and listening to Johnny Cash on the radio while the bear was kicking the crap out of me.

I screamed for him to throw me a weapon so he threw me his comb. I couldn’t find the natural part in the bear’s hair so the comb did me no good.

You know how fishing boats have fish finders? Well the pickup had a bear finder. It was our dog Tiger.

Worthless coward. Never once came back to help me land a bear. He’d be sitting on the seat barking with little pieces of donut shooting out from his mouth. Dad would be petting him going, “Oh, that’s a Grizzly he’s got on the line, Tiger. He’ll make a nice trophy if he doesn’t eat the kid. Want another donut?”

It’s like my Dad said, “Bear fishing will make a man out of you.....or it might make a meal out of you. I look at it as a win either way.”