Indiana Open Country

Archive for June, 2012

I launched this blog in early October of 2011 as a way to give people information about the outdoors in Indiana which I have spent my whole life enjoying to the fullest.

I feel like I grew up enjoying my days fishing on the lakes, hiking the trails and riding my bike. Just the thoughts of it bring back a flow of memories that I love to sit and think about.

This website is becoming an outlet for me to share with the world my love of the outdoors and empower you to do the same with your family.

Growing up, my family knew the importance of experiencing something other than sitting around the house watching TV or playing video games. Out fun and excitement was getting on the banks of the rivers and lakes and slaying as many fish as we possibly could before the sun came down, and then throwing out the catfish poles after it did.

I had some great influences in my life when it came to stepping out into the wilderness and “being at one with nature” if you want to call that.

My biggest inspiration in life and greatest teacher was my father; he was the most imperfect perfect outdoorsman in the world. He taught me everything I ever needed to know when it come to loving the land. From hunting night-crawlers in the backyard to save money on bait to tracking 15 point monster bucks after the shot.

The second was my grandpa Bob, who is my partner in crime in the hunting world. He has pretty much been there every minute that my dad was. Along with my brother, my uncles and a handful of friends, we knew how to turn a simple camping trip into one of the greatest adventures in the world.

From the time that I was still walking around in diapers I have been holding a fishing pole, I got my first 20 gauge shotgun right after my tenth birthday and have hunted and fished every since then.

My father loved the outdoors as much as I and it showed through everything he taught me and my brother. He is my inspiration for this site.

Knowing and understanding how spending time in the outdoors drastically impacted my childhood, I have decided to make it one of my goals in life as a person and as a father of 4 beautiful children to share my love of the outdoors with them.

In my life there is nothing more important than walking away from the real world and walking into the unknown. Maybe it is a campground, but to me it is a place to release everything in your life and just taste the freedom.

My dad passed away about 2 weeks after I started this site and it took me a long time (till March of 2012) to really get my mind back into creating this site that I wanted to create. It took me so long because getting back into the outdoor life was something that we ALWAYS shared together, and honestly, these great memories brought a ton of feelings.

Even in my adult life, when I needed someone to fish with me or hunt with me, he was always there. He was a best friend in a way.

My dad left me a with a legacy, and that legacy was spending time in the outdoors.

I don’t know if this post will mean anything to you, but I know that when my time comes and I leave this world, I pray that I have passed down the one thing that has given me a lifetime of happiness.

The outdoors.

I urge everyone to share that with their kids. To share something with them that will never leave them no matter what happens. They are memories that will stick with them with for the rest of their lives far after you are gone.

Jeff Mitchell
Indiana Open Country
Founder

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