In another immersive Campfire short, we revisit one of Field and Stream’s most powerful pieces ever published: “Dad’s Gun” by Phil Bourjaily. What starts as a simple pheasant hunt in the brutal Iowa winter of 1979 becomes a defining moment, one that pulls a young hunter into the outdoors and reveals the complicated, often unspoken truths between fathers and sons.

Phil guides listeners through the history of a battered Beretta over/under that survived decades of pheasant hunting, duck marshes, barbed-wire crossings, and hard Midwestern winters. The story isn’t just about a gun. it’s about how hunting binds generations, how the outdoors can heal, and how unspoken grief shapes a family.

You’ll hear how a single right-to-left crossing shot on a flushing rooster ignited Phil’s lifelong passion for upland hunting, and how that same gun carried quiet memories of his father’s best days afield. Through stories of snipe hunts, duck scouting, dog work, and the restoration of a cherished firearm, Phil explores what hunting can teach us about forgiveness, legacy, and the weight of time.

If you love the emotional backbone of outdoor life, family tradition, heirloom guns, and the moments that turn us into hunters, this is a story you won’t forget.

Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations.

Read the original story: https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/guns/shotguns/fs-classic-dads-gun 

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, Phil Bourjaily: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/phil-bourjaily 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

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