Bill Hilts Outdoors Weekly

When the news came through that John J. Long, Sr. had passed on to the happy hunting grounds last Wednesday, it was like a chapter out of the Twilight Zone. Could this really be happening? Time stood still as I reflected on his storied past. Previous hunting and fishing trips we shared, outdoor writer conferences we attended together, hockey games we cheered and jeered through and meetings we toiled through together. They were all adventures in their own right and they are coming to a close now that our close friend is gone.

John J. Long of Niagara Falls, NY was a legend of sorts. While his focus was on bears and his love of the hunt, his legend knew no boundaries around sportsman and conservation circles. A former Conservationist of the Year, honored by the New York State Conservation Council for his lifetime achievements and unselfish dedication to the state's natural resources, Long's list of accomplishments was as his name suggests. Most recently, he was inducted into the New York State Outdoorsman Hall of Fame last April, located at the Gander Mountain store in Utica. I'm proud to say I was there for the induction ceremonies, an honor that was well deserved and long overdue.

In the interest of time and space, we'll jump through some important times of his 74 years of life. Growing up in the rural expanses of Western New York, Long worked his way through college - nearby Niagara University - by catching fish from the Niagara River and selling them to local restaurants. While he concentrated on blue and yellow pike, he'd even harvest sturgeon for Buffalo-area eateries.

Fast forward to his first exposure to bears and bear hunting. That was back in 1962 when friends Harry Balmer and Dale Rinker invited Long along on a trip to Northern Ontario, Canada. His life changed forever, in more ways that one. After spending several months on choosing a place to go, corresponding with several bear hunting lodges, they finally selected Long Point Lodge near Goganda. Not only were they extremely helpful, Long took it to extremes like he almost always does: he married the lodge owners' daughter (not on this first trip, though). That first year he was the only one to take a bear.

"I was still hunting an old overgrown logging road that fateful day," said Long has he reflected back four decades for an article I wrote for the North American Bear Foundation Journal. " I had walked about 15 miles when I came across a grassy slope and decided to rest. I dozed off, only to be awakened by something. As I sat up, there was a black bear less than 50 yards from me grazing. It only took one shot from my .30-06 Model 70 Winchester to take my first bear. The rest is history. I was bit by the bear bug!"

Among other things, he fell in love with bear hunting and the wild country of Northern Ontario. After several trips up hunting and fishing that same year, he decided to get a place of his own up north, doing so in 1963 in Englehart. Four years later, he purchased the camp he owned up until his last days on Crooked Creek in Kenogami, near Kirkland Lake. "I still remember the day, August 23, 1967," said Long. "It cost me $385 for 80 acres of land, the buildings and the furniture. We performed the transaction in one day."

Long was known for his stories. As his name suggests, most of them were like that. But don't ever question the validity of his real life experiences because they really have happened. Since 2003, he collaborated with me as a featured writer in the NABF publication, keying in on some of the humorous aspects of bear hunting. With 45 years under his belt, he had quite a few stories to tell. The sad part is that those stories, as they can only be told by Long, are now only part of the legacy he's left behind.

As we mentioned, his employment is insurance and he's well known across the country in that capacity. He was one of the few people in the U.S. that would work to insure hunting and shooting clubs, as well as game farms and preserves.

His reputation even extended into the political arena of the Empire State and beyond. A personal friend of former New York Governor George Pataki, Long was asked to take over the Republican Party in Niagara County in 1996 - a position he held until 2000. But that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his political affiliations in working the system to support the conservation movement. He was a very close friend with Senator John Daly, serving as chairman of his Conservation Advisory Committee. His influence was a key to Long's legacy of leaving this world a much better place to be. A big responsibility of Long was being Chairman (and vice chairman) of the state's Conservation Fund Advisory Board . It's the job of CFAB to oversee the state Department of Environmental Conservation's expenditures as they relate to fish and wildlife. License money revenues in the state are earmarked for something called the Conservation Fund and there are restrictions on how that money can be spent. Through Long's leadership, he was able to keep a watchful eye on DEC and provide both helpful insight and constructive criticism While he was often busier than a one-armed paper hanger, he would always make time for bears and bear hunting. "It's the hunt that I truly love," said Long. "I learn something new every time I'm in the bush with these animals. I've come to understand their habits, which directly relates to hunting success. These animals are very territorial and I use that to my advantage when hunting them. While I don't shoot that many bears any more, I still love the hunt...and the meat."

The last bear he harvested wasn't a black bear at all but an Alaskan Grizzly bear taken the middle of April 2001. All Long's trips are adventures and this one was no different. A call from a friend clued him in on a canceled hunt, looking for someone to pick up the difference. While an Alaskan grizzly hunt was the furthest thing from his mind at the time, his love for bears and bear hunting got the best of him. Within two weeks, he was headed off St. Michael's, Alaska to hunt with Jerry Austin and his Austin's Alaska Adventures. Working with master guide Austin, they pinpointed a coastal area where Austin had sighted a big bear the previous fall. They immediately found bear sign around a dead walrus that had been frozen all winter and just recently thawed out. It was just a matter of time before Long got his shot and his first grizzly. The huge bruin stood at better than 9-1/2 feet tall and weighed over 1,000 pounds! Long was in that final phase of a hunter's life. It didn't matter if he harvested an animal or not, he still enjoyed the hunt itself. "I get more enjoyment in seeing someone else get their first bear, deer or turkey than in taking one myself. When someone gets that first animal, they're walking on air and bustling with pride. If I didn't like the meat so much, I'd never shoot another animal myself."

John Long truly was an outdoor legend. You never know what's going to happen next, either. He loved hunting alone and often did so chasing moose each fall. One year, while hunting far back in the bush, he hyper extended his knee just prior to a major snowstorm. Everyone feared we lost him when he failed to come out. Search parties were formed as they tried to locate him. One thing about John is that he always prepared for the worse case scenario and this was it. He had some food and built a shelter. He also had a space blanket to keep his warmth. Surviving a foot of snow for several days, he was able to construct a makeshift crutch and hobble his way out almost eight miles. Oh, yea, he got his moose, too.

He was also a family man, proud of sons and daughters… and grand kids. He went out of his way to take them hunting and spend time with them, as we all should. He was a model for us to follow in so many ways.

From his involvement with the Niagara River Anglers Association and his walleye pond project donation to his involvement with things like the Strawberry Island project, he made things happen. He was a leader with the state Conservation Council and the state Outdoor Writers. He was one of the doers we don't hear enough about, the people in the trenches working to make things happen.

There are still many more stories to tell. Hats off to one of Long's daughters, Amy Long-McCalister who put together an excellent video tribute of her dad - nearly an hour of memorable Long pictures through the years and set to some of John's favorite songs. The many people who showed up at the funeral home all took turns watching as they laughed - and cried - through this pictorial collage. It would have made Long happy and I could sense him smiling down on us as we watched. In the background, you could hear people tell their own Long stories and some of the memories he passed along through his time here on Earth.

John Long, Jr. was up north at the camp this past week to close things down for the winter. While using the outhouse one day, he looked over through the window and saw a bear paw! As he stood, he could see a big black bear carrying around a gas can, almost like he was looking for something. Yes, even the bears up north will be missing John, Sr.! Thanks to Long, our life is much fuller and we live in a better place. His legacy will live on forever. But like the bears up north, we'll miss him terribly now that he's not with us any more physically. However, we'll all be carrying around a piece of his spirit. Thanks for the memories, John!