Jake MacDonald 1949-2020

Goodbye, Jake, and thank you

Selected short works from long-time Outdoor Canada contributor and friend, the late Jake MacDonald

Advertisement

As we mourn Jake MacDonald’s tragic passing in Mexico on Thursday, we also celebrate his work. Jake contributed to Outdoor Canada for more than two decades, writing myriad articles about everything from fly fishing in the tropics for bonefish to gunning for late-season waterfowl in his beloved home province of Manitoba.  Jake, we miss  you and your unique, wonderful voice already. Rest in peace, friend. Endless skeins of geese and rivers brimming with plump fish surely await you in the great beyond.

Here are just some of Jake’s insightful shorter pieces for Outdoor Canada, which have also been previously published on this website. Please enjoy. A further tribute to Jake will be featured in the May/June 2020 issues of Outdoor Canada and Outdoor Canada West.

Advertisement

Ice fishing: In the dead of winter, there’s still plenty of life below the ice

Keepers: There’s nothing like fillets in the pan to remind us what fishing is all about 

Luck: When good fortune makes a great day in the outdoors even better

Advertisement

The Hanson buck: Celebrating 25 years as the reigning world-record whitetail 

Tag soup: A reminder that there’s more to hunting than just bringing home meat

Danger: It’s the downside, but sometimes necessary part, of our outdoor adventures

Fraser failure: How anglers are being sideline on one of B.C.’s great fisheries

Canada at 150: How Canada has changed its view on fishing and hunting since Confederation 

The boat trailer: For getting anglers to the fish, it’s where the rubber meets the road 

Adventure: For anglers and hunters, nothing beats the challenges of the outdoors 

The Wabler: Celebrating 100 years of helping anglers put fish in the boat

For some outdoorsmen and women, adventure means trying something new and challenging, such as tracking a buck in fresh fallen snow or catching a muskie on a lure you crafted by hand. And as with all difficult undertakings, the adventure is not about success or failure. The best stories, after all, aren’t always about those who succeeded. The best stories are sometimes simply about those who tried.

—Jake MacDonald, 1949-2020