It's not everyday you have a gun pulled on you, even in Montana.
My son Cory and I pulled into a small parking lot near a lake in the Seeley-Swan Valley today where we planned to canoe and fish. There was a guy standing near a big pickup who seemed to be glaring at me as I was getting ready to unstrap and unload my canoe. Eventually he walked over and introduced himself as Ken Liston. He asked if my name is Dave Stalling.
My son Cory and I pulled into a small parking lot near a lake in the Seeley-Swan Valley today where we planned to canoe and fish. There was a guy standing near a big pickup who seemed to be glaring at me as I was getting ready to unstrap and unload my canoe. Eventually he walked over and introduced himself as Ken Liston. He asked if my name is Dave Stalling.
"Yes. Do I know you?" I asked.
"You're the wolf-loving, tree-hugger who insulted me online," he said.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
Then I remembered. He was a participant in a recent discussion regarding wolves on a Facebook page run by a local nonprofit hunter-angler conservation organization. He kept posting common lies and misconceptions about wolves to which I responded with science-based facts. (No, the reintroduced wolves are not a different, larger, more "vicious" subspecies from what used to live here. No, they are not "decimating" our elk herds. No, they are not after our children. No, they are not associated with Muslims or the Communist Party.) He is the type who responded with intelligent, insightful comments such as, "You're not a real hunter. You're not a real Montanan. You're a libtard."
At one point, he suggested anyone not born in Montana should have their place of origin tattooed on their forehead and then be removed from the state.
I gave up and called him an idiot.
"Ah, yes, I remember you," I said. "The guy who wants to tattoo people's foreheads and boot them out of Montana?"
"That's me," he said. "You insulted me."
"Yes, I did," I replied. "I think I called you an idiot?"
"Yes," he said. "I bet you don't have the balls to say that to my face!"
"Do you really, seriously think that anyone not born in Montana should have their place of origin tattooed on their forehead and then be removed from the state?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Well then, you do seem like an idiot," I responded.
"And from your hat, I can tell you are a fucking libtard," he said.
(I was wearing my Montana Wildlife Federation hat.)
"Do you really, seriously think that anyone not born in Montana should have their place of origin tattooed on their forehead and then be removed from the state?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Well then, you do seem like an idiot," I responded.
"And from your hat, I can tell you are a fucking libtard," he said.
(I was wearing my Montana Wildlife Federation hat.)
I asked him to leave me alone.
"I'm with my son," I said. "We are going fishing. Please go away."
He got close up in my face in a very intimidating and threatening manner and proceeded to insult me. I felt trapped between him and my car. I got pretty nervous and asked him several times to back off. He only got more aggressive and threatening. I placed the palm of my hand on his face, holding his head like Tom Brady might grasp a deflated football, and shoved him away from me.
"Leave me alone!" I said again. "Go away."
He pulled a handgun out from a side holster (hidden under his jacket) and pointed it at me. It looked like a .45 caliber.
"Whoa!" I said. "Are you seriously pulling a gun out on me? My son is here (Cory was very scared). Knock it off asshole. Go away."
He dropped the gun to his side and said (seriously, he really did say this):
"Touch me again and I will shoot you. I'm too old to fight and too young to die."
"Wow! Did we just enter into a John Wayne movie?" I asked. "You really are a fucking idiot, aren't you? I will not touch you if you put your toy away and get the fuck out of here."
He put his toy away and got out of there. I called 911 and reported the incident and gave the operator a description, make and model of his truck, his license plate number and the direction he drove off.
While still on the 911 call, he returned and parked his truck near me. He got out and offered me a beer as an apparent peace offering.
"We're better than this," he said.
"No, you're not," I replied.
I informed him the police were on the way.
He left again.
"We're better than this," he said.
"No, you're not," I replied.
I informed him the police were on the way.
He left again.
While waiting for the police, I missed a phone call from a number I did not recognize. Assuming it might be the police, I called the number back.
It was him.
He again made a peace offering.
He again made a peace offering.
"How did you get my number?" I asked.
"I have my intelligence sources," he said.
The police apparently pulled him over, and eventually arrived to separately get my version of the story and then Cory's version. They were very professional and nice. They asked if I wished to pursue any charges against the guy. I said no.
Throughout the incident, I kept reassuring Cory that everything was okay, and he kept assuring me that he was okay. But at one point he did say, "Dad, next time someone points a gun at you, you really shouldn't threaten and cuss at them -- you should cower a little bit."
He has a point.
He also said, "Be careful what you say to people online; you might meet them in person sometime." After that, we spent a lovely afternoon on the lake, fishing. The worst part of the day? We didn't catch any fish.
Throughout the incident, I kept reassuring Cory that everything was okay, and he kept assuring me that he was okay. But at one point he did say, "Dad, next time someone points a gun at you, you really shouldn't threaten and cuss at them -- you should cower a little bit."
He has a point.
He also said, "Be careful what you say to people online; you might meet them in person sometime." After that, we spent a lovely afternoon on the lake, fishing. The worst part of the day? We didn't catch any fish.
