The outdoor community lost a great friend Thursday.
Hamilton County Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon passed away of an apparent heart attack at the age of 60.
Besides sitting on the judicial bench, Judge Moon was an avid and skilled outdoorsman. When he wasn’t on the bench, he was likely perched in a deer stand or plying the waters of the Gulf with good friends like Dr. James Eyssen.
A passionate man on the bench, he also wore his heart on his sleeve in life. Stricken by the impact on lives along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill disaster, he made a personal plea to the executive director of BP Oil, asking that they give to the children living along the Gulf.
An avid fishermen and hunter, Judge Moon was also a poet. One of his most famous pennings rode along with Captain Sig Hansen on the TV show “The Deadliest Catch.” The judge’s poem was featured on the show and was displayed in the wheelhouse of the Northwestern. (The poem is included below.)
Judge Moon told me, “I wrote the poem primarily for the Northwestern, but the first verse is for all captains and crews who make their living on the seas and oceans throughout the world. I very much appreciate what these brave men do, and I am very honored to be on board with them in the spirit of the prayer.”
Nearly every hunter has a story about a time when "a game warden just appeared out of nowhere." Most of the time those hunters are abiding by the law. When they are not, they get the chance to "tell it to the judge." And those days in "wildlife court" could be wild indeed, especially if Judge Moon was at the helm.
One day as I observed in court, Judge Moon asked a man caught fishing without a license, as he often does, "If I gave you a drug screen this morning how do you think you'd do?"
"I don't know, Your Honor," responded the defendant hesitantly.
"I wish you'd bought a fishing license instead of dope," Judge Moon said, as he gave the man a stiff fine.
But Judge Moon could show temperance from the bench as well, for the right reasons. In another case the same day, a father came to court with his son, who was also caught without a fishing license. The father and son explained that they usually fish together and that dad takes care of purchasing licenses.
As he dismissed the case based on good behavior, Judge Moon told the father, "I wish you had gone with him this time, but you're doing the right thing by taking your son fishing."
As an avid outdoorsman himself, Judge Moon brought a different demeanor to hunting and fishing cases, so much so that defense attorneys filed a formal complaint that wildlife officers were purposefully manipulating the judicial system to get their cases before Judge Moon. The charge was never clearly proven, but there were procedural changes at the courthouse.
Regardless, if a wildlife violator ended up before Judge Moon they could count on fair treatment … and the stiffest sentence possible if found guilty.
After court one day, when Judge Moon had seized a truckload of hunting equipment, rifles, bows and knives from violators, a wildlife officer said to me, "Our regional manager told me that we're going to have to build a new evidence room if y'all keep this up."
Of course the judge could never say so publically, but I bet behind closed doors he would have admitted that he often felt handcuffed by state law when he handed down sentences for the most serious hunting and fishing violations.
It is far too early to know who might fill Judge Moon’s seat on the bench. But in the eyes of area hunters and fishermen, and me, it will be nearly impossible to find someone who will wear the robe as proudly as did Judge Bob Moon.
"Prayer of the Northwestern"
Especially for Captain Sig Hansen and His Crew
By Judge Bob Moon, May 2009
Father, take this ship inside Thy hands
And protect the souls of these men
Fish with them, and stay with them
Until their journey's end
And to Captain Sig give guidance
And understanding of the sea
Bless his crew with fair weather
In all that's meant to be
Give peace to their families
That are back on shore
That all will return quite soon
With clear skies above
And inside your love
Beneath a harvest moon
Fill their pots like Peter's nets
On the shores of Galilee
And let them know you love them so
As they fish across the sea
And in their work and in their rest
Teach them to love their fellow man
And to love each other as you have taught
And to try and understand
That peace on earth can surely come
With your blessings and your love
For Captain and Crew of the Northwestern
Grant safe passage from above
Richard Simms is a contributing writer, focusing on outdoor sports. The opinions expressed in this editorial belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.
