Dads have a special place in our hearts here at Otis. At sixteen, our founder Doreen had the spark of inspiration for a better gun cleaning kit while on a hunt with her dad, using her grandfather’s rifle. Her father, who Otis is named for, went on to become one of our industry’s most loved members and an honorary dad to so many of the staff here at Otis.

This Father’s Day we want to say “thank you” to all the dads and men in our lives who have done their best to raise us up right and teach us what it means to be the best versions of ourselves.

A letter to the men who raised me:

Thank you for teaching me the importance of patience. You kept my pace when my legs were too short to match yours. You taught me that the buck is worth waiting for, that the ducks will come if we wait and if we are quiet. You waited by the truck for the 10 minutes it took me to drag a goose back from the blind on the first hunt you took me on when I insisted on "helping." Your patience with me granted me experiences and learning opportunities I will value for the rest of my life. I know I tested you, dad, but you showed me what it meant to put the people we love first and the true importance of patience. 

Thank you for teaching me the importance of responsibility. You gave me my first dog, and Jake taught me what a great responsibility it was to care for another living thing. I watched you train him to be a great duck dog and a world class friend. You taught me to be responsible for myself and my things and the impact I have on the world around me. We left it better than we found it, we passed on the young bucks, we threw back the small fish. Leaving a gun out and dirty after a hunt did not fly in your house, and years later it does not fly in mine.

Thank you for teaching me the importance of hard work, dedication and follow through. In our house we honored our commitments. We stuck it out, we saw things through. Thank you for teaching me that just because it’s hard doesn’t ever mean it is OK to quit. Because it is hard, it will be so worth it in the end. In our house, we knew what it meant to grind because we saw you do it for your whole life. There was no such thing as sleeping in or taking time off. You worked hard from sun up to sun down to give us the best life you could. As grateful as I was then, I appreciate your hard work, dedication and follow through tenfold, now that I am grown. You inspire me. You have made me tenacious. I will never give up. 

So much of who you are is reflected in me, dad, and I am so grateful to you because I can’t think of anyone else I would rather be like. Even if I did get your temper and stubbornness.  

Happy Father’s Day!

Love, 

The Otis Team