Funniest Patrick McManus story

ridgetop · Apr 3, 2003

Whats your favorite? I cant remember the names of most of them, and there are dozens that could be on my best of list, but "The Skunk Ladder" comes to mind.

Who else is a fan? I grew up reading his short humor stories in the back of Outdoor Life and have most of his books. I still think he is one of the funniest guys around in any format. Its impossible to pick a favorite short story of his, but the classic characters he created, like Retch Sweeney and Rancid Crabtree are permanently imbedded, like ticks, in my mind. Here's to you Pat! Thanks for all the laughs!

SureShot · Apr 3, 2003

One of my all-time favorite authors.

My favorite story is about the FMCs (Fast Mean Cows) he used to encounter when he went fishing as a kid.

RuttCrazed · Apr 3, 2003

I like the story about his first deer. I can just see him strapping that thing to his bicycle. LOL

Rut

stinky · Apr 3, 2003

I don't remember no Fat Mean Cows. But I do remember the story of a deer on a bike.

I like "Tenner Shoes." It is about the concequences of wearing your tenner shoes to long and what the doc will do to you.

hunter66 · Apr 3, 2003

The Grasshopper Trap and anything with Rancid Crabtree in it!

shep · Apr 5, 2003

Wow. I haven't thought about this guy in quite a while. I'm going to have to dig my Pat McManus books back out and read them again! I would have to say, when I saw the title of this post, before I even read it, I had that buck strapped on top of that bicycle, flying down that hill, past the other hunters in my head. Hillarious!! Anything with ole Rancid Crabtee in it too. There's one with him ice fishing that is absolutely a gut buster.

Paul_Crawford · Apr 6, 2003

Did you read his book, " They Shoot Canoes Don't They"? Great!! Paul

Coach Hunt · Apr 7, 2003

Howdy,

My favorite is "Never Sniff a Gift Fish" which I have read at least 30 times. I usually can't get through it without rolling on the floor! I also liked the one about "Canned Misery."

I have found out that my students do not "get" most of the puns and funnies that the rest of us really enjoy.

Great post!

Have a super week!!!!

Coach

BCBOY · Apr 7, 2003

I once knew a old preacher that used to quote McManus in his sermons. LOL! He was an avid hunter and fisherman as well. He was the one that got me hooked on McManus. I can't really say what story is my favorite because there are so many funny ones. The Night The Bear Ate Goombaw and Real Ponies Don't Go Oink come to mind.

huntsonora · Apr 8, 2003

The Night The Bear Ate Goombaw is my all time favorite! I laugh so hard every time I read it that I have to take breaks. I pulled that out one night in hunting camp and tried to read it to all of the hunters and we were all laughing so hard that we had sore stomach muscles the next day. I have all of his books and still read them to this day.

Drummond

stanley · Apr 8, 2003

I loved reading his stories when he back when he was a regular contributor to F&S!

My favorite was a list of definitions. Kind of an outdoorsman's dictionary. My buddies & I laughed big time at some of those. A couple of examples:

Sinker; Falling off a dock while holding a 10hp out-board motor.

Split-shot Sinker; One foot on the dock, one foot on the boat, 10hp motor in hand, and the boat starts to slowly drift away from the pier.

"They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?" was great as well! Just hearing the name Rancid Crabtree brings back great memories....

McManus is awesome!

S.

oldoregon · Apr 17, 2003

i might be high, but i always thought that retch and rancid were real!

stinky · Apr 18, 2003

You mean that they are not real...bummer

thunderbritches · Apr 20, 2003

What about the stories about his dog "strange"
and his sister the "troll". Pat has kept me
laughing for several years, only wish that I
could write as well as he does.

Graycliff · Apr 22, 2003

I can't remember the title but it has something to do with wizzing in mason jars and collecting them?!

Mcmains1 · Jun 2, 2024

ridgetop said:
Whats your favorite? I cant remember the names of most of them, and there are dozens that could be on my best of list, but "The Skunk Ladder" comes to mind.

Who else is a fan? I grew up reading his short humor stories in the back of Outdoor Life and have most of his books. I still think he is one of the funniest guys around in any format. Its impossible to pick a favorite short story of his, but the classic characters he created, like Retch Sweeney and Rancid Crabtree are permanently imbedded, like ticks, in my mind. Here's to you Pat! Thanks for all the laughs!

The first time I read McManus was in Outdoor Life. It was a story about shooting a deer and putting it in a car’s interior but it turned out to only be stunned and didn’t like being in a car. Hilarious! I laughed so hard especially since I thought I was reading a hunting story not a humor story. I read all his works since at least 10 times and read them to both my kids before and after they were born.
My favorites are many but especially My First Deer, Cubs, and The Human Fuel Pump.

mozey · Jun 2, 2024

There was one about his gassy dog in the back seat while he was on a date. That might be the hardest I've ever laughed at anything...

BrowningRage · Jun 2, 2024

First off- a thread resurrected 21 years later has to be a record.!!

Secondly- I read McManus in Outdoor Life as a kid for years. Being a kid, I always thought this dude must have been the luckiest, unlucky dude in the world to have so many outdoor adventures turn into the tragedy of comedy they all did...

DeerMadness · Jun 2, 2024

The great sled adventure!

Phantom Hunter · Jun 3, 2024

Always liked reading McManus. The one title that has stayed in my head all these years is “The Care and Feeding of Kid Brothers”. All his stories were funny.