I’m not sure if they made birth certificates when Doug was born, but finding his would be the only way to determine his true birthplace. He tells us he grew up in Washington state, and that hunting, fishing and camping were a big part of his childhood. His parents first brought him to Yellowstone in the 1950’s. He started guiding in West Yellowstone in the early 1970’s, after finishing a graduate degree. He became a teacher, which allowed him to guide here every season. He joined the Blue Ribbon guide staff in the early 2000’s. After 40 some years guiding, “Ol’ Pope,” as he sometimes calls himself, has more energy than any of the youngest guides in town. As I’m sure people have been saying for ages, you’ve got to meet Pope to believe he exists. If you put his legend aside, you’ll find that Pope is smart and tough. He’s been paying attention to the fish and the insects everyday, every season, for four decades. His ego is non-existent and he has a good laugh with every person he meets. Doug prefers to float the Madison. When he’s wading he likes to fish the Firehole. Outside of West Yellowstone, Pope has been fishing all over the place. He’s guided in Alaska and fished in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Now that he has retired from teaching, he spends his winters fishing in Mexico.
