POLSON - When you walk into Dr. Stephen Irwin's office at St. Joseph's Medical Center, you'll get a good idea of his hobbies. A large, stuffed Cape Buffalo head and a Lichtenstein's hartebeest sit in front of his desk. Next to his computer is a photo of Irwin and a leopard he shot in Tanzania, and in his bookcase he has a large book about Teddy Roosevelt.

"He wrote a number of books and I collected them all in first edition," Irwin said.

However, despite his hunting and fishing travels all over the globe to Africa, Alaska, Mexico and South America, he said he still hasn't found a better place to live than Polson.

"There's no better place to live, raise a family and work than right here," he said. "And I don't think [my next trip to] Australia will change my mind."

Irwin is originally from Indiana and graduated from the University of Indiana. He said that he had always wanted to live out west near a lake. When searches for a possible home site in Idaho didn't turn up what he wanted, he turned to Flathead Lake. After practicing medicine for 11 years in Indiana, Irwin moved to Polson in 1983 with his wife Jan.

"When I first came to this town I started attending all the high school athletic events," Irwin said.

He then became the Pirates' unofficial team physician and has been seen on the sidelines ever since. While he has stepped back from his role somewhat, it has been because his other partners at the hospital also want to help out the team.

"I've had moms and dads say that they feel a little more comfortable when I'm down on the field," Irwin said.

His two sons, Tyler and Spencer, played for the Pirates in the middle part of this decade, so Irwin has seen first hand the positive influence that sports have on kids.

"It always means a little bit more when your kids are on the field," Irwin said.

Irwin said he has seen a lot of growth and change in the area. More year-round residents have moved to Polson, and the medical staff at the hospital has grown from four doctors to 20.

"That's partly because of the growth in population and the aging of population," Irwin said. "Medically there are more services we do. When I moved here, there was no such thing as a Cat Scan or MRI. Technology has generated a lot of patient visits."

Along with being a doctor, Irwin also published two books. "The Providers" is about the hunting and fishing methods of Native Americans and "Sporting Collectibles" is about items like fishing lures, reels and other such items that an avid collector can get their hands on. His wife Jan also published "Random Reflections of an Empty-Nestler."

Irwin is also a former chief-of-staff at the hospital and is currently a board member for the hospital. He shows no signs of slowing down.

"I don't plan to retire and even if I did, I wouldn't leave this area," he said.