Who showed you?
General Topic
Not to put a downer on the day for anybody but , I'm sitting in the adult assisted living facility near my home watching my dad hanging on to the last bit of his life. He is the one who showed me what the real world is! He took me through the swamps in a sled when I was too little to walk on my own. He took me duck hunting when I was 6 and let me carry my bb gun to the blind. We went on multi day river floats before I could be of any help at all on the trip.my dad would let me tag along grouse hunting and when I couldn't keep up , he would just let me fall behind. When I got to thinking I was completely lost and forgotten he would let out a while to let me know where to find him . He always said it was good to be at least a little lost in the woods sometimes. My dad exposed me to the real world! He put me on a path that has given me more peace and satisfaction than any fabricated facade of " civilization " . Most of us had someone take us hunting or fishing for the first time ,and that lead us to be who we are today . Who was that person to you?
It was my father. No it IS my father. He is in better health than most folks at 91, but I know he'll be gone long before I'm ready. He taught me to hunt, to work, to pray, and to live.
I'm sorry about your father, I am glad you have good memories of your life with him.
Sorry to hear about you Dad. Enjoy the memories !! Hunt
both my father and my mother. My pops passed when I was 12, but lucky for me my mom loves hunting and conservation as much as she loves her only son. From the time I was 5, I would sit in the deer blind with her. A year or two later I was trying to keep up with her in the ferns and poplar whips chasing ruffed tail and woodcock in the UP. She's one bad mama jama, and I am truly blessed to have been raised by such a strong woman.
Yes life is short, sometimes we don't realize how short it is! It's nice to reflect back on the good times for sure! Sorry to hear about your Dad!
ElkNut/Paul
It is tough to hear about your Dad. Surely your being there with him brings him comfort.
My dad left when I was very young.
I spent a lot of time with my grandfather - Papa - and Mom early on. They spent a lot of time with me target shooting with a .22, cutting cane fishing poles, and taking me fishing in the river. I loved to hear his hunting and fishing stories. He was born in 1900, so his stories were from a time when it was much more difficult to travel and things were much simpler.
My first bows were made from cedar and pecan limbs that Mom and Papa would tie string to and turn me loose with a few old arrows that my uncles had left around. My Papa made my first real longbow out of a hickory board. He encouraged and supported me hunting with a bow when the rest of the family were extremely anti-bow and arrow. I am glad that he encouraged my passion.
Sorry to hear about your dad. Cherish all the great moments you had with him.
My dad showed me everything outdoors when I was a kid and teenager He took me on a lot of fishing and hunting trips even when I wasn't allowed to hunt. He was very woodmen wise and loved the outdoors. I wish he was still around but he went the big hunting lands in the sky.
Sorry to hear about your father. I lost mine when he was 70, still hunting and laying brick. One moment he was standing, the next he was gone. Sometimes life stays with us too long. I pray your father is not suffering.
Dad and 2 different uncles, but I used to walk out of town packing a rifle when I was 12. Both my parents worked and we were the next thing to being wild animals.
Went through what you are going through and it is tough. For me the day I took him to the nursing home was worse than the day he passed. For years he was my best friend. Taught me how to hunt also. It is the cycle of life. But not fun. There is not a day that I don’t miss him. But I wish him back when he was active. Never like the last few years. I told myself that I had to be strong and show my sons how to care for me at the end. In 87 I went to bow only and our hunts decreased. Kind of regret that now. Be strong!!! Greg
Yooper, that is cool! Your Mom sounds amazing!
My brothers (3) got me hunting, but my uncle took me bowhunting and started the real fun!
Traveled to trail you are on now. Take advantage to be with your dad as much as you can and relish the time with him. When they're gone, they're gone.
Be thankful for what your dad did for you and remember help someone behind you like your dad did. You've got both an example to follow and a challenge in front of you.
Certainly brings back memories. Record his voice if you can. You will not be able to remember it.
Thanks for posting in your difficult time. Buff is right on. Help the next one in line!
My stepdad taught me how to wrench on cars and make money while still putting more time into the important things in life. He didn't teach me to hunt, but was really into fishing and we had plans on getting him into archery hunting. But he died last December in his 50s. Only regret is not working on more cars with him last year before he got real sick.
Say whatever you'd want him to know now. It's a real bummer when you think of the all the stuff you wish you said.
I hate to hear about what you are going thru. My dad introduced me to the outdoors. He loves to hunt and fish, but will admit that I stepped things up a bit with the deer bug.
My grandfather got the whole family into archery .
My grandfather, greatest still hunter and tracker I ever witnessed. He had me tag along with him when I was 11 and set me loose in his woodlot while he followed behind me a hundred feet. I was 12 and he saw me miss my first deer. When we were real little my brother and I were deer drivers for a gang of local hunters. At 11, I was allowed to take a stand. Three deer went flying by me and by some miracle I hit one. I was not allowed to finish it off or tag it because it was not my turn. My grandfather was so mad that he told my father that he would take me and teach me to really hunt. His buddy took my brother. The next weekend that gang lost two drivers as groundhunting school began. Gramps was so quiet in the woods that he killed several deer in their beds, and he had only one eye. A bull took out his left eye.
DMC, sorry to hear that about your dad. Mine died at the beginning of AZ elk season in 2013....easy to remember as I had a unit 27 tag.
Its tough to see a man go from strong and vibrant to old and weakened. My advice is to try and remember him the way he was- post pictures around of him in his younger days.
I got some of my good traits from my dad.....but he wasn't a hunter or much of a businessman so I learned that from others.
My dad always said that you aren't really gone until you no longer exist in someone's memory. In that sense he's still around as he's in my thoughts daily.
My thoughts are with you Dana, as I've been in your shoes. My father was who taught me how to be a man, father and a husband. He was not an outdoorsman but when he saw that I possessed the "outdoor" gene, he connected me with his best friend who definitely was and became my hunting mentor. He passed away a year after my dad did in 2011. I wrote the following about him..........
My mentor died today. Thankfully it was a quick heart attack, and not altogether unexpected, as he had just had a pacemaker put in a few weeks ago.
He was 15 years my senior. He and my father were lifelong good friends, and because I came from a non-hunting family my father in his wisdom introduced me to him when he saw that I had a natural born passion for things of the wild. You could say that he was my second father in a lot of ways. My father instilled in me my core beliefs and character, and my mentor instilled in me my passion for the woods.
He taught me how to hunt, fish, trap, shoot a bow and gun, took me on my first bowhunt, and was with me when I shot my first deer. We trout fished in the spring, and then fished for smallmouths and bluefish in the summers. When I moved to Wyoming he came out there to visit and we had some great hunts.
His livelihood was in the outdoors, and I worked for him for four summers learning all I could about trees, plants, and other facets of outdoor construction. It eventually became my livelihood also.
He was THE best all around woodsman I've ever known. The last time I was able to deer hunt with him was in 2006, and although it was the first time he'd ever been on the ground I'd been hunting for the past 12 years, he showed me things I'd overlooked. His main thought was to observe EVERYTHING in the woods. Everything has a reason for being where it is, and there's a reason why any animal does what it does. A lot of that has rubbed off on me.
I last saw him when I went back to New Jersey to bury my father in 2010. We had a VERY lovely last evening together with our families and that of my best friend and his family. I will never forget that.
I know his physical being is gone from this earth, but as long as I have the capacity to go into the woods, he WILL be there with me.
In the wind, Fred Walter, save me a spot at the campfire. I will be along in a bit....
I discovered hunting and the outdoors for the most part on my own, although my dad was certainly an influence. My dad gun hunted and fished with his dad and they did recreational archery, but my mom was an avid anti-hunter so he gave up hunting when he got married - she even threw his guns away in the trash and he went along with it. Growing up, the one thing my dad, brother, and I did outdoors occasionally was scuba dive and fish, because for some crazy reason in my mom's head, it's ok to shoot fish under water with a spear gun, but not any other animals above the water - I think it's partly because she enjoys seafood so much, but don't get me going. My dad did take me fishing some as a kid and I grew up fishing as a kid as I lived near a lake most of my childhood, but I mostly fished alone or with a friend growing up.
As a teenager, I became an avid mountain biker, surfer, and snowboarder and after a series of injuries while mountain biking and snowboarding, I switched to hiking and backpacking after a brush with death and subsequent rehabilitation when I broke my neck while snow boarding. Hiking and back packing became my passion in my early twenties. My friends and I would backpack all over the west and I logged over 10K miles hiking and backpacking during that time.
The change for me came in my late twenties, when my dad's tolerance for my mom's nonsense waned and he went out and bought a bow for him and my little brother. My little brother didn't take it up and my dad hunted deer for a couple years, shooting one doe in CA. The bows were collecting dust and I asked for my brother's bow just to do recreational archery. I was consumed and was shooting over 500 arrows per week immediately upon receiving it..
About two weeks after receiving the bow, I was out on one of my hikes and saw a deer and it was like a light switched on inside me. I knew right then that I was a bowhunter, but just never realized it. My life was completely changed.
The following hunting season, I hunted almost every day so my dad got back into deer hunting and is now a more regular hunter as well, deer hunting about 3-4 days a year and coming with me on an elk hunt yearly, although he's still 0-5 on elk. My older brother killed his first buck this past season as well. My oldest daughter did her first deer hunt this past November. My mom is coming around too and will eat game meat and doesn't give us too much crap about hunting nowadays.
My family eats over 300 lbs of game meat per year and bowhunting has wholly consumed me. Not a day goes by that at least part of it isn't involved in some sort of bowhunting related research, planning, chatting, etc. I hunt 4-5 states per year now. I've also been the most happy in my life since bowhunting and I really owe my happiness and lifestyle to the outdoors and the pursuit of my passion.
I wish it was my father. He didn't take me hunting,fishing,camping or any outdoor activity. He's been gone 10yrs and I still miss him. We just happened to be opposite when it came to the outdoors.
Sorry to hear that, I hope he goes peacefully, as that's the best we can hope for. My Dad wasn't a hunter, although he liked to fish , he didn't get enough time for it. He worked too much trying to scrape up a living. He went out like a light at 61 years old. I was twenty at the time, and a big, tough kid, or so I thought. I cried like a baby for a half a day. It was something that I just couldn't accept. My memory fails me on lots of things, but I can remember that day like it was yesterday.
So, although he didn't teach me, he did allow me to learn on my own. He gave me his old single barreled 12 gauge when I was 12 and turned me loose on the squirrell population. First though, he picked out a wrist sized sapling and cut it down with one shot of no. 6s just to show me the awesome power of what I was using. It made an indelible impression on me.
He let me buy a used, kid sized hickory longbow when I was about 14 I guess and bought me some Western Auto arrows. I can hear him now, "Boy, you be carefull with that thing, and don't put your eye out !" Good memories of a good man........
My dad is my best friend and the biggest goof I’ve ever known. He’s also the one responsible for my obsessiveness for hunting.
My dad is 84 and pretty much quit hunting this year, although we're going to a 3D shoot tomorrow. He taught how to hunt, fish,build, repair, reload, leather work and the list goes on. I got into archery from the neighborhood kids, Dad got into archery when he retired. I've been blessed.
Sorry to here your situation Dana, prayers.
Dana,
I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my mom 2 years ago unexpectedly, and I know how hard losing a parent is. Thankfully my dad is still with us, and I can't imagine what it will be like when he goes.
To answer your question, My father and brothers. I am the youngest of five (4 boys/1 girl). My dad started his own hunting from a young age, and got into bow hunting a little before I was born. By the time I was old enough to hunt he had mostly stopped hunting himself, but put a lot of effort into taking me out and making sure I was successful. (I'm positive he had no idea of the monster he was creating;) I can remember my brothers and him coming and going on hunting trips, and from the time I was old enough to talk, hunting is all I could dream about doing. My dad was/is pretty old school in his hunting knowledge, and as I grew into my teens I started to pick things up from my older brothers. Being the youngest by far, I was always trying to live up to their success, which drove me to be better. As I grew older I started learning and soaking things up on my own and gradually became a better hunter, taking what I had learned from my dad and bros and going deeper with it. When I moved to Montana almost a decade ago things really changed from my humble Midwestern/Urban roots to getting to experience things I had only read about in magazines. Regardless of how successful I am or will be in my hunting, I owe it all to having a dad that was more about raising boys to become men than he was about watching sports or being self-centered in his own pursuits. I am pretty sure he thinks I'm nuts with some of the stuff I do now, but thankfully he was willing to let me grow and expand my horizons as a kid which really helped to shape my view on grabbing life by the horns as an adult.
He's had some health issues as of late, and it is hard for me to see him get old. As with most boys, as a kid I viewed my dad as a mountain of a man. He was always so robust and energetic, a no moss under his feet kind of guy. Tough to see strong men get old and weak. I know some day that will be me. Every year, when I am exhausted on a back country elk hunt, I remind myself that I am living my peak years now, and there will come a day when I will dream of the time I could hike the mountains with seeming endless energy and drive. I hope to stave off old age weakness as long as possible. Some guys here on the BS are great inspiration in that vein.
I pray you have as much peace as possible in your current situation.
my grand dad taught me most important things, my dad hunts and fishes also but was busy making a living for the family when i was young. then yall taught me about archery in my adult life jaq, paul at the fort, cnelk, otc will to name a few iv learned alot from even having never met yet.
My dad died when I was 12, he was 48. He took my older brother and I Hunting when we were both young. Here in Ca you had to be 12 before you can hunt. I remember hunting at 9 with a .410 on my uncles ranch on the desert. I shot my first cottontail there. When I think about it I only got to go out with him for about two years before he go sick but that was enough to kindle a fire in me.
Staying by his side will be another great memory. I too am sorry.
To answer your question, most of cousins shot recurves and I was always fascinated with the bow.
Truth be told, my exes, uncle took me hunting, he insisted, she hated him for it, man that was a rough time but, I think about him often... he knew I wanted to hunt, and realized how much I needed to learn and get in the woods.
Stay strong.
As life comes to an end, try to focus on the good memories. My father never took me fishing or hunting as he bought a farm w/the GI Bill following WWII and was always working to make ends meet. Every Saturday night he would take my brother and me to his father's one room shack and we would listen to the stories of the lifetime my grandfather spent guiding in his hunting camp he owned in the northern Adirondacks. He guided many hunters from the nineteen teens to the early 1950s. I have his old .32 Rem. given to him by the police chief of Rochester, NY in 1916. In March of 1965 I took my eldest son along with my father and we visited him on his deathbed in the poorhouse of Franklin County, NY. There were four generations there that afternoon but by evening only three. Up until my father passed 25 years later we talked a lot about him. I visit their graves and recall the stories. I pray for you and the hole in your heart.
A giant thank you for all the kind words ! I am sure y'all know how much it means to me or you wouldn't take the time to express them. Please keep the stories and experiences coming, I'm thouroughly enjoying them! Lots of wisdom in your posts too, again , thanks!!!
Sorry for your tough times.
My dad died 17 yrs ago to a sudden heart attack. He lived hard
He showed me hunting and fishing at a young age.
This is him and I about 1968. I still have the bow.
DMC, I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. I'll include him, you, and your family in my prayers. My parents, grandparents, uncles, cousins, siblings, and a few family friends were all responsible for me being exposed. My mom and dad were the main drivers though. My mom used to sit at the base of a tree about 40 yards down trail of my treestand. Dad took me hunting and fishing more than I can remember. I'm so blessed they got me involved in the outdoors like they did. I still get to fish with my dad as much as possible and I love every trip we get to take together.
My dad. He was the best hunter I know. He fell off a house while setting trusses, three years ago. Broke himself up pretty bad. And at the age of 65, has struggled getting back into getting after things with a driven desire. He still kills things regularly. But, he went from being the mist driven, hardest hunting person I k ow to only being able to hunt for a couple days at a time before having to recover. We hunt big rough country so, the miles take their toll on him now. It’s kinda sad seeing it as he sure doesn’t like it. But, I’m just happy he still goes and can do some of it. God Bless
Dad was not a hunter but supported me by taking me out and finding a friend who did. He spent many Saturdays killing time so I could sit a stand. We did fish a lot which was his passion. Lost him a little over 3 years ago. I couldn't get to see him when he went into the hospital because of a bad snow storm and having to get the kids but got to talk to him one more time before he passed. It's a hard thing. Hope the best for you and your dad.
My dad, who’s now 75 and we’re being told in the beginning stages of Dementia...From upland and waterfowl to later Bow Hunting big game...I miss those days of trying to keep up with him on the mountain...
Sorry to hear about your dad. Unfortunately you're not the only one going through this. My dad is 83 and suffering with dementia. It's hard to see our parents like this. I remember when I was 6 and he took me on my first deer hunt with him. He told me to keep an eye out for lions and tigers... :)
I'm with you...
Sorry to hear about your Father's health. Sounds like he raised you right. I lost my Dad a few years back... Some times when I'm out in the woods I break down, other times I smile thinking about him. He will always be with you!!
Very sorry to hear what you're going through. Sending some positive thoughts your way.
My grandpa taught my dad, and my dad taught me. My dad isn't very gung-ho about the actual hunting, but he loves deer camp and the camaraderie that goes along with it. My grandpa was a very determined hunter from what I've been told, I wish I could've hunted with him but he died when I was 6 years old. I hunt with his old Winchester .308 and my dad tells me how happy my grandpa would be if he knew of all the animals I've taken with his gun.
My dad is 75 now and won't walk very far. This year he only hunted a half day in Illinois with me. I give up other trip opportunities so I can hunt with him, I don't want to regret missing out on time with him to chase my own selfish pursuits. Just hanging out together and listening to him tell deer camp stories from before my time is awesome. I hear the same stories every year, and it never gets old. :)
Peace to you and your family.
Dad, brother and a few uncles. My Dad's grandfather showed him as his Dad died when he was 7. Stepdad died before I was born.
My father has been gone for 25 years now. Kids never met him but both were trained in firearms safety using his old .22 given to him by the great, great grandfather. His Howatt bow (broke the summer he died) is hanging up at my brothers place along with the 133" buck he shot in 1957 (the year my brother was born). I was born same year P & Y was formed.
I lost my dad in april at 61 years old. This season was definitly different without him.
Lost my mentor last year. Same circumstances as yours DMC65. My heart goes out to you but not such much as to the folks who will never feel that loss.
Growing up in a family that only fished , my oldest brother was a charter boat captain and the other was a bay man back in the day.I discovered my now obsession with bow hunting on my own . My only regret with that ,was that it took me to the ripe old age of 45 to pick up a bow and give a try! Better late than never I guess.........
My dad and my son at the last buck my dad killed with his xbow at age 81. He actually doubled on bucks that afternoon! This one is the bigger of the two. They got to hunt and fish a lot together and I know my son Emmet appreciates that. My dad, Victor, died this morning. He paved the way for me and I paved the way for my two kids , who both have appreciation for wild places and wild things . Thanks to all who said kind words and offered up prayers in our behalf. My words can't fully express how much it means cause y'all don't know me at all and you responded by telling about your personal feelings and experiences. Thanks to the bowsite community. I hope to be able to encourage as you have encouraged me! Hope the pics come through. The second is me and Dad in Wyoming with a pronghorn he killed. Only Western hunt he ever went on.
First pic didn't send , tryin again.
Group effort for me...
My Dad of course, my brother who was 7 years older than me, and my friends and neighbors. There was no shortage of hunting partners or hunting opportunities 40 years ago.
My dad had demintia. Its so hard watching your hero go out like that.
Sorry Mike, Trippe, kinda the same for me except the hospital lost my dad's hearing aides and his sight was so bad he couldn't read my writing. He was deaf as a stone. Two times through boot camp before ww2 ,long story there. Anyway ,we couldn't communicate much for the last 3 months. I'm sure it was tough for you too . Lots of guys who miss their dad's , mom's , uncle's , grandpa's n other mentors posting on this. I appreciate you all...
Thanks for the update. Peace be with you!
Sorry to hear about everyone's Dad. Mine is in assisted living facility also after a stroke on Father's Day 2016. He's able to talk some and move around but is confused a lot. Even though he wasn't a large influence on my hunting, he was a huge influence to me on how to help and treat people, family matters and such.
My Dad never hunted or fished,but my WV brother in law shore did.Ever saturday we went squirrel hunting or fishing.I missed his funeral i was elk bow hunting in Colo.new he would understand
I'm right there with you OP!! My buddies dad was the biggest influence for archery. He passed away on Friday and I just got home from the service. At 84 ,he had lived a good life and is now in a much better place. I would love to know if he is archery hunting, fishing, trapping, or running dogs for fox or coons right know.
Too many words so little time my dad started it when I was 3-4 duck hunting had a white boot fall off as he piggy back me across a creek in Tn filled up with ice cold water poured the water out brrr put the boot back on and we hunted ducks ?? 66-67 years ago still remember it Lewis
This was my dad sometime in the early 80’s I’m guessing.
This was my dad sometime in the early 80’s I’m guessing.
My dad was that person. He passed 13 years ago when I was 20 and he was 52.
Sorry to hear about your Dad. Its a hard thing no doubt. My Dad was the same person for me. Reading your post sounds dang near verbatim of my time with him. Unfortunately he was killed by a trespasser on our property during spring turkey season some 30 years ago. Its a terrible loss no matter at what point in life. You will have nothing but cherished memories of your Father no doubt.
Say everything you have to say while he is alive,You will regret the things unspoken when they are gone! I lost my Dad and my bowhunting mentor 28 days apart! That was a tough year!
x2 Keith in Colorado. In the years before my Dad passed away I would spend most of the time, when we came home to see family, just sitting with him at his kitchen table, talking and drinking coffee. I wouldn't trade those hours for all the money in the world (unlike J. Paul Getty...). I could have been out doing other things, etc. but I enjoyed talking with him as much as I think he did. Learned more about him in those last years than I had learned in the previous 30, especially about his WWII combat experiences, which he had not spoken about with anyone in the 60 years since he got out of that hell.
Growing up in absolute poverty,no running water,windows missing, you get the point..my uncle Tom was a mentor to all of the neighborhood boys interested in hunting,prob 4 to6 boys in his yard shooting bow at any time.I loved shooting bow,was a natural .You see in society,school,around my friends I was always affected by poverty.But in the woods and fields where I grew up I was looked at as a very good young hunter,not the scruff from the trailer.My uncle Tom died unexpectedly,I never got to thank him,It changed me forever..Thank YOU uncle Tom...
First off, prayers for your dad, you and your family. I just finished building an assisted living "community" and seen the pain the families endure. Not something we think about until it happens.
My grandpa took me fishing for the first time. Been hooked since I was a young boy. Can't wait to start catching some western walleyes in a month or 2!
My dad did not hunt. Right now I'm the only one in my immediate family who does. Always had a knack as a kid for walking up on whitetail deer in Ohio while heading to the lake and was always interested but just never had the opportunity to hunt.
FF to adulthood. When I moved out west and got married, my father in law killed many a mule deer both with rifle and stick n string. He took me for the first time. Felt good carrying his Remington .270 knowing how many deer he must have taken with it. Wasn't long and I bought a 7mag and was hunting on my own and became a deer Slayer in my own right. Once I felt it was too dangerous from the orange army and not to mention, if I could see them I could kill them, I picked up a bow. That's when I realized, I didn't know as much about hunting as I thought I did. It's been a learning experience ever since. Hunting became fun again when I started hunting with a bow!
Nobody showed me the way, I just kind of found it on my own.
I always liked shooting my homemade bows as a kid, and eventually got a cheap fiberglass bow from my parents. I shot a lot of bats hanging in an old barn in an alley behind our house.
When I was in my late 20's I met an older guy that was talkign about going to a archery range during his lunch break so I went with him. I ended up buying a Hoyt Rebel II and shot it with fingers for a long time.
A few years ago my son asked if I could teach him how to hunt and the honest answer was no, but we could learn together.
Fast forward a few years and we've been on many deer hunts, many elk hunts, some small game hunts and some pheasant hunts.
We're learning every time we get out into the field.
I am seeing some "teen" attitude the last couple years and not much into practicing with his bow, which sucks because he is a VERY good archer. I still drag him along and we always have a good time once in the woods.
I hope that we can teach his kids one day, or my daughter's kids. I'd like the idea of being the old granddad that got our family into hunting.
My dad got me hooked on hunting and fishin. He used to brig me along in an old trappers basket even when I was a few months old. Bought me my first shotgun when I was 7. He told me if you can cock it you can have it I had to sit on the floor and put it between my knees but I got the hammer back I still own that .410 Ithaca model 51. That was 46 years ago. One f my older brothers(Lance)go me hooked on bowhunting when I was 10 and I have been at it ever since, even got my Dad into it late in life. He died never having killed a deer with a bow but saw me kill more then my share. He has been gone 7 years now, but he is still with me every hunt I go on!! I miss him beyond belief, he not only was my Dad but my best friend!! Shawn
My Dad is my hero, lost him 9 yrs ago next month. We didn't have deer around here when he was growing up , but we ALWAYS HAD BEAGLES. We ran field trials together. We fished and went to Tennessee and Canada fishing . We built my house together . Had many many good days running our beagles year round. Got me into woodworking . Just spent 2 winters remode!ing my cabin in Michigan. Missed him so bad not being there working with me. He told me after tech school , if it are going to work , you need to start right now saving for retirement. I never missed a year putting my IRA in, plus other investments. I would not be where I at today at 62 , without him. He was my best friend and the best man in my wedding 30 years ago. Can't help but shed a tear while typing this . Loved that man....... Miss him everyday
My Dad took me waterfowl, upland and deer hunting from the time I was able to “keep up”. We also did an annual Canadian Fishing trip that eventually turned into an annual bear hunt for me. He was instrumental in starting me in archery with a Herter’s recurve he bought me in about 1977.
I took my Dad on a guided Mule Deer hunt a few years ago. He has hunted his whole life, but had never been on a guided hunt. I think he was 74 on our hunt. He will be 80 next year and still going strong. He was able to take a great Mulie on day three of our hunt.
My Dad gave me the foundation for my life in hunting. He still likes to deer hunt but mostly just follows along on my adventures.
My dad took my brother and I rifle deer hunting from around the age of 5 or so , that started my love of being outdoors. When I was 16 my parents got us a single bow to share for Christmas, they didn't realize each bow needed to fit the shooter. So that began my addiction to archery and bow season with my brother and dad meant the world to me. After dad passed away I gave up archery for 10 years and tried waterfowl hunting but always missed the bowhunt. Now I am back bowhunting and I hope I never lose the desire to chase deer and elk .
