Hunting Buddies
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
Shaft's Link
This is a thread to remember our good hunting buddies of the past, present, and future. Over the years I have had a variety of hunting buddies. Not all have been of the human kind but their company was certainly appreciated as well. I think of my good friend Kory who I hunted with in my youth and a few times in adulthood. I remember him falling through the ice behind me as we left a water-hole laden with greenheads. When he fell in I heard the splash, looked behind me only to see a gun and 5 greenheads lifted above the water. I ran back to him, reached under the water and pulled him up by his collar to the sounds of gasping for air followed by gut wrenching laughter as he expressed how cold the water was. Later we would trek to Missouri to bowhunt whitetails together for some memorable hunts. I think of my friend Kurt in Missouri that has taught me so much of the "whitetail way". He has been such a great mentor and friend. As age slows us it doesn't have to affect our enthusiasm and his certainly has rubbed off on me. His kindness and generosity are a tribute to the person he is. That relationship started here on the bowsite and progressed into a tremendous blessing to me and my family. I think of Eric who I introduced to whitetails. He got his first kill and the addiction bug bit him hard. Now he routinely shoots the biggest buck. I couldn't be happier for him and his success. After trailing a buck and having to let it sit all night and come back in the morning and piece together the trail and then finding the giant and watching him emotionally lose it in gratitude will forever be a special moment to me. Then there are all of my 4 legged friends which include llamas, pack goats, burros, and dogs. They all have taught me so much about myself without ever saying a word but communicating nevertheless. A tear drops from my cheek for each one that has gone the way of the earth. Their love is unmatched and the fact that they let me love them was so incredibly healing. Yes, our sport does bring folks together, helps us sort out life and truly has a profound effect on our identities. I just feel a lot of gratitude for them all.
Perhaps not exactly the same as buddy's. My son Eddie who became type 1 diabetic at 13 months old has bee been my best hunting & fishing partner his entire life. He's 34 now & I honestly never thought he'd live this long. I cherish ever single second of hunting & fishing with my son
This guy right here. My son Matt. We’ve been hunting and fishing together since he was five. That 17 years. Couldn’t ask for a better partner, or son.
I still miss my best friend and business partner Pete that passed a couple years ago, pictured here on a hog hunt in the islands (pete on the left) What an amazing guy. We were friends from kindergarten, went all through school together, started a couple businesses together and were partners for decades in business and RE ventures.
He was diagnosed with a rare liver disease at 33, he was newly married and expecting his 1st child. . At that time, a liver transplant was 5% success. He started doing some crazy stuff to postpone the transplant and let medical technology catch up. He did things like cutting his food intake in half and taking gall bladder meds ( which is now prescribed for this condition) he postponed the transplant until he was 40…and then almost didn’t get a liver due to CA recently passing the motorcycle helmet law. The year he was out, we took the exact same salary.
The transplant was successful and he made every day from that point on important. He has made a positive impact on hundreds of peoples lives…inc me. I owe Pete a lot. They told him he would have a shortened life span and they were right, he made it to 62 and died from pancreatic cancer. Love you brother………
Lots of good hunting buddies, lots of sh!t talkers, and all around good guys pass through hunting camp with me each year. Wouldn’t have it any other way!
Tough thread, I've lost a lot of them. Some great hunts and memories of the past. RIP buddies. Sure treasure the times with the ones that I can still hunt with.
Shaft: That was a beautiful tribute/post. Age brings us deeper thought and appreciation of current and past experiences and friendships. Thx for your post and many more hunts.
Appreciate the post. I’m also getting old and soft. I’ve written on here about some of the friends I’ve lost. I may be a whiner but I don’t think that’s it. My hunting buddies are my family and best friends and I’ve been blessed more than I would have ever hoped. My buddy Gary Renfro said in a group texting eulogy to our friend Billy Tillotson that we need to say what we feel while we’re still here on earth. It’s pretty scary when Gary is our source of wisdom but that’s what miles will do.
One of my oldest living hunting buddies. He has some serious health & mobility issues & hasn't hunted for years. I finally talked him into hunting with me & we had a blast.