A Super Bowl hunting story
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
In November of 1991 my good friend and hunting partner Ron Pittsley and I headed west to eastern Colorado to hunt whitetail deer with Ron Rockwell already being out there. The plan was to shoot three big bucks then head to Iowa where Rockwell’s mom had grown up and shoot big bucks in the newly opened state. Pitts and I had a great trip with more success than we could’ve ever imagined. The reason I’m writing this here tonight is tomorrow’s Super Bowl Sunday. In 2018 as I was getting ready to head over to Mike and Susan Barrett’s to watch the game Ron’s middle son Trevor called me and said his dad was in a coma,I told him I’d be there in the morning. After praying for miracles for a week we had a service at a overfilled church in tawas Michigan. His oldest son Miles,best friend Walt Kloeppel,and I did our best to honor Ron. Hence this story to keep my memories alive. Onward.
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
We hauled a pop up camper out to lajunta, Colorado and we’re carrying new predator bows that Ron had just started making. We used screw in steps and welded under leg aluminum stands and we were trying to learn from weasels and Rothharr how to kill big deer. I think we each had a pope and young size buck. We had some permission on some ranches and started moving around trying to figure something out. Middle of the week I missed a shot at a nice buck. Threw a fit and stomped the arrow, must’ve thought it was the arrows fault. As time would tell it was pretty lucky miss. After some more efforts Pitts arrowed a nice 4 pt muley.
From: Zbone
12-Feb-23
Cool memory of friend...
Looks like he was shooting one piece Bighorn bow...
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
That would be Gene and Barry Wensel. Ron being done in Colorado he took my truck and headed to Iowa to hook up with some of Rockwell’s family. We stayed and hunted planning to follow in Rockwell’s truck. The river bottom was choked with tamarisk and we had cut paths to be able to get to the cottonwood trees we could hunt. These areas were rubbed and scraped up and we set up downwind of the scrapes. Mostly it didn’t work but about 4:00 on the last afternoon we were going to hunt the biggest buck I’d ever seen tried to sneak by about 45 yds from my tree. My new technique was to grunt with my new grunt call till the buck stopped then give him one more soft one. That buck puffed up and came to 16 yds where I made a lucky shot. Rockwell tracked him across the river and I had the buck of my dreams.
From: t-roy
12-Feb-23
Sounds like you’re doing a good job of keeping those memories alive, Randy. Thanks for sharing a few of them with us. Looking forward to following along.
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
On to Iowa. Pitts had seen some action so we headed into one of the biggest stands of timber where we had never been before. Rockwell went down by the river and I set up on a sidehill up on the ridge. Great deer sign and just as I was getting into my stand a small buck went directly under me. Not much after that two bucks started sparring on the other side of the draw and they began to work my way. The first buck was a white horned 10 pt and the aggressor was dark horned and I decided to wait for him. They went by at about 30 yds and another lucky shot gave me my second PnY buck in as many hunts.
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
No bighorn bows. Predator built by Ron
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
No bighorn bows. Predator built by Ron
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
Now I had no tag in Iowa so as we got permission and the Ron’s hunted I scouted. I found what looked to be a 160 10 pt rutting in a standing cornfield with a couple brushy fence rows. Pitts and I put up a stand. On the last morning Ron could hunt he said he was going to sit till 9:00 while I waited in the road in the loaded truck. At 8:30 a small 6 pt ,a doe , and the big buck showed up in the cut portion of the field. Ron’s observation was that it was good small bucks were faster than giant bucks. He was a great storyteller and his description of the little bucks narrow escapes were great. Finally the doe led the big one past Ron at 18 yds. The deer died in the river and we had some adventure finding and retrieving him. About two weeks and four nice bucks we couldn’t have hoped for as good. We went on a lot of great trips where we didn’t kill anything but this was the best. Thanks Pat for the platform! Today my wife and I and son Lucas and Adrianne will go over to Barrett’s mostly to talk about hunting. Mike and I have old stories but I’m sure thankful for the good memories I have!
From: Charlie Rehor
12-Feb-23
Atta-boy. It’s all about making memories.
From: The last savage
12-Feb-23
Nice job sir...and sounds like a hell of a trip!!
From: Ron Niziolek
12-Feb-23
Great story Randy! Sure wish I could have met Pitts. You’ve shared a bunch of stories on our long drives. I know how much Pitts means to you.
From: WV Mountaineer
12-Feb-23
Really cool.
From: Kurt
12-Feb-23
Was lucky to be on some great hunts with Ron Pittsley and Randy. Charlie and Pat met the three of us up on North slope of the Brooks Range in Alaska way back in 1989. Awesome adventure....Ron arrowed a dandy caribou and had some great moose action. But all that paled in comparison to the the two grizzlies walking around our little dome tent sniffing it inches from our heads in the middle of the night!
Followed that up by getting stranded on a shrinking island in the middle of a large river due to rapidly rising water. Super cub "rescued" us by air dropping in a tiny weather checked raft!! Ron probably is telling Fred Bear those stories right now!
From: Rgiesey
12-Feb-23
Nice Kurt!
From: Cazador
12-Feb-23
Which Ron?
From: Kurt
12-Feb-23
Ron Pittsley, Randy Giesey and I went on the '89 Alaska adventure I mentioned.
From: DGW
12-Feb-23
What a great group of bowhunters!
From: Ron Niziolek
13-Feb-23
For those that don't know Randy Giesey, he's a damn good friend to those who are lucky enough to know him. When he got word that his buddy was in a coma, he was driving east within couple hours and spent a week at Pittsley's bedside. And another week helping the family. He's a no bragging, bad-ass bowhunter who's taken many species of game all over this country and Canada. I'm happy to call him my friend.
From: sticksender
13-Feb-23
Good times....thanks for sharing.
From: TMac
13-Feb-23
Great stories thanks for sharing!
From: midwest
14-Feb-23
Really great stuff....thanks for sharing!
From: drycreek
14-Feb-23
Great stories and what hunting and friendship are all about. If you don’t have friends that you are that close to, you’ll never know what you missed.
From: Rgiesey
14-Feb-23
Thanks Ron. Did you mean bad bowhunter , even you haven’t been able to steer me to a big elk or big mule deer.
From: Beav
16-Feb-23
Thanks so much for sharing! Killing a trophy is a great but the memories made with close friends is way better!
