Friend and Hunter passed

[az4life]

Just before Thanksgiving a good friend and fellow hunter when I was in AZ passed on. Phil Hutchings was 50 yrs old and had been a good friend for probably 20 years. I met him at church and we discovered shortly that there were some common interests with us and our families even though we were quite different.

 

Our families interacted often and our Hunting trips became regular. Phil was the guy who was with me the day I had an encounter with a mountain lion, and I was with him when he dropped his largest elk a month or so later in 2001. both were good stories for sure but When he took the shot for his elk, I was about a mile away and heard it. Called for him on the radio over and over but he did not reply, then finally he answered and asked me to get over there. When I got to him he said I shot a big one, but he could not say where it went.. I got to looking at him and saw the dreaded "scope eye" where the recoil popped him above the eye. It was dark enough that he had his eye right up to the glass to see his target and when he shot it apparently knocked him out for a minute.

 

Well as we all know, change is constant and it does not wait for any of us. Phil ended his marriage some years ago, in the last few years Phil had lost his job and not been able to find work. I saw him in March last year and saw he was thin but still had his sense of humor and good spirit. He just let himself go but as we talked frequently, never let to any problems during our regular phone calls.

 

Then the weeks before thanksgiving he quit taking my calls. I kept trying but never got through. On Nov 19th learned he had a heart attack and never came out of it. He died on the Monday following.

 

I attended his military funeral memorial service which was the first one of the kind I'd attended and thought it was quite dignified and respectful.

 

Now, Each week on Friday as I make my way home, I still think about calling him to see what's happening, and encourage him in his job hunting if not big game hunting. We all need to be prepared for loss and loss eventually gets close to us. The only peace and control one has is in their eternal place after this world and I believe Phil has his peace, and place now with our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I am getting to the age where the odds are things like this are going to be happening more often. Change like death, is hard to accept while we are in the world but there is a much bigger picture to consider. Change yes, but some change is for the better. If you know where you are going, have the confidence and belief in salvation through the Lord, there is no fear, there is just change.

 

If you don't have this deep down to your roots 100% kind of knowledge and belief of where you will go when the final earthly change comes to you, now is the time to find it.

 

God Bless Phil

 

 

 

 

 

I

[CouesWhitetail]

Very nice tribute..sorry you lost a friend.

[DCS]

Your story about your friend tells it all,thank you for posting it for the rest of us.

[tjhunt2]

That was nice of you to post a tribute to your friend Phil. I'm sure he is looking down from above with appreciation. Thanks for sharing your tribute for your friend.

 

TJ