naturebob Report post Posted July 7, 2018 Just got done talking to My DAD in ERIE ,PA. on the phone. Telling Him I drew the world famous Kiabab deer tag, The late one.He taught Me to hunt at age 8 or 9. He will be 98 in Sept. We talk about 3 days week. He couldn't believe I will be 62 in Sept. also. I said You never know when Your last great hunt will be. He agreed and we talked about the old days. So blessed to still have Him to talk to at that age. After We hung up I shed a teer.. I can only hope I live as long and as Healthy as He has.Its unimaginable at my age and His that He is still around to talk to. Am i a weakling for dropping a teer or just feeling blessed? I will dedicate this Hunt to Him .Everyone out there if You can still hunt with Your DAD enjoy every minute of it.Iv'e got one of the top notch Helpers on the Hunt so It should be fantastic ....BOB! 31 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeerarea33? Report post Posted July 7, 2018 Taking my dad out this year or is he taking me? It has been a few years since we have been on a big game hunt together. We hunt quail and dove together every year. Im just hoping I can keep him in camp for 10 days. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted July 7, 2018 thats good stuff, ive only been on 2 hunts without my dad i guess im pretty lucky. congrats on your tag 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creed Report post Posted July 7, 2018 You are blessed. We too often don't appreciate what our parents can mean to us until they are gone. Even when my dad could no longer walk from his bedroom to the kitchen he was wanting to go hunting. I told him I would put him in for the next upcoming hunt. He never made that one. I miss him 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted July 7, 2018 My dad came home from work and would plop down and have my mom serve him hand and foot. Probably yell at us kids for something, it didnt matter he'd find something to be pissed about. I remember coming home from school on the bus and see he was home and my stomach would sink and i would literally feel sick. He didn't take us camping because he didnt want to wake up "dewey". Not much of a role model. Then we would go to church on sunday and pretend to be the perfect christian family. Then when he got older he realized he fuked up. Then about when his second chance would have started to go fishing and hunting with me and the kids he was diagnosed with lou gerhigs disease. He got to go fishing once or twice but got to spend most of his remaing days laying in bed slowly losing control of his body. His outdoors experience was mostly pictures on my phone of the family hunts. Bob I said it before he sounds like a great guy. You are super lucky. I'm trying my best to be that guy for my kids. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buddydog Report post Posted July 8, 2018 Great to hear stories like this. Parents are lacking in many young lives. Awesome to hear he was a positive role in your life!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted July 8, 2018 I still remember the first time I took an animal without my Dad. And unfortunately there hasnt been one with him since. Its weird how it sneaks up on you, one day you just realize its been years since you shook bloody hands over a successful outing. We do t hunt together much at all anymore. Maybe this year we will turn that around since we both have the same desert tag. On the other end of things this year I took my first animal with my sons with me. What a great day that was. It was an archery pig and they were right behind me and got to see it all happen. Hopefully the first of many more. No, you arent a weakling, you are just like the rest of us! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Sparky Report post Posted July 8, 2018 It is not weakness to shed a tear but love. The last hunt my Dad went with me on was an elk hunt in 2007. I talked him into it to just sit around camp. The tag I drew was one of four in a WMA. My tattoo on my arm is the skull of the elk I killed on that trip. I value it more than any other hunt because I knew it would be my last hunt to have my Dad along. We still talk about hunting and fishing all the time, but that is all it is now, just talk. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted July 8, 2018 This thread causes me to reflect on my relationship with my Dad. I was on my annual vacation this week, back in Indiana to visit family. I moved from there to AZ 38 years ago, at age 20. This trip, I visited him in a nursing home. He had a stroke last Nov. He didn't get around well before the stroke, and now he's doing PT to get that back. He's doing better than expected, but will probably never go home again. It's tough to watch the parents age, especially away from home. We were never very close. Seems like every time we did things together we fought. He wasn't a great father, but did what he knew how. His younger brother (my uncle) got us into archery and bow hunting. It was something we could do together. I killed my first deer with a 40# Bear recurve and cedar arrow. He helped me hang it in a tree, then left to "scout another area". He didn't like blood. He didn't stick with hunting. He doesn't seem interested in hearing about my adventures. About 10 years ago he drove here to join me on my archery elk hunt in 5B-S. He was in camp for a few days, then got ticked about something and left while I was out hunting. I came back to camp and he was gone. That still hurts. If you still have a father around, cherish the moments together, especially if he can still join you on hunts. I have some good memories with my Dad...and some not so good. It gave me a clear view of what I wanted to pass on to my kids, and what I didn't want to pass on. Now I have an opportunity to "get it right" with my grandson. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted July 9, 2018 Yup ,Me and Dad were never perfect.I was a Basketball star in High school and He never saw me play. But I respected Him. He allways gave me a ride or picked me up before I could drive.He went to the 5th grade in school and then Helped his family live Thru the Depression Sports wasn't inportantFeediong Your family was .I was allways happy as a kid Being poor, I didn't know any Different..He did the best He could and that was good enough for Me and MOM AND 4 Sisters We all get so wrapped up in Sports. Back then they didn't and they were happier......BOB . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lazy-H98 Report post Posted July 9, 2018 That's awesome stuff right there NatureBob. Thanks for sharing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted July 10, 2018 No teers today . Just a power outage. I will talk to DAD again Tomm. His memory is going but if you talk enough about it He will rememember. Thank all for reading and the nice compliments,,,,,,Luv You Guys, You are My Family now as all 3 of my Kids moved out of state..........BOB! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Explorer Report post Posted July 11, 2018 That's awesome! I spent the last two years of my dad's life trying to get him a tag so I could spend one last hunt with him. He never got drawn before he passed but I will always cherish the hunts I had with him and all he taught me. The rifle he left me will be in my hands on every hunt from now on. Hope your hunt is a lifetime of memories. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZJR Report post Posted July 11, 2018 Thanks naturebob for your thoughtful post, it is special to be able to share your excitement about your Kaibab tag with your Dad, even if he is unable to physically join you on the hunt. I am sure he will look forward to hearing about your long waited for adventure in that wonderful country chasing a big Muley! My 77 year old father isn’t doing all that well, struggling with heart issues. He is keen to hunt but his body is failing him. I burned a pile of resident elk bonus points to assure him of an elk tag this fall in his favorite unit on his favorite hunt. He is working to be able to physically pull it off, we hope and pray he can push back the hands of time and physical deterioration and make one more walk through the woods after a big cow to know the satisfaction of filling his freezer again. I applied with him for a mule deer tag in two units north of the River as he longs to hunt the Kaibab county again. I put a low-odds unit as our first choice and the late 12A West hunt as our second choice. We drew tags 6 & 7 of our first choice and will hunt into December for a handsome buck, likely our last tag together in the unit. My dad was born and raised in southwestern PA and hunted a bit for rabbits, birds and, occasionally, whitetails. It was my youthful passion to be a “Hunter” and hunt deer that spurred him to take me hunting in the Sierra Mtns in California. He rekindled the fire to hunt laying dormant for so long and we’ve shared some outstanding adventures over the past 46 years. I am looking forward to this fall more so than ever, nothing better than fathers and sons (and daughters) sharing a hunting camp. Good luck to all this fall and may you be blessed to hunt with your Dad. Jim 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1denogean Report post Posted July 11, 2018 great post bob! well i will be up there also this year! super excited hope you get a giant! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
