Thank you my friends, it's been a rough road,Dusty was my best friend and hunting companion,I miss him so much, I've been told that the second year is often the worst, and I believe there is some truth to it,as hunting season,and his birthday aproaches I find myself in turmoil,I love to hunt, love the woods,it's smells, it's beauty, it's peacefulness, but now it's different, I find that I'm very sad at the thought of hunting alone yet again this year, my son Lance gave up hunting and archery when Dustin died, he's tried to shoot with me but after 2 or 3 arrows he just puts his bow down and walks away all teary eyed,and won't even touch his muzzleloader, so I feel as though I've lost both of my hunting buddies, it was such a big part of our lives we never missed a season together,and now I must go alone, never again to have those wonderful things happen with my boys that memories are made of, last year when I went I had many opportunities to harvest a deer, but when it came down to it, I let them walk, I just kept remembering what Dusty told me when I asked him to hunt with me on his thanksgiving leave of 04, I had just built him this beautiful muzzleloader and wanted to give it to him in the woods..."Dad, I've had enough killing" those words hit me like a brick, not because he didn't want to hunt, but because in those few words I saw my son's pain, he had taken human lives, and never have I drew on an animal since without hearing those words....why? I want to get over this but I don't know how,I know there is no magic answer, no happy pills will cure this, I'm driven to hunt like my son was driven to go to war, Has anyone ever been in a similar situation?,I could sure use a friend...
God Bless,Steve