Old Duffers were young once.

[Leland]

I'd also like to hear more about Mr. Garske.To look like he did (longhair)back then had to be taboo. Leland

[Nakohe]

I have searched and searched, but could not find any old photos. I had some of squirrles taken when I was young and of a bobcat I took about 20 years ago, but cannot find them. I do have this from a couple of years ago.
 

[Nakohe]

Let's keep this going. TTT

[bentpole]

Great facts Gene thanks that's amazing.When I first saw the pics I said to myself man the guy looks like me the year I graduated High School 1930's wow he was truely a rare breed.

[northern fisher]

Ijust spent my whole sat morning going thru this thread for the first time and boy was it worth every minute.I just wish there were another 41 pages
I now have a new group of "duffers" to look up to.Thanks for sharing your past

[Jim M]

more please! absolutely the best thread ever

[TexMex]

ttt

[John3]

I just sat for another hour and looked at every pic again.  Awesome.

Anyone that missed this, check out every page.

History.


JDS III

[shikari]

I was definately a duffer growing up,dad is still convinced i am,just the word duffer triggered some very happy memories of me and my dad for me.Iam a dad myself now and hope my little duffer smarts up,lol.

[Weekend Warrior]

WOW !!!!
Great post Ron    

Thanks to everyone for sharing..  

[bowhunterfrompast]

ttt

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Frank Garske...fair dinkum! I do hope you write a book about this fellow, Gene.

[Ron LaClair]

Since this thread's been revived....here's another story from the 70's

I call this one the "Miracle  buck". I stalked him late one afternoon by cover of the corn as he fed out in the hay field. When I got within range I stepped to the edge of the corn and put an arrow through him with my 85# HH Big Five. The shot was a little far back and zipped right through him. He ran a short distance,stopped and looked around trying to figure out what stung him. Then he dropped. As I approached him he tried to get up but fell back down. I decided not to shoot him again and backed off and headed out to get the truck and drive back and get him. I was sure he'd be expired by then......WRONG!..When I got back he was GONE! I found a faint blood trail that I followed down the center of the hay field until it got dark and I decided to come back in the morning to continue the tracking job. Another wrong decision because it rained that night washing out all the little sign there was.

I figured he had gone into the corn field as it was the closest cover, so I went into the field to look for him. I knew he had to be dead and I didn't want him to go to waste. This was one of those huge corn fields that was from road to road and the chances of finding a dead deer in it was like finding a needle in a hay stack.

I crossed the field by waking cross rows looking up and down each row with binoculars, the same as I do when I hunt the corn fields on windy days. After criss-crossing the corn a couple time I realized the futility of my efforts and stopped  to try and figure a better way to find my buck. I've always found that at those times when I'm at my wits end ,  If I ask the man upstairs for advice, many times he'll point me in the right direction. This time when I said "Lord, I could use some help if you've got the time.", he told me to go home and get my wife and kids to help  in the search. With that in mind I struck out at an angle through the corn in the direction of my truck. After covering a couple hundred yards  through the thick corn, I suddenly walked right to my buck in that maze. I was astounded, I couldn't believe my luck...then I realized it wasn't luck  and I said, "Thank you Lord"

The lessons learned that day was #1...NEVER walk away from a live deer, and #2 Never be afraid to ask for a little help.    

This little 4 pointer may not be a trophy to be mounted by some peoples standards, but non the less, he looks down at me in my living room as a constant reminder of the lessons learned that day.        

   

[frassettor]

GREAT THREAD! Thanks to all who contributed  

[SouthMDShooter]

This is the best thread ever created on TG!
                       

[Rubiolio]

Thanks for the great photos and stories. Made me late for work 2 days in a row :-)

[Bowspirit]

Hands down, one of the best threads on this entire site. Can't begin to tell how many times I come back here and let it all just sink in...

[Harmless]

Ron you look like Grizzly Adams !

[sendero25]

Wow,....Just Wow!
I am soon to be 49, and have only in the last year come back to trad shooting. So much has changed since I picked up the compound in the late '70s,...carbon arrows, so many new and fantastic bowyers, high priced camo and ghillie suits, atv's, two way radios, gps, trail cameras, QDM, and I am not bashing the new stuff at all, but this thread has been a walk back into my youth when I watched Curt Gowdy with Fred Bear on TV,and all I wanted to do was hunt with a bow.
Ron LaClair's atv was a canoe in the snow! Now that is what I dreamed of doing all of my life!
I really enjoy learning all of the precise ways to tune arrows and set them up for perfect flight,
but this thread has convinced me to not make it too complicated!
Shoot a strong enough bow, with well tuned arrows, with sharp broadheads.....and then just ENJOY!
Great Pics! and thank all of you for sharing, made me feel 14 again reading "Outdoor Life True Adventures" or watching "American Sportsman with Curt Gowdy" with my dad.
So many of these pics you all have shared look like the pictures I saw in hunting magazines when I was young and really made me proud to come back to trad shooting,
Love ya all!
Thanks again and can't wait to see more,
John

[Ron LaClair]

When I was younger and gooder lookin.