The Joan Leonard Memorial Bunny Hunt 2008 (FINAL THANKYOU!!)

[Tdog]

Graet job everyone..Lookin forward to next year..

[Stone Knife]

Tdog, next year I want to dive for your bunny  

[Killdeer]

I just ordered one with "Larry's Grip". Jim remembered it! I still wanna buy his. I  know that one will work for me!

I sure wish I had a large-file copy of that pic of Curt and me. It was so cool hunting with him and all the other old hands who knew the ropes so well. I also wish I had a large file copy of the group pic.

Speaking of old hands:

 

This one had quite a racket going. Those outside the briars thought he was working hard, but you can see that he was really doggin' it, and protesting as loudly as he could!

(Poor Sonny's wagging tail was leaving a blood trail on the snow, but he popped through the brambles without a care. We should be so dedicated!)

Killdeer

[Wapiti Chaser]

Killy, Larry had two Centaurs last year but the one he had this year was awesome. Keep after Larry and I'm sure he will sell it soon !

[Guru]

Killy, Would you like me to email a full size pic?

[Killdeer]

Curt, you do that and I will be your quiver-bearer and boot-cleat scraper for all future hunts that we both attend.

Or not!  :p  

Oh, I mean, I would be most appreciative if you would please send me a large file of that and any other pics of interest.    

Killdeer

[swampbuck]

I,m a little gun or should I say bow shy about placing an order for a new bow.I should be getting my $$ back soon after waiting over 5 yrs for the only custom I've even ordered.....naaaaaaa probabaly won't be doing that again any time to soon.There's enuff good bows out there and besides there'll be 1 or 2 at Denton LOL and we all know that Larry is as bad as Shawn when it comes to hangin on to bows.Killy's got first dib's since she spoke first but I have already asked Larry about it

[Shawn Leonard]

Guys and gals, I am going to do my final Thankyou this evening and ask this thread be locked uo and moved to 2008 highlights, so if ya have anything else, please post it before this evening. OOOOHHHHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Shawn

[Stone Knife]

Here are my last three picks, Joe on the way to the last drive, my bunny up close and our group waiting for the word to go and kind of goofing off a little  
Can't wait till next year. OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

     

   

   

[J.Williams]

I better put in my 2 cents now then.This was my 3rd JLMBH and the most enjoyable one,for me,yet.It was great to finally bring my son,Tyler,and I know he couldn't have spent a weekend with a better group of people anywhere.A record number of bunnys were taken and more importantly a new record was raised for the St.Judes children for which we should all be proud.I've also met new friends,thanks to this "get together",and have already made plans with Aram and Jamie.
I can't thank Shawn and the Leonard family and everyone else enough for all the work that must go in to this event...thanks for your efforts and Tyler and I will see you all again at JLMBH'09.  

[Huntrdfk2]

This is my first time I was able to go and it was a blast!Thank you Shawn,for allowing me to particapate and allowing me to stay at the house, and to your family for everything that they did.Thanks to Chris,Ken and Curt for what you did in getting me the bow I got.I will definately will be there next year.Oh yeah only 352 days until next year.Thanks to everybody that made this such a GREAT weekend. See you all next year.                                                                                              ooooooooooooohhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!          
  Hunter

[Huntrdfk]

I don't even know where to begin.....Shawn, Cindy, Nicloe and Mr Leonard I am so much richer because of you. What you do as a family, opening your hearts and home to all of us is simply amazing.  I say this every year, but here it is again, thank you.  I look forward to this weekend with great anticipation from the time it ends and till it gets here the following year, and as I said to Curt this year, it just seems to go too quickly.  What this hunt does for the kids of St Judes is without a doubt a highlight of the weekend, and has grown so much over the years.  However, as Shawn is fond of saying, it is still about the hunt.  So it is, but the friendships that have been forged because of this weekend are too numerous to count, and I treasure each and every one of them, and that would not have happened if not for you Shawn, so it all comes full circle, right back to you. Thanks, and I am proud to have you as a friend.

To all of you that had anything to do with this years hunt, thank you, and each and every one of you are welcome in any camp that I am at or in my home.  I hope to be able to hunt with some of you before the next JLMBH gets here.

Ken, Chris and Curt......thank you, you know what for.

Kathy, I am so glad you were able to make it, after interacting with you over the last few years here it was a pleasure to meet and hunt with you.

Shawn.....you should be proud of what you have done, and especially proud of your family, they are pretty special....love ya man.

Here is to JLMBH '09........

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


David

[Bowspirit]

God bless all who attended this hunt. Shawn, a big kudo's goes out to you. What you do every year...it's magic, my friend. One of those last few "right" things done in this world.
To all the brothers and sisters met on this hunt...good luck afield, and thank you all for the generosity shown. May your arrows sing through the air and fly true every time, and may we meet again next year to give those bunnies another two days of extra fear and cardio...

[Shawn Leonard]

Ok folks I have recieved some PM's from a few attendees and I am gonna leave this up until tomorrow. I hate to close this out but all great things must come to an end. I have a lot of people to Thank and you all know me, a lot to say. David the feeling is mutual as it is with lots of you guys. The people are what make this special, the hunt, the kids and everything else helps but it is all of you that really make it work!! Until tomorrow! OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Shawn

[ishiwannabe]

I dunno. I doubt anyone could pull this off every year. Giveyourself some credit Shawn. You are one heck of a huntmaster!!
I for one will attend every JLMBH I can....even if I am gimping. The people, the food, THE HUNT....such an experience. Heck, I havent even picked up my wheelie bow since my first JLMBH. That is something special man. You change people's live, and bring together the best group of people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You do it all to honor your Mom, and to help the kids at ST. Judes. You deserve some type of an award.

Until next year....OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Killdeer]

I saw the bunny creeping back to the brushpile, and he paused outside it, frozen. The 2013 hurled itself straight at it. What WAS all that noise at the bottom of the hill? Nocking another arrow, I went to where the rabbit had been. There was a passage into the pile. I jumped on the brush to see if I could flush the bunny out. Nope.

Wanting to join the others, I went to pick up the first arrow. There was blood on the snow. I jumped some more, looked for an escape trail, and then the yelling down there got most insistant.

I began to skate down the trail to see what was happening, and to drum up assistance. Somebody flew across the trail and into the thick cutover on my right. Paying close attention to my feet, I saw little else until arriving just in time for the photo shoot. Curt's grin was a mile wide, and Faith was glowing in his hand.

 

I got to hear all the permutations of the story, and a few folks did a rousting of the brush pile for me. A bunny burned out of the pile and headed straight into the middle of the cutover. Shawn reckoned the bunny was OK, and started posting standers on the other side, driving the woods to the left of the path. These were the woods where all the smart bunnies went from the first drive.

There were shouts, arrows clattering, and a genius bunny in the vortex, creeping between Aram, me and Curt. His last minute escape, after a crafty sneak, was a gift from above. I cannot think of any other way he got away from all of us. Seventeen rabbits had been brought to bag, and the Giver had decided that we didn't need this one.

 

[Killdeer]

We crossed the road, and Aram split off to go home. I was sorry, as ever, to see him go. He is a great hunter with a heart to match. If I hear one more "unique up on 'em" type joke from him, though, I am renting a rubber room somewhere.

I was tiring fast, but wanted to see this hunt to its conclusion. We lined up along the woods to the right of the school, the drivers coming in from the street side. I was watching a bunny path, with a fresh squirt of blue right in front of me. I think we scared a bunny off his lunch when we got there, and the drivers would start him back this way, I hoped.

I heard the familiar "BUNNNYYYYYY!!" and felt the bowstring anew. Here he came, right up the edge of the woods to me. I shoulda held quiet, but at fifteen yards and coming straight on, I started my draw. He saw me and turned on his heel, 90 degrees and headed into open field away from the woods. I swung with him, and saw in the background the school (now apartments) and a man in the parking lot leaving his car. I let down and grinned at the bunny as it flew under the fence and thence under a shed or outbuilding. It sure knew THAT route!

I cut into the woods to help the drivers.
 

[Killdeer]

We drove to the back fence, and headed back toward the last bit of woods. I lined up with the drivers, and waited for the standers to get set. We launched into the last drive of the day. There was much excitement (from David, I think) over blood, but it was from my first bunny on Friday. Bunnies ran, arrows flew, and the upshot was that the bunnies won. One more bunny was chased under the shed at Shawn's property line, and the two equines endured the flash of Jim's camera...once! the day was ending, people were packed or packing, and the chase was over for a year.

   

[Killdeer]

Sad to see it end, but anxious to get ready for my journey, I said my sad goodbyes. I had won a tube quiver that I could not pack, so I donated it to next year's raffle. Shawn would mail my stuff, plus the unfinished bamboo backed bow that I had won once the post office opened on Tuesday.

There is a pic that I have not shown, of something that most of you would never believe. It is our host, Shawn, actually chilling out. I caught him doing his best Greta Garbo, just as relaxed as you please.

 

This is my #1 guide, and my first bunny.
Thank you Shawn.
Thank you Cindy, who made it all possible, and your two lovely daughters who gave unstintingly of their time to see that things ran smoothly and hunters were fed. Mr. Leonard, for the drive and inspiration that you instilled in your family. Jamie and Curt, Mike and David, all those rascally Jims, Joe Skipp who had me laughing louder than I have laughed in years...

Ken and Chris (glad you liked that bunny!), Drew and Larry the Skinflint (JK, bro!), Hunter, Aram, Ru, Una,little Joe and Damon, 'Monster and Mark, Fran and Tom, MO! Mo is flat-out awesome!

This could go on forever, all these thank-yous, and I suppose they will. Any of you, whether I mentioned you or not, feel free to PM me and chat, or berate me for leaving you out. You are all splendid folks, and I feel so proud that you honored me in this way.

Those of you who have sent me large-file pics, I am eternally grateful, I should be able to make a chunk of change with them. (I checked for watermarking.)      :p  

Killdeer

[Killdeer]

Some random pics: