Way back in 1959 or 1960, I met another kid who liked many of the same things I did, (mainly hunting) and we became good friends. We were both about 7 years old.
We were together a lot, staying over at each other’s house, sneaking out very early in the morning to go scouting for deer at the edge of a small northern Minnesota town. We were also avid fishermen and in the same Cub Scout pack. It was a great place for a kid to grow up around the lakes and streams of MN.
My dad was one of the early bow hunters around there. He had a 56# Radtke recurve, quite possibly made by Tim Meigs. Once he took Kendall and I bowhunting deer with him. It was a great time, we saw some deer but no shots were attempted.
Unfortunately, both of our families moved away in different directions. I think we saw each other once or twice over the next year, but that was it.
About 60 years later, I discovered TRADGANG after I started bowhunting again with traditional gear. I started reading threads and totally immersed myself in hunting with recurves and longbows.
Imagine my surprise when one day I saw my old childhood friend Kendall posting about hunting with a longbow. I sent him a message and we quickly began catching up on all that had happened over the years.
I invited Kendall to go hunting in Manitoba next year, but that was not an option. But he said “ you should think of coming down to Kentucky and deer hunting with me.”
So, this past week Kendall and I spent time bowhunting, trying to figure out deer patterns and moving stands. It was great! We had shooting opportunities but both of us elected to pass up deer in the hopes of finding a big, mature buck to try for.
At one point, as we were putting up a stand I mentioned to Kendall that it was like we picked up right where we left off 60 years ago! He smiled and said “Deja Vu, I was thinking the same thing!”
To add to all of that, l met Kendall’s wife and what a great hostess she was. Wonderful meals everyday were waiting for us when we returned from hunting. It was a fantastic week that was greatly enhanced by Mary.
Thanks TRADGANG for being the Avenue in which we were able to reunite.
Topic: A reunion hunt (Read 2504 times)
