I have been lucky I guess that I was born into a bowhunting family. I can't even remember "before having a bow". Dad always made sure we had a bow and and room to roam and shoot from the time we could walk.
But there was another person who I considered my mentor, Charlie "old timer" Martin. One of my Dads hunting buddies and close freinds who took me under his wing as a little guy and taught me tons of archery and woods lore. Whitetails, turkeys, and small game I owe alot of my success over the years to paying attention to what he had taught me.
Thats Charlie closest in the picture, and me to the left and my hunting buddy Tim behind Charlie, this picture was taken on the way to elk camp quite a few years ago (1998).
Charlie was the type of guy that was always keeping me with trasures as a youngster. A couple times a year from the time I was 5 or 6 until I was a teenager he would bring me a five gallon bucket of his old arrows. These were like gold to me back then, I would spend hours cutting shafts down, refletching, and adding nocks and such making shootable arrows out of his damaged ones to keep me going! I had no clue about spine or arrow weight back then all I knew was that those things could shoot! Lots of small game, empty cans, and stumps were harrassed by those arrows, and I bet a guy with a metal detector could still find some now back behind my parents old house! Tree stands, old camo, I still have and use alot of the gear he has passed along to me over the years.
Charlie, Dad and me got to do a lot of deer hunting back in the day, When I shot my first deer it was his house I stopped at first on the way home! He was as proud as I was! Same thing with my first turkey and strangely enough charlie had killed a turkey within 50 yards from the spot I shot my first just the day before.
We spent time In Colorado chasing elk and mule deer and just enjoying being away from it all. I have no idea how many hunts we have shared in the last 30 plus years but it has been a bunch!
Here is Charlie on the right and Dad on the left being silly acting like they were scared of a drop off in the high country.
Thats me and charlie up high glassing for Elk on a long past hunt.
Well, I guess this post is as much for me today as it is to share how great a man he was, you see Charlie passed away a few hours ago after a long battle with cancer. I guess I just needed a place to vent and remember...........
Topic: My mentor (Read 461 times)
