I just wanted to let every one know how it went at Denton Hill. This was my first show and it went great! I got to put a lot of faces with names and it was a pleasure to meet everyone. I wanted to thank everyone who made a purchase from me. I know these are hard times and and I truly appreciate you spending your hard earned dollar with me. I hope you find although my gear may be a little more spendy it is the better value in the long run. You can take pride in knowing it will be enjoyed for generations to come and that I stand behind my product 100%.
I arrived back in Wyoming last Monday after a whirlwind two weeks. I drove back east and was going through some jet lag. It took a few days to recoup and a day to clean up my shop after the push to get product ready for the show. I wanted to share a little bit of how my trip went and tell some stories about some of the wonderful people I met.
On the way out I stopped and picked my Uncle Bob Quick up in Roscoe Illinois. He is a retired lineman and was able to take some time to help me man the booth. My Uncle was a big part of my growing up and spent many weekends with my Dad and I hunting around Oxford, WI. He is a native of Green Lake, WI and spent his whole life climbing high line poles for Wisconsin Power and Light.
I was really looking forward to meeting Jeff Springer (Tippit). Jeff contacted me to see if I was interested in building some sheaths for his knives. I have talked on the phone and emailed back and forth with him so it was going to be a pleasure to meet him in person. I seen Jeff approaching my booth with a smile on his face. I recognized him from a picture I saw on bear quest. We shook hands and he informed me that our knife and sheath combo made $1,600.00 in the ST. Jude's auction I could not believe it. Thanks for bidding it up! Jeff then invited my Uncle and I to his camp for a clam boil.
Next to my booth was Joe Lasch (Whipp) who is good friends with Jeff also. I had talked with Joe on several occasions and it was nice to get to know him. He has a wonderful and understanding wife. I don't remember seeing much of Joe in his booth. Seems to me he was always of playing with Jeff on the mountain. Joe's wife has a great sense of humor and maybe some day I can send my wife back to Wisconsin for some lessons. See my wife finds no humor in me what so ever.
The night of the clam boil I find Jeff has been friends with Barry Wensel and Mike Mitten for some time. Well Mike is walking around and Barry is sitting in a camp chair and I just did not know what to think. I walked up to Jeff and said I cant just go talk to them I feel funny. So Jeff just up and introduces me to them while my Uncle had been talking to Barry for a half hour. He had no idea who he was! It was kind of like getting to meet your favorite country singer but better. Although I would not mind meeting George Strait.
I don't really follow any body who is at a comerical level in bow hunting but I have always liked the Wensel brothers. I found out about them in the early 90's along with Paul Schaffer. They are the number one reason I sold my compound and got back in to recurves. You can hardly call the Mitten's or Wensel's comerical there just guys sharing there love of the outdoors and bow hunting with us. They freely give there knowledge and experiences for the better of bow hunting.
Well once introduced Barry and I probably talked for at least two hours. The guy had been bombarded all day at his booth and never once let on like he was tired of talking with me. It was truly a high light that I had not expected and I will treasure the time I got to spend talking with the man.
I was telling Barry a story about how I was reading Mike's book One With The Wilderness. I had been dealing with on going shoulder pain and had been going through physical therapy. I had been icing my shoulder in the evenings and I set my bag of ice on top of Mikes book. I went to bed forgetting to return the ice to the freezer. In the morning I wake to find Mikes book did a pretty good job of sponging up the water. I tried to salvage the book but it just became "One With The Garbage". Barry just started laughing and called Mike over so I could tell him the story. The next day Mike comes over to my booth with a new book and picture of him carrying two bucks both signed. I also got a copy of Barry's book signed and the new DVD. I hope they know how much I appreciate there kindness.
Getting to talk with Mike was also great. Its hard to believe a man of his stature is so soft spoken. It was interesting to find Mike and I have many similarities. We both hail from the suburbs of Chicago IL and hunted around the De Kalb area. Mike's family also spent a lot of time on there family's place in Wisconsin. My family also had a place in Oxford WI. Mike also does taxidermy and taxidermy has been a part of my life since a teenager. The only thing Mike does that I will never attempt is to carry out two mature bucks on my back. You wont even see me do it for a picture! Its good to have friends like Mike to carry out your game. No wonder the Wensel's hang out with him!
Its time to pack up and hit the road and say good byes. I let Jeff know how much fun I had at his camp and how much I appreciate everything he has done for me. He has a big smile on his face and gives me a big hug. It was great meeting Barry and Mike. But getting to meet Jeff and become good friends with him is at the top of the list. What a great guy.
I also had a great time with the folks from Dryad Bows we stayed in the same bed and breakfast. I talked with Dave of Schaffer Silver Tip Bows. Bear archery came by for a visit and may other vendors Holm Made Bows, Tortorelli thanks to all you guys it was a pleasure to get to know you.
Now we are on the road and my Uncle wont talk to me. No he is not mad at me he just started reading Barry's book. He could not put it down the only time he talked was to read a line or two out loud. He would also occasionally chuckle. I was getting scared and I informed him that it was my book and it was going home with me. He read three quarters of that book by the time we hit Illinois.
On the way back we stoped in Ohio to do a little fishing for walleyes on Lake Erie. My friend Doug Morrow who I guided elk hunting some years back invited us to stay at his place and do some fishing. So Monday morning found us out on the big lake and we slayed em. Doug never forgets the beer and since we had a Captain manning the wheel we where free to have a good time. Doug said he had never been on a boat that does not go pop pop pop when in reverse. I asked what he was talking about and he said beer cans opening up! We all limited out with my Uncle catching a 29.5 incher. He was like a kid. I cant tell you how many people he showed the pictures to and talked about how much fun he had. After a couple hour nap we had a great fish dinner that night thanks to Doug's wife.
Tuesday morning we where off again only to stop in Ashely, IN at Three Rivers Archery. I had a meeting with Johnathan Karch, Ashley Sunday and Dean VanderHorst. A short note Dale Karch the owner of 3R is from Princeton WI and I lived in Montello WI they are about 10 miles apart. I always would swing in to his shop DMJ Archery where he built bows and sold supplies. I was shoeing horse at the time and had a barn that I had an account with just down the road from Dale. It was nice to stop in and see all the nice bows. It truly is a small world. Well back to the meeting it was at least a couple hours long. I went over my products and now I am proud to say 3R is carrying products by Wyoming Wildlife Artistry. They will be carrying the knife arm guard combo and the deluxe in the classic and snake skin pattern. This is huge for me and it looks like they will add my tabs and strike plates down the road. It was cool to see Dale's Bear Archery collection and get a tour of the place.
Back in the truck next stop Forest Park, Illinois. Now this is a little story with in the story with some history to boot. Forest Park IL is where my father worked as a printer for Mercury Press and where he hung out in Don Schram's Archery Custom Shop. Don was an old timer who was a founding member of the Pope and Young Club and was friends with Fred Bear. My first bow came from Don's shop a Bear Little Bear recurve. Though at the time I thought it was from Santa that was 1976 and I was 6 years old. My Dad and I would go shoot at Dons on weekends in the winter. The shop had two back to back 20 yard ranges on the second floor. I always remember looking at all of Don's black and white photo's of his hunting trips. I think Don messed around with photography because I remember some pretty cool pictures. I always left with a feeling of adventure. No matter what I always took the time to look over the pictures while my my Dad visited with Don and his wife Jean. There was not a squirrel, gopher or chipmunk safe at our cabin in Wisconsin. I harassed the wildlife to no end with that little bow which I still have.
My Dad became friends with a guy buy the name Terry Pryor. Terry worked with my Dad at Mercury and my Dad requested Terry become his feeder on the big five color press. Terry was an archer and at the time did not hunt but my Dad liked him. Terry apprenticed under my Dad and received his pressman card and became a journeyman. Terry worked at Dons in the evenings and weekends fetching arrows and giving shooting lessons. Terry ended up being around quite a bit as I was growing up. He started hunting with us around Oxford and Montello. He eventually shot his first deer a nice little buck on Fred Stephens farm where we had hunted for years. Terry always talked about all the cool stuff Don had collected. Bows never shot signed by Fred Bear first edition of the Pope and Young club signed by all the founding members. I think I remember him saying if you looked hard enough you would find Dons first pair of shoes. In other words Don never got rid of nothing.
When Don passed away in the early 90's Terry was still working in the shop. Terry eventually ended up marrying Dons widow Jean. Jean passed away and Terry is still running the store. I had not been in the shop since say 89 and I had not seen Terry since 91. So as we pulled in to the old neighbourhood and I could tell things looked a little different. I walked in the store and saw Terry at the front counter. He had no idea who this guy with a cowboy hat on was. I looked around a little disappointed because it seemed all Dons trophy heads and pictures where gone. They still had quite a few recurves and long bows but it had definitely changed. I then walked up to Terry and said do you remember me he looked at me said the eye brows look familiar. I then told him who I was and he started laughing he said yeah you got your Dads eye brows. The last Time I saw Terry I was twenty one years old that was twenty years ago.
We started catching up a little bit talking about old times. He asked a lot about my Dad who he had not seen in twenty years also. When I finally asked you got any of the cool old stuff still hanging around. Terry just smiled he said what kind of cool stuff. I said any them old bows signed by Fred. He said there all gone except for one take down riser signed by Fred which was not for sale. I then said how about any of those first edition Pope and Young books. Terry got a big smile on his face again and he said follow me. We went in the back and Terry started digging around and out comes a never been abused first edition Pope and Young record book. It was the leather bound edition of which 200 where printed it was number 165. He said its the last one and my gift to you. I said your kidding he said no its yours. My jaw dropped I did not know what to say as I paged through this peace of history. I finally spit the words thank you out. Terry knew what that book meant to me he new I was a die hard hunter and loved the history. That is a book that will never leave my possession. I then went out to the truck to get my leather gear. Terry new I did taxidermy but he had no idea I had moved west and started a carer in leather. He was in awe with my work and said "I got to buy one of your arm guards". I said which one do you like he said this one is real pretty how much. I said its yours my gift to you. We talked for awhile longer and I said I should get going and as I walked out the door Terry yelled "I always thought you where a great kid" I said thanks and had a big smile as I walked to the truck.
I then headed up to the Wisconsin Dells where we had a family reunion at the Wilderness resort. The name is no where close to what it is. Its just a huge indoor/outdoor water park with plush rooms and condos. Although it did have some critters roaming about. Every night my Uncle Jim Cummings and I watched a real friendly little skunk as we drank beer on his first floor patio. The skunk would go room to room looking for scraps left behind. When he would get close to us he would drop down to the curb to get around us. I thought about getting a hot dog and luring him to my Uncle Bob Cummings room. I thought if I left a trail we could crack the door and when he entered the room just shut the slider quick. We did not have a video camera on us so we did not go through the trouble.
So on Sunday afternoon I loaded up and headed back to Wyoming. The ride back gives a lot of time for reflection. I have never had real good sense for time. I generally have always lived for the day. All though I do look forward and plan for the future. I have always had had a hard time with what ten years would bring let alone twenty. At twenty one years old I could not picture forty one. I still have that problem because its hard to picture sixty one. But as I look back it is a whole lot clearer. That Pope and Young Record book Terry gave was published in 1975. That was one year before I received my first bow! How time flies.
If you take that Pope and Young book and look at the men who started it. It was huge accomplishment for them! Seeing that most of them where either long bow or recurve shooters. Do you think they had for sight to see a short ten years would almost bring an end to bow hunting as they new it? You look at our sport today that is traditional archery/bow hunting we have come a long way. From a small group of men trying to accomplish recognition in our sport to almost disappearing with the advent of the compound. Then with the help from a lot of the same men who just would not give up there traditional bows bring it back to what it is today. It truly is a huge feat similar to bringing Elk or White Tail Deer back from near extinction to the healthy numbers we see today. I see all the fine people at Denton Hill shooting there bows carrying on the tradition and having fun. We all have different reasons for are choice of weaponry. I think one thing we all have in common is we have no interest in a throw away society we want things that last we want to hand them down to the next generation. While the compound guy is waiting for the latest and greatest to make him a successful hunter we put our success in knowledge and experience there just is no substitute. We have a lot of great men to thank for our sport. Some of them have passed on, some still with us working hard and new ones that have no idea what greatness they will bring. All though there are many greats in our field that we can put a face with look at all the Jeff Springer's and Joe Lasch's out there quite men who carry the torch. This is the best sport in the world at least to me.
Thanks Again Scott Teaschner
Topic: Denton Hill The Big Adventure (Read 750 times)
