Received a call the other day reminding me of our annual NY Bowhunter Ed refresher course next month.
I was also notified I would receive an award for 20 yrs as an active Instructor.
This started me thinking on how it began...back in High School, my Biology teacher, Dick Guess loved baseball and bowhunting. We hit if off immediately.
We kept in touch and one day Dick called and wanted me to attend his class(he was a Bowhunter Ed Instructor) and talk to the class about Trad hunting, Ground hunting and Stillhunting.
Dick then suggested I become an instructor and was my mentor through my learning classes. 1998 I get a call from Dick, had my shop opened since 1995. He was looking for a place to bowhunt during our Gun season. Told him he was in luck, as I was heading down to a State Park where it's bowhunting only. I invited him to join me and 3 days later we were easing into the Mtn Laurel to my 4 natural blinds I had setup.
We took our time as it's a long walk in. I came to my favorite ambush spot, right on a large knob. I told Dick to ease in, he gave me that "You really want me to hunt here" look. I gave him that dead pan look and said "Trust me...."
I left Dick at 7am, told him how the deer travel this ridge and knob and headed to another blind roughly 100 yds away. I came back 11am and found Dick smiling beyond what his face allowed. He said twenty minutes after I left, this deer walked up the ridge, around the knob and offered him a neat 15 yd shot.
We shook hands, back slapped because according to Dick..."This is the biggest buck I have ever killed." Took us 2 hrs to drag the deer out. He kept thanking me for taking him out and I in turn thanked him for all he did in making me a responsible Instructor. By the way...Dick used a Wes Wallace bow, 2117's and Zwickey Eskimos.
I was testing out of Jack Kempfs first Little Grizzly Flatbows.