Hey Old Timers,
I was lucky enough to spend the evening with our old friend Mickey "The Ferret" Lotz and his wife Dianne and their son Brian. We had a nice dinner, talked bows and hunting and walked in his backyard wildlife paradise. He finished the evening with well wishes for all his TradGang friends and wanted you all to know that even though he has moved in a different direction in life that he has nothing but fond memories of you all.
I got to go through his collection of selfbows with bittersweet feelings of guys like Joe Mattingly and David Mims who have passed in the time we have all been friends to guys like Meathook, George Nagel, Dan Gren, Rusty Craine and Tim Ott who have left our presence in other ways to guys like Mike Westvang and Pat B and Shaun Webb who still come around from time to time. It reminds me of how much you all have meant to me and how much I truly appreciate the TradGang and before that (and even still) the ***********.
Thank you all. Peace my friends.
John
The Ferret is a good one for sure. Lots of questions I wanted to ask Mickey. Haven't heard tell of him in some time.
:campfire:
I truly miss the Ferret's posts and tips. I always enjoyed his photos and hunting tales. Mr. Scifres and Mr. Lotz gave me many helpful tips on self bows and the proper way to make them. The others that were mentioned I also miss.....always good feed back from all of them! If we all are lucky ,at some point they may return!! :thumbsup:
Those names bring back the good old days of fun and frolic here on the web. I have such fond memories of all of them.
Killdeer :) :campfire: :) :coffee:
I miss him at CloverDale and the old MOJams.
Hope he is doing well..........
John, just the title of your thread brought a smile!
Glad you had the opportunity to touch base with some fine, fine folks! Would have given a shiny penny to listen from the corner...
i wish he still had his how-to site up..lots of great info and photos..john
I miss seeing him around as well. Like John, we go way back to the first days of the Bowsite (along with Daryl "Hawkeye" Harding). Always enjoyed his posts!
I got to spend a couple of hours with him two or three years ago. He gave me one of his cane arrows that he used in Arizona. Missed a javie with it, so it became mine. I like that outcome. ;) He personalized it and handed it to me along with a copy of Primitive Archer that had an article about that hunt and a photo of the arrow. It's one of my favorite items on display in my den.
Yeah, I miss seeing him here. And, like John, wish his site was still up.
Jerry
quote:
Originally posted by Killdeer:
Those names bring back the good old days of fun and frolic here on the web. I have such fond memories of all of them.
Killdeer :) :campfire: :) :campfire:
QuoteOriginally posted by Killdeer:
Those names bring back the good old days of fun and frolic here on the web. I have such fond memories of all of them.
Killdeer :) :campfire: :) :coffee:
You said it!
Glad to hear that Micky and Dianne are doing OK. I have one of his floppy rulers that he gave me at Mojam a few years back. Great guy and a wealth of knowledge about our sport.
I wish them well.. :wavey:
Is Mr. Lotz no longer involved in traditional archery?
QuoteOriginally posted by buckeye_hunter:
The Ferret is a good one for sure. Lots of questions I wanted to ask Mickey. Haven't heard tell of him in some time.
:campfire:
yeah.. i miss him.... he got me wanting to try primitive and then his website vanished.... Then it's like he vanished...
Glad he is alive and well, yet i understand that life gets in the way of his pastimes though...
When Mickey was active on this site he was always a patient and tireless teacher who enthusiastically answered the same questions a 1000 times. He had an outstanding "how to" site for building osage bows.
Mickey's donation to the 2005 St Jude's Auction
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/LostArrow/Ferret%20Bow/Ferretbow001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/LostArrow/Ferret%20Bow/InscriptionSG.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/LostArrow/Ferret%20Bow/SGlogo.jpg)
Interesting to see Mickey's name pop up here...
Though we were never friends, I met and was acquainted with Mickey back in his wheelbow days. He was a member of the Ohio Bowhunters Association (iirc) and attended many of their events. Come to think of it, he was probably president or an officer back in the early/mid '80s. I seem to recall an article written by him in which he described killing 3 deer in one season using a wheelbow, recurve and selfbow. I'm guessing, but those 3 deer may have been taken in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. I watched him gravitate toward 'classic' equipment and then saw him multiple times at those events. He seemed to fall off the radar scope and I wondered what became of him.
I used to think it was incomprehensible for dedicated bowhunters to give up their bows and hunting lifestyles. Having seen many do it, I now consider it to be a normal occurrance. Many people just need to experience more things in the limited time they have on Earth. I say 'more power to them' and go find what pleases you the most.
"Ferret" and Dianne are truly a couple of treasures.
Ferret and his brother always drew a crowd with their HDFH's....lol
Those who have had the experience know what I'm talking about.
Great memories!
John I want you to know that you rank right up there as well.
God bless,Mudd
Mickey still hunts and shoots trad. I doubt that'll ever change. His 62nd birthday is Friday BTW.
Mick befriended me in a very meaningful, but so simple way, that I'll never forget.
there was a vendor at shoots named Mickey that had a wife Diane, lived near the Lotz but had a different last name. I got them confused once and learned from mickey lots they were good friends. Now they bothy have eased into other areas.
The cycles of life. Enjoy what we have while we have it.
Best to you, Lotz family!
I spent a day with Mickey and Diane when they came through New Hampshire a few years ago on a motorcycle trip. Drove them north for the day and to the top of Mt Washington on the Auto Road, had a great day. I learned a lot from him when I was into selfbows.......from you too John.
David
I miss seeing Mickey, Diane and Randy around. I miss the HDFH's, too!
John, he didn't serve you PB&J, did he?
Thanks John, for rolling the clock back a little for us.
I too miss the Ferrit's words and coaching. Glad to hear he's doing well.
I'm glad to hear he is still riding and traveling by motorcycle.....that's my other passion!! That's why you need a take down bow...lol!
:campfire:
Seeing Mickey's name is like looking into a good campfire. It just brings good things to mind. Miss his comments here for sure.
I knew Mickey still Trad hunted and shared an email with him a few years ago when he gave up the Internet. I understood exactly why......
Never met Mickey but a very special arrow he made for me hangs on my bow rack. He left his mark on many of us and we are better for it.
A couple times I was going to ask about Mickey, haven't seen/heard him on here for quite a while. Was afraid he might have passed and missed the post so I never did ask.
Good to hear he's doing well and still shooting sticks.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/ohiogangattruck.jpg)
Great guy!!
I allways had to click on anything from Mickey.His style, was what it was all about for me.
By God,its good to see a post from you too Robin...
Long time.
QuoteOriginally posted by Charlie Lamb:
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/ohiogangattruck.jpg)
Great guy!!
Hey Charlie... I shared a hunt with both those guys leaning on the tailgate myself!
I'm very lucky to have a personal cane arrow from Mickey as well. And he and Diane and Chad insisted we all go eat that famous chili from the famous fast food chili place I can't remember..
Still got my floppy ruler too!
Wait now I remember, I think it was in Seaman, Oh, near Winchester... Gold Star Chili ! Lol
Thanks Charlie for posting that photo.
It says so much about the kind of person Mickey is.
Mickey wasn't ever afraid to touch another person/man, it was just his nature.
Any time spent with Mickey left the visitor coming away with the feeling that they were special.
Thanks again Charlie, I really appreciate you and what you do for us.
God bless,Mudd
I got to meet Mickey this year at the Tenn. Classic. I had admired him for years from afar, and finally got to shake his hand. That was one of the highlights of my trip for sure.
I still have one of Mickey's "Ferret's Floppy Ruler" That he send me. This one is dated 7/05. Glad to hear he is doing well!
I picked up a Primitive Archer Mag at Tractor Supply a few days ago and saw he'd published and article on photographing wildlife. so I just happened to google mickey and this thread came up first.
reminisce about those days and the first few Mojams...makin the long haul from Massachusetts to MO with the likes of Paul and Sean (Pablo and Hooligan)...first exposure to Waffle House...and Biscuits and Gravy...
and of course, Mudd...who could forget the HDFD. what was mickeys Brothers name? Randy? then there was DRT...JD...getting to meet Dean Torges when he was picking up his Curs.
the infamous Hatchet bow contests...
I did exchange a few emails with Mickey a few years ago...always a pleasure.
soo much fun!
Marc,
Yep I still exchange emails with Mickey everytime something happens in the family. Got a pic of a new grandchild not too long ago as Brian is now a dad.
Yep I miss all the ol' guys too although I do get to see Rusty now and then.
Mike
HA. been I long time since I've had a good solid belly laugh like I'd get reading one of Rusty's threads!
When I'm an old man like Mickey, I'll remember fondly the old man named Mickey :) He truly is one of my favorite people ever. Funny how I am reading "The Hobbit" in anticipation of the movie - hehehehe. Don't tell him...K?
a lot of the first things i ever did in trad archery were around mickey.
Back when Mojam was a hot topic and HDFH were something i looked forward too every year are some of my greatest memories.
Im gonna try to find a picture of an osage self-bow mickey made me when i was 12. He and my dad secretly named it "Farrah" and i never knew why.
A few years later i realized why the bow was named. It has a distinct knot under the handle that distinctly resembles a certain body part that Farrah Fawcett was famous for showing. lol.
Ive seen Mickey And Dianne at Cloverdale a couple times in the last 5-6 years and my dad, brother and i always enjoy seeing them.
So many great trad memories have mickey and "Bro Randy" in them and its a shame all people cant learn about archery from him.
Thats a good way to spend an evening for sure. I talked lion hunting with him before I went on my trip and he was an inspiration.
I was wondering what happened to Mickey. Glad to hear that he is doing well. I remember his posts from *********** and then onto tradgang when it started.
I understand how one would like to drop off the net from time to time. I have done it myself. I always think of the good friends I have made through forums and it brings me back.
You folks (Mike,John, Marc, and lefty) are equally as amazing in my book.
Don't misread me... Mickey is awesome as well.
God bless,Mudd