Trad Gang

Kind of a bittersweet day in the woods today. It's my dear, ancient Uncle Jacks birthday, and as has become our little mini tradition, I drove him out to his hunting property.He likes to go out there about this time of year, and have me hang and re-hang the "Posted" signs. He had to give up hunting about 4 years ago thanks to a stroke, 2 bypasses, and Parkinsons. He was able to get around pretty good today, we walked most of the perimeter of his swamp,arriving at his favorite sitting spot. We sat on a log, and he started talking. It was all about hunting, about everything from my immigrant Irish Great Grandfather poaching deer in the early 1900's (to stay alive)to the piles of venison Jack and I have killed together.He re-told me about finding his own Father (my Grandfather) dead of a heart attack in the woods, after killing his last buck.We laughed about deer we have both missed, and the ones we hung up.

We tried to count how many deer he and I have killed in the general area of the log we were sitting on...we quit thinking at 18. We shared a chunk of his favorite Colby cheese and drank root beer.  

This is the Old Man who stepped in and became my Father figure at age 11 or so. If it weren't for him I would have never became as addicted to the outdoors as I am. ALL of my good childhood memories are of being in the woods, with him. He was never much of a bowhunter, but still revels in my bowhunting. I call him every evening driving home from the hunt, and he wants to hear of every animal sighted. When we talk about shots passed up on deer, he always asks "Could you have killed him with a rifle?" Thats kind of his "benchmark"...when I answer yes, it's as good as if we were both there and killed it.

I suppose what got to me today was all of the talking. He and I have spent thousands of miles in the cab of a pickup and said hardly a word. Today he was inclined to tell me ALL of the stories of our families hunting history. Kind of a sad thing.

I see it as a joyous thing. Those memories and having the chance to share them is something you can never lose now. Uncle jack sounds like the kind of fellow a lot of youngsters could use in their lives these days. good on you for making his birthday something special to him.

I'm sure you have and will cherish every word from this day on...

Thanks for sharing.

BobW

Great read rogger,, I hope your unlce has many more years of stories to tell,,I couldn't imagine not being able to hunt,,we take it so granted sometimes,  :(  ,I took my grand mother for a short walk in the woods this spring,,she loved it since she hadn't stepped foot in it for years,,I love to listen more than talk,,(most of the time) esecially when there more to learn from it,,Take care Roger and hope to see you in the future sometime,,Jason B.

" Ilove to listen more than talk"...yep, with the Old-Timers, it's my favorite thing to just be quiet, ask a few questions, and listen.

Roger  I am trying to do that with my grandson not real old yet but not getting any younger.Loved your story.Kip

That story reminds me of one I read by Steve Chapman about his father, or Grandfather, I can't remember which, who was suffering from alsheimers and one fall day he was missing, as was his old truck.  They found him in an area he used to hunt and he had shot a buck and was walking in a different time in his mind when he was younger and hunted.  It was a touching story.

That's top notch right there Roger.  It makes a guy think about the person that got them into the outdoors.  Hopefully he has a few more years worth of stories and "could you have killed him with a rifle" left in him.

Roger,

I'll offer some advise if I may. Write down what you can of todays stories, it will make passing them on easier and more meaningful. I look back on the stories that my grandfather and his mother had told me and I know I am missing some of them. Time has a way of slipping the details .

Sean

sounds loke a great day to me

Thanks for sharing and making us think!

"He and I have spent thousands of miles in the cab of a pickup and said hardly a word."

Sometimes people can teach without saying a word by the example they set. There aren't enough people like your uncle nowadays.

Mark

Thanks Roger

Felt like I was right there on the log. Thanks Roger.

Roger, Thank you for sharing your day with us. What I felt while reading your post, was that you haves a very special bond with your uncle....a relationship that many of us wish we had. Your time spent together today was therapy of the best kind for him. He had a chance to share with you and to relive experiences that defined his life as well as his relationship with you and family members that have passed on before him. You feel sadness now, but as I time passes, I beleive that this day will be looked back upon as one of true blessings. As we get older and our bodies start to fail, all we have left are the memories and God Bless you for being there to give him a reason to share and to "be young" again! Mike

Thanks Roger...Your post brought back many old memories.  My Uncle Frank introduced me to the outdoors and was my mentor while teaching me how to hunt and fish.  He's been gone quite a few years now but the memories will be with me forever.

That's a great story, thanks for sharing.

Mark

Thanks for sharing Roger . You just brought back some great memories of my Grandfather for me. Kinda makes you wonder, who are we making memories for?

Sounds like a great day and a great man

Roger, did he say, "thank God we're us"?

You need to carry a tape recorder with you next time so you'll have his words of wisdom to play for your kids some day.

Thats a great story Rodger. Makes me think about my grandfather and all that he has taught and shared with me. In the last year since I moved to from Michigan to Tennesse he has been starting to fail more noticibaly I make it a point to spend as much time with his as possible when back home. I don't care if I hear the same story about his cat that follows him around like a dog back at the old barn five times in two days. I just like to hear him talk.   Special memories with special people. And when god comes calling all we will have are memories.

Thanks for sharing......

thanks for sharing!  that's what it is all about.  shuttin' up and listening to the elders  :)  i like to do that same thing, ask a few questions and just listen.  it is nice to see men being patient and taking the time, and making the time to soak it all up!  thanks again for sharing, and for honoring your uncle.  i think it really powerful and humbling to share a day like that.

enjoy the day,
kyle

Rodger...that is the most beautiful story I have ever read on Trad Gang.  Thank you for sharing it with us.

Mike

Thanks for takin us along. Great day.

Thanks Roger... Really enjoyed reading this.  :thumbsup:

Ron  - HA! He did.

Ron's refering to a saying my Uncle Jack uses..."Thank God we're us" that I had put on the limb of one of my Shrews. Jack and I, in the old days, weren't afraid of Irish whiskey, but we would never drink while hunting or in camp. We just didn't. We drank at home. Once in awhile.

Anyway, one day we pulled up to a public hunting area in southern Michigan, during gun deer season. There were a couple of "bummy" looking fellows in the parking lot polishing off a jug before they headed to the woods. Jack looked at me and said "Thank God we're us, Jr." You kind of had to be there but it was funny as hell at the time.

"PRICELESS"

Sometimes its better to listen that to talk. If you are talking you ain`t learning.

Getting a recording of the conversations from someone that important is good advice. You will find yourself going back just to hear the voice.
(trust me on this)

Whatever you got from his birthday in the woods, imagine what HE got from it.

All those miles without speaking much? Go pick him up and go for a ride. Tell him everything you want to say. Give him a chance to learn. I bet he would love it.

I'm glad this thread is still here. I found this picure at my Mom's house yesterday, It's of my Uncle Jack shooting a bow in 1969. I recognize where he is at, thats my Grandpa's farm near Travers City. He had a 2x4 frame with some carpeting nailed to it that we shot bows & bb guns at. It looks to me like Jack is shooting my Grandpas bow,  (Jack was never much of a bowhunter, didn't understand the point when you could use a rifle) a Bear Tigercat which I still own and hunted with when I was 12.

(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/rnorris/Jack1969II.jpg)


(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/rnorris/Jack1969II.jpg)

Dispells the Cabin Fever, reading stuff like this!  :thumbsup:  Thank you for sharing and reminding me to be thankful for the freedoms we have. I hope to pass down such things to my 2 sons.

Great story of a great day you had Roger! Thanks for sharing!

Roger,

your uncle Jack gave you a blessing. Many folks go their whole life and never get that from the ones they love. It will be a lasting treasure to you.

John Nail took this picture 2 weeks ago . My grandson Jack and I sitting on a log pondering the days activities.Kinda goes with this thread, eh ?
 
 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v85/Flinttim/Bows%20and%20stuff/hunters.jpg)

"Time has a way of slipping the details."
I had a horseman grandfather, and I wish I had a beartrap memory.


A thread like this makes me wistful, wistful in that none of my family hunted so I never had a mentor handy. Wistful for the conversations that I never had with my elders, due to living far away. What a book that would make, to be snarfed up by folks like me who grasp for the experience any way we can get it. You, and Jack, have given me a gift. I thank you.

Killdeer

That is a great picture Tim, and it sure does fit.

Killy, folks like you and I (and most people who post here) are lucky. We know how valuable the time is....we hunt for the memories, not the venison.

GREAT STORY and I, too, hope he has many more stories to tell......Don Wilson

What you have is one thing that can never be taken away.  Nothing like the wisdom that comes from listening.  Thanks a bunch!  This thread brightens my day.

Great post Roger.    :thumbsup:

Roger,

Ger a tape recorder and record your uncle telling his stories. I have some tapes of my wifes grandfather from years ago and they are chilling to listen to today.

Great stories.

Roger,  I hope you get to sit on that log with him for many more years.  One of my most cherished pictures is me helping my Grandpa with his last deer.  I used to love gutting and dragging for him...anything to keep him going   :thumbsup:

Roger: when people are really close, they don't have to talk. Spend hours together quiet. When they do say something, it usually has a lot of weight.

I like the write it down, but even better, tape it. So you'll have his voice. It's so nice to be able to play back the voice of relatives when they talk about their lives.

thanks for sharing this story. reminds me of lots of things

Sam

Time to give my father a call.  Thanks for the reminder.  Chad

Sounds like a wonderful day!  Blessings to you.

Daryl

Each and every one of us will be taking that same walk as Uncle Frank some day....

When I finally take that walk I hope to have cultivated a youngster sufficiently that he'll cherish the walk and the talk like you did Roger.  Well done, each in his respective way.

Wow that will be something that you remeber for a long time.  That will be a moment neather one of you will for get anytime soon.

Roger...thanks for sharing...a very touching story.

CLS

For whatever reasons , there were no hunters in my family. As far as I know there are none in my extended family of cousins and such. Not much to talk about at reunions. Anyway I have no memories like those we are discussing. Shame.
 Grandson Jack will have them though. And I hope they are fond memories.

Roger  Enjoyed the story.I lost my dad November 18th. so it hit home.I know I will miss him more and more .Kip

I'm sorry for your loss Kip. My Grandfather (Jacks Father) died on November 17th...albeit 1976. He killed a buck, and fell over dead. It was exactly the way an old UP woodsman should have died.

A good day.Congrats on an uncle like that.

Wow....almost 3 years to the day since I wrote this. My Uncle Jack passed on this morning. In the end, I was grateful for his pain to cease. He held onto his pride and sense of humor to the last. I will miss him everyday.


Forever Loyal

I'm sorry for your loss.
I wasn't a member when this thread started.
Reading it now will keep a memory of him with me.
When stories of ones gone are told they never really leave.

Thank you for sharing.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss and send good thoughts to you and yours.

Amen.  Rest in peace, Uncle Jack.

My prayers are with you, Roger...

Daryl

Roger, sorry to hear about your uncle.  It is always tough to loose somebody we are close to.  As long as we remember them they are never truely gone but the fact that new memories cannot be made is the reason they are sorely missed.

Sorry for your loss. This is the first I've seen this thread and due to the dates I kind of expected the reason it was back up. Thanks for sharing with us. Prayers for your family.

Thank you.

What a great memory you have of your Uncle Roger.  It is so good that you were able to treasure the time that you did share and appreciated it while he was still there.  It sounds like he was very proud of you and even in his final years was living the dream through your eyes.  Priceless.

Sorry for your loss. I felt much the same way about my grandfather. We never hunted together but he always supplied stories and supported my love of the outdoors. Your uncle Jack sounds like he was fine man, who lived a great life.

I just lost my dad and I can barely type because of the tears. I'm sorry for you loss.

Roger, so sorry for your loss but thanks for sharing that story.  It's 101 degrees today in Mississippi, but the original post put me on a log in a swamp with perfect weather....

My dad is 81 and fighting Alzheimer's, I try to spend as much time with him as I can; we're past the point where he can remember the visits.  But I will.

"My dad is 81 and fighting Alzheimer's, I try to spend as much time with him as I can; we're past the point where he can remember the visits. But I will."

Say the things that are in your heart when you visit him, you will be glad you did.

Last week I made a point of telling him "thanks" for all of it. He said "You'll be allright"

It was a conversation simple in words, but we both knew what we were saying...

That was a great thing to share with us.Thanks  Make sure you pass those stories on to your kids.Im sure there is plenty of room on that log for them.

My condolences.  I'm glad you got to tell this story before he died.  And glad I got to read it.

so sorry for your loss roger. just think every time you go hunting he will be right there with you. God bless and   :pray:    :pray:  for you and yours. jeff

Roger,
   I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. You still have all of those wonderful memories to enjoy. Thank You so much for sharing them with us...

Roger...sorry about your loss. Not easy losing someone who we are close to and has showed us the better things in life.

It's been a long day....but I have to tell one more story about my Uncle. It's made me chuckle even today...

He had an awesome home therapist coming in to help him with his legs.This guy was so patient, and very kind. He was also from India.  You have to picture my Uncle, an old man...1/2 John Wayne and 1/2 Archie Bunker, who's mind was still sharp as a tack, but his body was quitting. Laying in his bed, while this therapist worked on his Parkinson ravaged legs, my Uncle looked up and said, "Your'e an Indian, huh?"

The therapist said, "Yes Mr. Fegan, I am"

My Uncle Jack said, "Why did you guys have to be so tough on Custer? Did you have to kill ALL those fellas?"

That was just last week. I think I could write a book....

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

I'm sorry for your loss Roger.  It's great to see he kept his sense of humor to the end. You're a lucky man to have had him in your life like that.

Jerry

Thanks, Roger.
Stan

I remember reading this thread when you first wrote it.  Thanks for sharing.  Each of us can plant seeds like this, and it is often the little things that mean the most.  Thanks again.

Roger,sorry for your loss,I enjoyed the storys of your time spent with him and am sure he will be greatly missed.You and your family are in our prayers.

Rodger, What a great story about life.   It likely doesn't feel like that now, but it is.

All the best, Dave

Roger, i am sorry for your loss.  i just got thru reading the entire thread, and i appreciate you sharing it with us.

Roger, Loss is sad, however that man gave you plenty of reasons to also celebrate! God Bless.

Awesome story Roger....I have an Uncle that I spent alot of time with me in the wood.  He was there when I took my first deer with a bow.  I have'nt talked with him in awhile... I'll be giving him a call....thanks

Rodger, my condolences.

When this thread started, it hit home and made me reflect/search on many parts of myself and those who were/are close to me.  Today, many of those emotions resurfaced, which is good...many thanks

I had a uncle who introduced me to the outdoors as well. He passed a few years ago, so make the most of the here and now.

I lost an uncle last fall that was very special to me. He was only 54 when he left.

Thank you, Roger, for letting us celebrate Uncle Jacks life with you. Many of us are the better for it.

You'll always have the fond memories with you as you visit "The Log".

Roger I know how much your Uncle Jack meant to you. I've heard you tell so many Uncle Jack stories that I feel almost like I knew him. Your lucky to have the memories of such a great man in your life.

Roger,
A blessed man you are to have had him in your life. My Father, Grandfather and your Uncle seem to be so similar. Men of substance...can't buy it, borrow it or steal it... just born with it. This thread has definitely brought back a lot of my times with them. God, how I miss them. Thank you for sharing this and you have my condolence's.

Lanier

......no Roger not sad at all... Its the most wonderful gift a man could ask for.....HEART FELT MEMORIES !!! Heres to you both !!!!!!!

that's a great story roger. my dad past this year, and i remember so many mornings when he would come in real quiet, shake me and say LETS GO SON. cherish these times, although memories are precious, they just aren't the same. i've been married 3 years now and when i go in and wake my step-son, and say let's go son, i remember my dad.  :campfire:

My heart felt condolence's. Makes those times even more special. Prayers for your family.
Magnus

I am very sorry for your loss. I pray God's peace for you and all who are affected by the passing.

I wanted to tell you that yours is one of the most heart felt stories I've read. God bless you for it.

With the love of Christ
Your Humble Servant
Mudd

Thanks for sharing!

i'm very sorry to hear of your uncle. when i posted i hadn't read all the post. i didn't know he had passed. i'm sorry. my prayers are with you and your family, and that GOD will give everyone that loved him, the peace that only he can give.

I have been asked by his daughters to read this as part of the eulogy.....hope I get through it.

That makes me miss my grandfather even more

I remember this thread and thought that its revival meant what it did.  Sorry for your loss but rejoice in your memories.

Roger, I understand I to had an Uncle Jack who was my role modle in the outdoors. He taught me all about hunting ethics, and life in the woods. Listen to those stories as often as he needs to tell them. I lost my Uncle a while back and now I tell those stories to my kids and grand kids. Those memories and stories are the true legacy we pass on.

Roger,
My condolences to you and your family.  What an honor it is for you to have had such a blessing as your Uncle Jack.  He certainly will live on with your footsteps.

Regards,
Rick

:campfire:  Warming read.  Makes me look at things a bit differently. Thank you!

I`ve been away a few days. Alot can happen.

I bet his pride in YOU runs deep Roger.

"Forever loyal"  With that, you got me.

Even the steepest hills will be EASY for him now.

Sorry for your loss Roger.Sounds like a GREAT MAN.RC

Sorry for your loss, Roger. Remember the good times. That is the way your Uncle would have wanted it. God Bless you and yours.  :pray:

Beautiful...

Somethings wrong with my computer, the screen keeps getting blurry...

Sorry to hear of your loss Roger.  I've lost a special uncle too quite a few years ago and two different hunting buddies in the last few years who were both special.  Like you, I have many memories and stories that come to mind.  With time, you will come to understand the loss and cherish the memories you've shared.

Most likely, you will also find yourself driving home from your hunts this fall and reaching for your cell phone to make that call you always made in the past (I did it too when my friend Bob passed) and it may be hard at times.  All you can do is put down the phone and make the call from your heart.  It'll hurt.  Sometimes pretty bad but you'll feel better in a different way.  

He'll always be there in your heart and memories.

Thanks for sharing your stories and experiences with us. This is a remarkable thread.

I lost my Dad on June 21 this year. This will be my first fall without him and I am sure it will be a tough one in many ways.

We have old stories too that will be told & re-told. My son and nephews are joining me in making new stories of our own now...

Wanted to resurrect this one from the bottom of page 46.  

Good stuff.  :thumbsup:

Thought I would bring this up today. The Old Timer has been gone 2 years now. This is his old blind, picture taken last year.

 (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/rnorris/Shrewhaven2010/ShrewHaven2010013-1.jpg)

I went into his spot Friday night, looking for squirrels. The roof of his blind has caved in now.I thought about fixing it, but decided to let it be. Tommorrow is opening day of deer season here. I will miss reporting to him what I saw.

I think I will sneak in there this week and shoot the first deer that stands broadside...he was an old time meat hunter and would always chew me out if I let one walk....

What a great photo.  If you close your eyes, you can still see him sitting there...

God bless

thank you for sharing your special day   :campfire:

Roger,

Thanks for bringing this thread back to the top and sharing the pic today. Your thread makes me think a LOT about my Dad and all of the things we shared and things I still wish I would've asked him while we were in the woods together. Heartfelt prayers sent to you and good luck hunting in that very special place.

Mr. Norris, your a lucky man to have had the opportunity to soak up the stories of your Uncle! I love talking with the "olde" folks, the stories they tell are very wonderful to me and seems to settle them some getting to tell them. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Sometimes, when memories are all you have left,  having someone that you care about listen to them is worth the world.

We will all get there.  Ya done good.

ChuckC

Good read Roger and thanks for bringing this one to the top.

TTT again....  :campfire:

Good thread!

Roger, GREAT POST! I lost my Uncle Ed in the spring. He introduced me to bowhunting some 35 years ago and was my mentor. I carry a photo of my Dad (who also passed)and Uncle Ed and I hunting in my back tag holder. They're always out with me when I hit the woods.

Thanks for bringing it back up.

I hope we are all listening, there is much of life here to learn.

Thanks guys. PteA, the picture in the backtag is pretty darn neat....  :thumbsup:

Thanks for bringing this back up Roger, lots of food for thought here.
-Jay

Good thread Roger, this Friday is my Grampa's 90th birthday. He got me into hunting and fishing and is more like a Dad than anything to me. Like your Uncle Jack, he was a gun hunter when he could still get out there. I think I'll try really hard to get him out, at least behind camp for a sit or two...

The last couple of years of my father's life, I knew the stories he'd told me for over 50 years better than he did.  I miss him so much!!!

Only wish I could sit on a log with my Uncle Jack. Like you he was the inspiration for my outdoor life, but unlike you he passed to a better hunting spot 10 years ago. We hunted a hollow behind my grandfathers farm in southern Illinois quite abit. I still go there every year and feel close to my Uncle. I treasure every memory I have of my him. That log will always be a special spot for you, not for the deer, but for the memories. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing.