...of history, legends and heroes..........

[Mike Bolin]

Feelin' under the weather a bit today and had to cancel a visit to visit the grandbaby. Decided it was a great time to catch up on the goings on here on tradgang. Kind of distressing to follow a couple of the threads! Short tempers and short answers....cabin fever maybe?
Archery history-alot of folks, both young and/or new to bowhunting have never heard of many of the legends of archery. Bow seasons have been in place for as long as they can remember and they have no knowledge of the time, effort and funds that was required to "prove" to the DNR officials that the bow was/is a viable hunting weapon. I feel like it is part of "our" job to educate the newbies, not just in the ways of the bow, but about the history behind bowhunting as well. Share from your libraries or personal experiences with the new guys. I've got a couple of books out there somewhere right now and occasionaly get a pm or email thanking me for the loan and letting me know where the book is headed. Other than TBM there isn't an over the counter publication that deals with the history of bowhunting and the folks that took the time to give us the seasons we enjoy today.
Heros- I have no heros in the hunting world. There are alot of people both living and dead that command my respect and in some cases, my gratitude. Legends-there are a bunch of them. Some of them post regularly here on the 'gang! Some of them are legends and don't even know it yet. There are guys and gals that post regularly here will someday be spoken of the same way we talk about Bear and Shafer!  There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here and it is freely shared. Just a tip that works for me-if you don't agree with the advice or tip being shared that's cool...I don't always agree with all I read, BUT I respect their opinion and appreciate the fact that they took the time to share it and sometimes I hear a different point of view that causes me to re-think some of my own ideas.
Give aways-awesome gestures....period!
Just some ramblings from a grumpy ole fellar that didn't get to see his grandson this weekend! No offense intended to anyone and I hope none was taken! God bless>>>------->Mike

[MYSTIKBOW]

None taken here Mike. I agree whole heartedly and couldn't have put it any better myself. Sorry ya couldn't see your grandkid this weekend. I know my father in law got pretty ornery when my kids were little and he missed an oppertunity to see em.  
Thanks

[JoeM]

Mike, very well said.  As far as history I totally agree we need to educate everyone (myself included) so that this history is not forgotten.  Nothing beats a good books!  Joe

[George D. Stout]

There are many who have gone before us and contributed greatly.....and have been summarily forgotten by the masses.  My guess is they would shake their heads at our ignorance of their contributions.

[Broken Arrow 1]

Mike I couldnt agree more. We must never forget the folks that made it possible for all of us  to do what we love, and we should never take it for granted.

[trashwood]

I do have a hero archer/bowhunter, Art Young.  I have built his osage bows many times.  if for no other reason I feel close to him cause I have shoot his bow.

rusty

[adeeden]

Mike,
    I enjoy hearing the old stories and actually seek them out! Get well so you can see that grandbaby!

I grew up in Indiana andd have been fortunate enough to have heard the story first hand about the first archery deer taken there (you know that story). I moved over to IL anout 8 years ago and so I dug around and found this on the first archery deer in IL I thought some of you may enjoy it.


In the Beginning

John Force remembers a television program he watched in the mid-1950s. It featured an archer named Howard Hill, who did trick shooting with his bow and arrow. Force, thought it looked like fun so he and several of his friends went out and purchased bows.


They would take their bows and head out to the woods, hiking through the forest and shooting at leaves, small trees or other objects.


"Then we heard there was going to be a deer hunting season and that you could use a bow and arrow, and that really got our attention," Force said. "I'd hunted deer while I was stationed in Germany, but never with a bow and arrow."


Force was living in Chandlerville at the time, near the Sangamon River, and although he didn't know much about hunting with a long bow, he knew where whitetails lived. He had permission to hunt a large Cass County farm that bordered the river, and deer were numerous there.

"You could walk through the area, and it was just full of deer trails," Force said. "They were cutting down trees, and all the brush made it perfect for deer and for deer hunting."


With a permit in hand, Force headed for the river on opening day. He arrived well before sunrise and found an area near some large maple trees with deer trails nearby. He leaned his back against one of the trees and waited.


When it started to get light, he put an arrow on the bowstring and another into the soft dirt beside his foot. Almost immediately he saw four bucks walking toward him.

When the lead deer was just 20 feet from him and went behind one of the big trees, Force drew the bow. When it stepped out on the other side, he let his arrow fly.


"I saw the arrow hit in the shoulder area," he said. "The deer took off and I watched as it jumped over a log about 50 yards away. I thought I had made a bad shot. I thought the arrow must have gone in too high and missed vital organs. I just wasn't sure. I'd never hunted deer with a bow. Not many people in Illinois had."


Force had been told to wait a half-hour before tracking the deer, so he stayed by the tree.


"I waited about 15 minutes, then decided to start tracking," Force remembers. "I walked over to where I had watched the deer jump over the log and it was right there. It had only ran about 75 yards."


The deer was a 4-point buck weighing close to 200 pounds. Force field-dressed the deer, dropped it off at the meat market and went to work.


He didn't know it was a historic occasion. The day was Oct. 1, 1957, and Force's deer was shot about 10 minutes into the hunting season. As it turned out, it was the only deer taken on opening day, making Force's kill the first legally taken deer in Illinois during the 20th century.

[Mike Bolin]

Dennis, thank you for sharing the story! As you said, we both know Ed's story and I had often wondered about the "first" in IL.
We'll have to get together at Cloverdale this year. Hey, they have a regular monthly shoot the first Saturday of March. If you want to go, drop me a pm! Mike

[reddogge]

One of my personal legends is my ex brother in law's father, still living and in his 80s.  I've hunted at his cabin in PA, killed a nice fat spike with a bow there in the 70s, rifle hunted there also.

I recently asked him when he killed his first deer with a bow and it was 1952.  I must make a trip this year to sit down with him and go over some of his bowhunting stories.

We played golf once when he was 76 and he shot a 78 and beat me although I played one of my personal best rounds.  After nine he told me to pick up the pace as I was two strokes behind.

[Killdeer]

Thank you for the story, adeeden. I never get tired of reading stories of those who hunted before us. If you folks haven't read "Toxophilus in Arcadia" yet, you are missing a good book.

There are many here who command my respect, and I listen well when they speak. Rusty is one of them, and I installed the RsutySpeak Program on my new Mac just for his posts.

It is a shame that we tend to be so wrapped up in ourselves and the present that we tend not to explore the past. There can be no true progress without a knowledge of the past. Our fast paced society, combined with an unprecedented "me-ness" of the generations produces isolated individuals engrossed in their own private worlds, which leads to stagnation and a loss of momentum.

One reason I come here is that this trend is bucked big time by the members of the site. Gather the treasures of the past and hand them on, use the lore to remember who we are and why we do these things, and hand it on again.

Thank you all for the inspiration you have given me. And thank you Mike for turning a stone and finding vibrant shoots ready to grow.
Killdeer

[Roughcountry]

Spring must be close, I feel a breath of fresh air drifting across the clearing. Great posts all.

Every now and then I'll hear or read a story of one of the true hunters that stay out of the spotlight. It wouldn't matter what weapon they pick up, they are hunters in a class all their own. These are the folks who are my inspiration. Some of them get thrust into the light and are forever trying to slide back into the shadows, it's the way of the hunter.

[Killdeer]

Speaking of respected hunters...