Memory of Dad :')

Today, May 26th, is the day my father passed away 2 years ago.  So in memory of him I thought I'd share one of many memories I have with him in the outdoors.  

My exposure to the wonderful world of hunting and the outdoors started long before my memory began storing the experiences.  There are many a picture of dad walking off to the woods with me in a pack on his back and for that I am so grateful.  Over the years I was taken along on every single adventure no matter how "inconvenient" it was to take a child.  When I passed my hunters safety class I'll admit I was a little nervous about venturing out on my own, although dad was always in the same woods.  

I think dad had 100% confidence in my ability to be responsible and ethical out there and was more sad that I wouldn't always be right next to him all the time. My father and I had the kind of close relationship where instead of competing with eachother, we were happiest when the other person was successful. In middle school there was more than one occassion where I honestly did NOT wanna get out of bed to go chase whitetails due to a late volleyball game the night before or sore legs from the cross country meet.  What did get me up was that I was going with my dad and, although I knew he'd be fine without me there, the thought of him being the slightest bit bummed out by me not going was all the motivation I needed.  

The story I want to share happened when I was about 14. We hunted a spot not far from our home, and the previous 2 years dad had shot 2 of the biggest bucks of his hunting career.  Our hunts began an hour before first light and ended after sun down, we sat ALL day EVERY day which can make for some long and tiring days when there's no action. The weather was unseasonably warm on this day and things were slow.  I was beginning to run out of things to do and look at to occupy my time, and had just began contemplating which pile of grass I was going to rest my head on for a nap when that sudden BOOM rang through the air.  

Immediately my heart began to pound and I knew it was dad who had fired off the shot. I picked up my walkie-talkie (before cell phones) and anxiously awaited dads play by play of what had happened.  All I got was "Jamie, hurry up here".  "What!!!  Ohhhh man, it must be a monster" was all I could think.  Although "straight shot" wise dad was not all that far from me, I had to go back to the road to get across the creek, come back up the field on the other side, and then climb a significantly steep hill to get to the top of the ridge where he was.  All in all it's about a mile or so of disced cornfield and rocky ridges, but I didn't even pause to think about it.  All I could think about was my dad had just shot somethin and it was gonna be good!!!  

So I began my run, there was no way I could contain my excitement enough to walk.  I can't honestly tell ya how long it must have taken me, at the time I was probably all of 95lbs and covered in a blaze orange marshmallow suit with a rifle on my back.  Eventually I made it to the top, I collapsed to the ground by my dads side relieved that I would soon be able to breathe again.  I instantly began looking for where the animal was and a few moments later I layed eyes on it.  

There he was, laying not 25 yards from me.......a big, stinkin, nasty COYOTE!!!!  WHAT!!!!  I can only imagine the look I gave my dad at that point.  I was at a total loss for words.  I think I eventually managed something along the lines of "thats not it right".  A big smile spread across dad's face and he replied "Hey, ya think ya can take that with ya on your way back to your stand?  The smell's gonna scare away all the deer".......

Looking back on that hunt I laugh every time.  While I didn't find it quite so amusing at the time, it has stuck with me over the last 13 years and is one of my fondest memories.  Dad and I harvested plenty of game together, spent hundreds of hours together in the outdoors, and have tons of photos of our successes, but it's the memories like this one that always bring an extra smile to my heart.  As some of you know I now get to pass along this love my father gave me to my 3 daughters, so these moments are all the more special.  Oh, and btw, I ended up sitting with dad the rest of that afternoon and got to take my nap leaning against him, so that coyote was one of the best kills dad ever made if ya ask me.  

Have a beautiful day with your families and take advantage of every moment you can.  

God Bless