Memorable hunts with dad...as promised...

castnblast · January 24, 2007, 11:40 AM

I'm going to add to this post as time goes, and as others share their stories. As some of you know, my father passed away suddenly on December 2, 2006 at age of 63. Too young, and too many hunting trips left undone. If you are a father, I hope you take this to heart and spend time in the field with your childeren...Boys AND Girls...I've been meaning to do this, and so I thought I'd start this thread with my dad's favorite story...he had many, and I'll post them as others do. My first deer, and the deer my uncle shot prior to my first deer gave him a grin from ear to ear...I'll start this with my first deer...I'll post the other later...

It was New years day, 1982. I was 9 years old, and had recieved my first shotgun for my birthday in August of the same season. The day was much like today, rainy, cold, (by S. TX Standards...in the lower 40s, w/ fog, mist, and rain...) Last day of the Tx. hunting season. We were the only ones hunting that evening, so we had our lease to ourselves. A huge 10 pointer showed up a long ways down the scendero we were hunting. It had a limp, but never stood still to give dad a good shot. As we sat, a couple of does came out on the other side. The were crossing, and never gave him a shot either. As time passed, a small spike/forky came out of no where. I was sitting on my dad's lap watching the deer. As it began to feed in the food plot (oats) we had planted, I got the brilliant idea to ask dad if I could shoot it. He grinned ear to ear and whispered, if you think you can get a good aim on him, I'll let you! (I had shot rabbits w/ his 22 prior, so I "knew" how to shoot a rifle...) I couldn't see the deer from the blind in my seat, so I asked him if I could sit on his lap. Teaching me proper gun safety, he took the rifle, set it aside, and got me situated. He then handed me the 270, and said put it right on his shoulder. I flipped the gun off safety, and let it roar...the deer took 10 steps tops, and dropped by a dead mequite tree. I cycled another round, but the deer was down, but I was ready for another shot! My dad said "YOU GOT EM!, now put the gun on safety, and take the rounds out of the magazine", so I did, and then he took the gun, and removed the round I chambered, prior to exiting the blind, making sure I understood why he was doing what he did.

I still remember that like it was yesterday...I've killed lots of deer since then, on average, 3 per year, but that hunt sticks out like no others. The lessons I learned in the woods, and having him just be dad, and a role model have stuck with me for a lifetime. Dad loved telling everyone about the first deer I shot off his lap w/ his Rem. 270 700 BDL. There were others with that gun. There were bow hunts later in life I'll also share. But this was the story he loved to tell, so this is the first I'll share.

Thanks for reading,

Kevin Kieschnick, aka, CastnBlast...

Pops114 · January 24, 2007, 04:16 PM

Thanks Kevin. I'm sorry about your dad. Thanks for sharing his favorite story.

My dad hasn't hunted in years, but I had the opportunity to hunt with my grandfather for the first time this year. Neither of us shot at anything, but we saw plenty, each wishing the best for the other. Just being in the woods with him made everything about the day seem magical.

Hans · January 24, 2007, 07:41 PM

Truly sorry about your father. If you remember him so fondly, he must have been a good man. Great story as well.

My father didn't hunt much, and neither did I growing up, but my brother and I have both come to enjoy it, and I have two young sons that I look forward to making memories with such as you have of your father.

Trapp · January 24, 2007, 09:57 PM

My Dad passed away in 2004 at the ripe old age of 45. I watched the best person I ever knew rot away with an incurable prion disease for over 2 years. He was a great hunter, great father, and all in all a great Man. I only hope I can be half the person he was.

Kevin: I hope you don't mind me sharing a few stories too....

One of my most memorable times with the old man:

I must have been about 7 or eight. We were at a local "range". He was shooting his big ol 44mag with the 10"bbl and I was having a ball watching him.

Suddenly a bumble bee started flying around. He put down the SBH and grabbed his Ramline 22. He loaded a mag and said "Bet I can hit that bumble bee". Of course the bet was on. No way could he hit that!

Bang, Bang Bang! Three shots later he claimed to have got it. Of course I didn't believe him, so we went walking up to where he said it was. Sure enough there was no butt left on him!!!

I got to shoot that 44 mag later on....made the day even better....

buck460XVR · January 24, 2007, 10:06 PM

castnblast....I hear you bro. My dad passed away last Valentines day from lung cancer at the age of 82. Altho he was quite ill at the time he still went deer hunting the November before. Altho he was an avid fisherman, he only really hunted deer with a passion. Even at 52, I too still remember my first hunt as vividly as if it were yesterday. This year was the first time in 40 years that my dad was not in the woods with me on opening day of deer season. Altho the thrill of hunting with my own sons and brothers keep the sadness in check for most of the day, at the end of the day, after I walked thru the front door and sat down at the kitchen table to take of my boots, I lost it and wept uncontrollably....more so even than at his funeral.

Over the years there have been times in the woods when I felt someone else's hand had helped to pull the trigger and some other eyes had spotted the buck first and guided my line of sight to the quarry. This year looking down at the nice 8 pointer I had snuck up to and shot in his bed, not only did I say thanks to the Lord, I had to say thanks to my dad.

BIGR · January 24, 2007, 10:27 PM

castnblast, We feel for you. For the ones that still have a father around, we need to spend as much time with them as we can. I have alot of memories of my dad and me going on hunting trips. Like when I was 10 years old and I got a .410 single shot stevens shotgun before Christmas. We went squirrel hunting and I shot my first squirrel out of a tall Popular tree. We did alot of rabbit hunting too. These days I manily deer and bird hunt, but dad he hasn't hunted in 15 years. His job keeps him away from the hunting. I wished he could get back into it because he has gained alot of weight over the years and I worry about his health. That rabbit hunting use to keep him in shape. None of us are granted tomorrow. We should spend as much time with our families as we can.

Dave Haven · January 24, 2007, 11:38 PM

Sorry to hear about your Dad, castnblast.

My most memorable hunt was with my Dad was in '91. He was 69 at the time. It was the first time I'd ever been drawn for elk. He shot his bull on opening morning, and I shot mine the next morning. That was the longest shot I've ever made at a game animal - it was about 350 yards (and a heart shot, at that). We spent the next 4 days carrying the carcasses back to camp on his deer cart.
3 months later, he was in Saint Luke's hospital for an angioplasty to re-open a blocked coronary artery. He had been experiencing shortness of breath for a few months. He could have died happy on that hunt, but it would have been a serious bummer for me. Thanks to modern medicine, he's still around.
We just applied for elk again this past weekend.
I look forward to more hunting/shooting shooting trips with him.

Maser · January 25, 2007, 01:06 AM

Sorry about your dad Kevin. Thanks for sharing his story.

The most memorable moments I have spent with my dad have been on the range or in the field. I know I am still young and have plenty of undone hunts and range time with my dad in the future. Also got a 9 month old son of my own and can't wait to pass on our tradition.

Probly the most memorable hunt was going elk hunting with my dad and uncle. It was the first and only big game hunt I ever been on. I'm surprised my dad and uncle could put up with me constantly complaining about the coldness. On the 2nd day we managed to locate a decent sized buck. No where near record size, but none the less a great first time buck for me. I remember then sitting down and having the rifle rested on my knee and my dad was behind me to catch me on recoil. It seemed like even though I had a rather sturdy rest, I couldn't keep the crosshair still and whenever I managed to, the buck would take a few more steps as he was grazing. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, I got my shot. It clearly severed the spinal cord and I reloaded and shot it a second time and it dropped for good. The best part was what happened next. Field dressing time! I got soaked with blood and accidently cut the bladder and got deer peepee on me. Fun times! Can;t wait until my boy gets old enough.

castnblast · January 25, 2007, 10:34 AM

Thanks guys...The point of this post is to share your memorable hunts too...Maybe you're a father sharing a memorable hunt w/ your son or daughter, or You are an individual sharing your memories in the field w/ your mom or dad, or both if you are really lucky. Share yours. Thank you everyone for your imput. I'll add some more stories over the comming days.

FirstFreedom · January 25, 2007, 12:10 PM

Good story, C&B, thanks.

RwBeV · January 26, 2007, 01:22 PM

Sorry to hear about your dad C&B. I am very fortunate I still hunt with my dad allthough not as much as I would like. He is in his mid 60's and still gets around good, he just cant walk much. I love to argue with him about where to set the decoy's or how set the blind's my kids just shake there heads that is all but my son he tells me where we should set up or how to hunt, I guess what turns around comes around. Our big family hunt has always been Antilope we take a weekend and head out, this year was probably one of the greatest, all the kids got there goats one shot, I hope it was me that taught them that. I believe in taking any kid that wants to learn to hunt, over the years I have taken lots of them out most have turned out to be great ethical hunters. Here are some pictures of this years hunt, hope you enjoy.

Bob
keep your powder dry

January 24, 2007, 11:40 AM	#1
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Memorable hunts with dad...as promised... I'm going to add to this post as time goes, and as others share their stories. As some of you know, my father passed away suddenly on December 2, 2006 at age of 63. Too young, and too many hunting trips left undone. If you are a father, I hope you take this to heart and spend time in the field with your childeren...Boys AND Girls...I've been meaning to do this, and so I thought I'd start this thread with my dad's favorite story...he had many, and I'll post them as others do. My first deer, and the deer my uncle shot prior to my first deer gave him a grin from ear to ear...I'll start this with my first deer...I'll post the other later... It was New years day, 1982. I was 9 years old, and had recieved my first shotgun for my birthday in August of the same season. The day was much like today, rainy, cold, (by S. TX Standards...in the lower 40s, w/ fog, mist, and rain...) Last day of the Tx. hunting season. We were the only ones hunting that evening, so we had our lease to ourselves. A huge 10 pointer showed up a long ways down the scendero we were hunting. It had a limp, but never stood still to give dad a good shot. As we sat, a couple of does came out on the other side. The were crossing, and never gave him a shot either. As time passed, a small spike/forky came out of no where. I was sitting on my dad's lap watching the deer. As it began to feed in the food plot (oats) we had planted, I got the brilliant idea to ask dad if I could shoot it. He grinned ear to ear and whispered, if you think you can get a good aim on him, I'll let you! (I had shot rabbits w/ his 22 prior, so I "knew" how to shoot a rifle...) I couldn't see the deer from the blind in my seat, so I asked him if I could sit on his lap. Teaching me proper gun safety, he took the rifle, set it aside, and got me situated. He then handed me the 270, and said put it right on his shoulder. I flipped the gun off safety, and let it roar...the deer took 10 steps tops, and dropped by a dead mequite tree. I cycled another round, but the deer was down, but I was ready for another shot! My dad said "YOU GOT EM!, now put the gun on safety, and take the rounds out of the magazine", so I did, and then he took the gun, and removed the round I chambered, prior to exiting the blind, making sure I understood why he was doing what he did. I still remember that like it was yesterday...I've killed lots of deer since then, on average, 3 per year, but that hunt sticks out like no others. The lessons I learned in the woods, and having him just be dad, and a role model have stuck with me for a lifetime. Dad loved telling everyone about the first deer I shot off his lap w/ his Rem. 270 700 BDL. There were others with that gun. There were bow hunts later in life I'll also share. But this was the story he loved to tell, so this is the first I'll share. Thanks for reading, Kevin Kieschnick, aka, CastnBlast... __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

January 24, 2007, 07:41 PM	#3
Hans Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Location: Montana Posts: 421	Truly sorry about your father. If you remember him so fondly, he must have been a good man. Great story as well. My father didn't hunt much, and neither did I growing up, but my brother and I have both come to enjoy it, and I have two young sons that I look forward to making memories with such as you have of your father. __________________ G26, Ruger LCP Ruger 10/22, Wyndham AR-15 5.56x45 Savage 111 LWH .270 Win. Without the 2nd Amendment, none of the others would exist.

January 24, 2007, 09:57 PM	#4
Trapp Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Location: KTN Posts: 1,221	My Dad passed away in 2004 at the ripe old age of 45. I watched the best person I ever knew rot away with an incurable prion disease for over 2 years. He was a great hunter, great father, and all in all a great Man. I only hope I can be half the person he was. Kevin: I hope you don't mind me sharing a few stories too.... One of my most memorable times with the old man: I must have been about 7 or eight. We were at a local "range". He was shooting his big ol 44mag with the 10"bbl and I was having a ball watching him. Suddenly a bumble bee started flying around. He put down the SBH and grabbed his Ramline 22. He loaded a mag and said "Bet I can hit that bumble bee". Of course the bet was on. No way could he hit that! Bang, Bang Bang! Three shots later he claimed to have got it. Of course I didn't believe him, so we went walking up to where he said it was. Sure enough there was no butt left on him!!! I got to shoot that 44 mag later on....made the day even better.... __________________ HDR Ban!? It's a shame all of my guns sank with my boat last week... Time to catch up.....like mayonnaise

January 25, 2007, 10:34 AM	#9
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Thanks guys...The point of this post is to share your memorable hunts too...Maybe you're a father sharing a memorable hunt w/ your son or daughter, or You are an individual sharing your memories in the field w/ your mom or dad, or both if you are really lucky. Share yours. Thank you everyone for your imput. I'll add some more stories over the comming days. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

January 24, 2007, 04:16 PM	#2
Pops114 Member Join Date: May 30, 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 29	Thanks Kevin. I'm sorry about your dad. Thanks for sharing his favorite story. My dad hasn't hunted in years, but I had the opportunity to hunt with my grandfather for the first time this year. Neither of us shot at anything, but we saw plenty, each wishing the best for the other. Just being in the woods with him made everything about the day seem magical.

January 24, 2007, 10:06 PM	#5
buck460XVR Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2006 Posts: 4,342	castnblast....I hear you bro. My dad passed away last Valentines day from lung cancer at the age of 82. Altho he was quite ill at the time he still went deer hunting the November before. Altho he was an avid fisherman, he only really hunted deer with a passion. Even at 52, I too still remember my first hunt as vividly as if it were yesterday. This year was the first time in 40 years that my dad was not in the woods with me on opening day of deer season. Altho the thrill of hunting with my own sons and brothers keep the sadness in check for most of the day, at the end of the day, after I walked thru the front door and sat down at the kitchen table to take of my boots, I lost it and wept uncontrollably....more so even than at his funeral. Over the years there have been times in the woods when I felt someone else's hand had helped to pull the trigger and some other eyes had spotted the buck first and guided my line of sight to the quarry. This year looking down at the nice 8 pointer I had snuck up to and shot in his bed, not only did I say thanks to the Lord, I had to say thanks to my dad.

January 24, 2007, 10:27 PM	#6
BIGR Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2000 Location: Mountains Posts: 1,385	castnblast, We feel for you. For the ones that still have a father around, we need to spend as much time with them as we can. I have alot of memories of my dad and me going on hunting trips. Like when I was 10 years old and I got a .410 single shot stevens shotgun before Christmas. We went squirrel hunting and I shot my first squirrel out of a tall Popular tree. We did alot of rabbit hunting too. These days I manily deer and bird hunt, but dad he hasn't hunted in 15 years. His job keeps him away from the hunting. I wished he could get back into it because he has gained alot of weight over the years and I worry about his health. That rabbit hunting use to keep him in shape. None of us are granted tomorrow. We should spend as much time with our families as we can.

January 24, 2007, 11:38 PM	#7
Dave Haven Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2000 Location: near Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 790	Sorry to hear about your Dad, castnblast. My most memorable hunt was with my Dad was in '91. He was 69 at the time. It was the first time I'd ever been drawn for elk. He shot his bull on opening morning, and I shot mine the next morning. That was the longest shot I've ever made at a game animal - it was about 350 yards (and a heart shot, at that). We spent the next 4 days carrying the carcasses back to camp on his deer cart. 3 months later, he was in Saint Luke's hospital for an angioplasty to re-open a blocked coronary artery. He had been experiencing shortness of breath for a few months. He could have died happy on that hunt, but it would have been a serious bummer for me. Thanks to modern medicine, he's still around. We just applied for elk again this past weekend. I look forward to more hunting/shooting shooting trips with him.

January 25, 2007, 01:06 AM	#8
Maser Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2006 Location: Mysterious Cities of Gold Posts: 920	Sorry about your dad Kevin. Thanks for sharing his story. The most memorable moments I have spent with my dad have been on the range or in the field. I know I am still young and have plenty of undone hunts and range time with my dad in the future. Also got a 9 month old son of my own and can't wait to pass on our tradition. Probly the most memorable hunt was going elk hunting with my dad and uncle. It was the first and only big game hunt I ever been on. I'm surprised my dad and uncle could put up with me constantly complaining about the coldness. On the 2nd day we managed to locate a decent sized buck. No where near record size, but none the less a great first time buck for me. I remember then sitting down and having the rifle rested on my knee and my dad was behind me to catch me on recoil. It seemed like even though I had a rather sturdy rest, I couldn't keep the crosshair still and whenever I managed to, the buck would take a few more steps as he was grazing. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, I got my shot. It clearly severed the spinal cord and I reloaded and shot it a second time and it dropped for good. The best part was what happened next. Field dressing time! I got soaked with blood and accidently cut the bladder and got deer peepee on me. Fun times! Can;t wait until my boy gets old enough.

January 25, 2007, 12:10 PM	#10
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Good story, C&B, thanks.