Farewell to a great hunter/outdoorsman

[IDhunter]

I thought this would be the appropriate place to say goodbye to the greatest hunter I have ever known. My grandfather passed away last week at the age of 88. He was an avid outdoorsman and helped map many of Idaho's wilderness areas. He loved a place called ship island and has many of old movies of packing trips to there and many other areas of Idaho and wyoming in the early to mid 1900's. Unfortunate for me was the fact that by the time I came to live in Idaho he was too old to take these trips and I have yet to make it to the areas he traveled. I was never able to find a picture of anywhere in Idaho that he could not tell me what was behind the cameraman, he traveled the state that much, he knew it like the back of his hand. One of the best memories I have with him is when I talked him into going scouting with me. I took him to where he didn't have to walk far and then I set up a spotting scope, He had never seen one and when I spotted some nice bull elk feeding at the top of the mountain he was astonished that you could see them as well as you could through it. Needless to say I didn't get to look through the scope much that morning. When he was 19 there were no deer in southeast Idaho, he rode in the back of a 2 1/2 ton grain truck from Downey Idaho to the salmon mountain range to hunt deer for the 1st time and didn't miss a season again till he was over 80. He killed the biggest bull elk I have seen when he was 60 in the grays lake area and the antlers are still hanging on the wall at his house. I now live 4 blocks from his house and 3 miles from the farm his father homesteaded and have been able to spend the last several years hearing of all his adventures. I only wish I would have had a tape player so my children could hear of the history he could tell of Idaho. I will never forget his stories and will think of him every time I go deer hunting because I hunt the mountains right above the old fallen down cabin where he was born. To him I say Goodbye, And wish him many more adventures wherever he is now.
IDhunter

 

[RACKMASTER]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-04-04 AT 11:50PM (MST)[p]YOU OR WE MISS THEM (FAMLIY AND FRIENDS WHEN THEIR GONE)!
SORRY TO HEAR HES GONE FOR YOU! LIFE GOES ON!HOWEVER HE WILL ALWAY PUT A WARM FEELING IN YOUR HEART! EVEN MORE SO WHEN YOUR HUNTING! I feel like my gramps is in my soul when hunting! Its spirtual!
JACK

 

[huntsonora]

Sounds like a great man! If we all could be so lucky to have a mentor such as him...

Drum

 

[remsal]

You can be assured he will be right there with you every step of the way. Don't be surprised if you feel a slight tug on your spotting scope from time to time. Take car, God bless.

 

[Lv2hnt]

We all feel your loss (so great you had all those moments with him the last few years)! My dad wasn't an outdoorsman as I grew up; it was my granddad (man, how awesome it'd be if he was still with us!) who lit the fire for hunting and fishing that burns so intensely within my being. Thanks again for sharing your special relationship --- you'll take his memory along with you every time you head for the hills ...

Lv2hnt

 

[bigtines]

Sorry about your Grandad- it was good you got to take him scouting - sounds like his legend will live on through you

BT

 

[Muley62]

I lost my dad to cancer this past Feb. and I still have a hard time accepting the fact that I won't be able to call him after each hunt and tell him the stories. My dad was not a great hunter our outdoorsman but he hung on every word of my stories, always encouraged me as a boy and and showed all my pictures to his buddies. Though I may not have the oppurtunity to tell him about my hunts he gets to watch them live!

Keep his legacy alive!

 

[NVBighorn]

My thoughts are with you. I lost both my father and mother in the last five months so I know the void you are feeling. Be glad you got to share time with him. He sounds like a truly fascinating person. He was obviously a positive influence in your life. You really should write down the stories and history he told as best as you can remember them. Your kids and grandkids will thank you.