Grandpa's old rifle.

[edmehlig]

Goosebumps!!!!!!!!!!, thinking of Grandpa's old shotgun. AWSOME REPORT

Ditto!!

 

[CatamountRob]

That’s a great story. I have a fondness for old guns and obsolete cartridges. Somewhere above your ancestors are smiling. The best guns are those with family history.

 

[ENCORE50A]

 

[wildcat2]

Wonderful read, when I see and handle guns of freinds and folks, the one that is said it was dad's or gramps favorite are the ones I like to see. Very special to take game or even shoot them. I have to many to list of my own that are now down to the fifth generation. Thanks for sharing .

 

[JIMYJAC]

I have always said a lot of love ones and things we lose in life but memories we keep. Cherish them! Thank you

 

[Cobweb]

That's a great story! Cherish the memories and pass them on down.

 

[BIGBEAR]

Wow , that story hit home , as I had the same experience with my grand father. Thru my teary eyes , I can still see my grandfather and the old Winchester 1895 .. all my parents and grandparents are gone now , but I own that old 95 . I shot my first buck with that rifle when I was 14 years old . Thank you for bringing back those memories!!

 

[Dave James]

That warms my heart, I still remember my very first shooting lesson with my Great-Grandfather, who was a Civil War vet, I was 6 years old and he was a 103, I sat in his lap and he wrap my and his hands around the Colt 44, and we shot pop bottles. He lived to 106, and I miss every summer that I had with him

 

[DESPERATE LEE]

Before my dad passed away he gave me a choice of his firearms. He said take whichever one you want. I said "I'll take them all". To be fair to my siblings they all took something. I took his 303 modified British Enfield that was his hunting rig, I took his Smith & Wesson 1000 12 gauge auto, I also took the prize of them all, his 1921 Winchester 1894 SRC in 30/30. I had Bob's Leather in N.C. make me a butt stock cover and a leather wrap for the lever. The butt stock cover holds 8 shells, has my fathers initials WRW, and his birth year and his last year. Nice work. Worth the modest $150.00 he charged me. It will be passed on to the grandson who shows an interest in its heritage. Till then I have a few more deer to take with it.
DL

 

[ENCORE50A]

Another true story. Written 2006.

DAD'S BIG BUCK

DAD WAS BORN IN 1919 AND GREW UP WHEN TIMES WERE HARD IN RURAL INGHAM COUNTY, ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF LESLIE.
DAD TOLD OF HIS GROWING UP ON "THE FARM" AND ABOUT HUNTING AND TRAPPING AS A YOUNG BOY. HE TOLD ME HOW HE CAUGHT SPARROWS FROM HAY MOUNDS AND COLLECTED THE BOUNTY WHICH HE USED TO BUY BOXES OF .22 SHELLS, AND THAT HE TRAPPED MUSKRATS, MINK AND EVEN SKUNK. HE BOUGHT EVERYTHING FROM MONEY HE EARNED TRAPPING, EVEN HIS FIRST CAR WHICH HE CALLED A "FLIVER".
BOTTOM LINE, DAD GREW UP HUNTING, FISHING AND TRAPPING. HE WAS AN EXPERT SHOT AT RUNNING OR FLYING GAME AND WAS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS TRACKING ABILITIES.

THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE THAT AT MIDDLE AGE, MY AGE, CAN REMEMBER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WERE 5 YEARS OLD. UNLESS, THEY WERE MEANT TO LAST A LIFETIME. THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER AND HOW DAD TOLD IT.

NOVEMBER 15, 1957, OPENING DAY. DAD WAS WORKING WITH HIS DAD ON A CONSTRUCTION JOB NEAR PLEASANT LAKE. THE JOB WAS URGENT AND DAD HAD TO MISS OPENING MORNING. IN THE AFTERNOON GRANDDAD HAD HAD ENOUGH, STATING THAT DAD WASN'T INTO THE JOB SO HE MIGHT AS WELL PICK UP THE TOOLS AND GO HUNTING.

I REMEMBER DAD COMING HOME AND GETTING READY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS OF HUNTING. I EVEN TRIED TO GET HIM TO LET ME GO. AS HE WALKED OUT THE BACKYARD I REMEMBER HIM SAYING TO ME "YOUR TIME WILL COME". I PLAYED IN THE YARD WAITING FOR HIS RETURN.

I REMEMBER HEARING THE SHOTS AND THINKING "THAT'S MY DAD". I CAN STILL SEE DAD WALKING DOWN THE ROAD BACK TOWARDS THE HOUSE. AS I RAN TO THE EDGE OF THE YARD I STILL REMEMBER ASKING "DID YA GET HIM DAD?". "YUP" HE SAID AND WENT TO GET THE TRACTOR.

DAD SHOT THE BUCK ON THE NEIGHBORS PROPERTY AND ASKED CARL TO HELP HIM WITH THE DEER. CARL AGREED AND LEFT WITH DAD ON THE TRACTOR. DAD USED TO TELL THE STORY ABOUT HOW AS THEY WERE APPROACHING THE DEER IN THE PASTURE THAT CARL THOUGHT HE HAD SHOT ONE OF HIS JERSEY COWS.

DAD'S DEER ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION. NO ONE HAD EVER SEEN SUCH A LARGE DEER WITH A RACK THAT LARGE IN THE AREA. THE NEXT DAY DAD TOOK THE BUCK TO THE MEAT LOCKER IN RIVES JUNCTION. THE BUCK WAS WEIGHED AND THE WEIGHT WITNESSED BY CONSERVATION OFFICER BAILEY. THE DEER WEIGHED 289 1/2 POUNDS AND HAD A MONSTER 10 POINT RACK. EVERYONE WHO HEARD OF THE BUCK WANTED TO SEE THE RACK AND DAD LOVED TO TELL THE STORY OF HIS BIG BUCK, BUT HE REFUSED AN INVITATION TO APPEAR ON MICHIGAN OUTDOORS FROM MORT NEFF.

UNTIL DAD'S DEATH IN 1991 HE TOLD THE SAME STORY TO ANYONE WHO WOULD ASK, ALWAYS FINISHING WITH "BIGGEST BUCK EVER KILLED IN INGHAM COUNTY".

I SUPPOSE DAD ALWAYS KNEW, BUT THE RACK HAD NEVER BEEN SCORED. IN 1995 I WAS TO HAVE ONE OF MY OWN BUCKS SCORED. AT THE URGING OF A TAXIDERMIST FRIEND, TIM CHARBONNEAU FROM ELLSWORTH, I HAD DAD'S RACK SCORED. ON FEB. 6, 1995 COMMERATIVE BUCKS REGION 3 DIRECTOR RANDY RHOADS SCORED DAD'S BUCK. AFTER 38 YEARS OF DRYING ABOVE THE FIREPLACE THE RACK SCORED 161 2/8 B&C NET POINTS. DAD'S BUCK HAD INDEED BEEN THE LARGEST BUCK EVER SHOT IN INGHAM COUNTY.

RANDY CHECKED THE RECORDS AND NOTED THAT ANOTHER BUCK SCORING 161 2/8 HAD BEEN HARVESTED IN 1989, AND THAT A NEW RECORD WAS TAKEN IN 1995. I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THOSE HUNTERS.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT DAD'S BUCK WOULD HAVE SCORED 38 YEARS AGO. DAD WILL NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT THE BUCK DID SCORE. BUT TO DAD, IT HAD BEEN THE "BIGGEST BUCK EVER KILLED IN INGHAM COUNTY".