WANTED: Hunting "sparks"

[heelerau]

Mate, we are fine where we are in the West. The main highway between Western Australia and the eastern states is currently cut on the Nullabor Plain. Hundreds of transports parked up at Balladura. Over east it is a war zone down the east coast, it won't be over till the Winter rains set in. I am surprised we have not lost hundreds of people. We have plenty of US and Canadian and New Zealand fire fighters helping, plus a couple of US 747 water bombers. We need a squadron of those big suckers ! We are just lucky at the moment, as it is currently quite cool where we are, but still a couple of months to go yet, fingers crossed.
Ron, chin up ! Getting old is not for the faint hearted. I too am paying for wrecks off horses, and to much wieght on !
My late father in law at 87 had a shoulder rebuilt, and after his diligent excesize regimen got back to playing his beloved golf competitively till he finally quit at 97 ! He to just got on with it and surprised the heck out of his surgeon.

 

[user 23626]

I began hunting later in life than most. My father worked at least 6 days a week with many 10 hour or more days. All he could think about during his time off was resting.
During my first year at college, a buddy took me dove hunting on a rural, Pennsylvania farm. He handed me a Harrington and Richardson 20 ga, single shot shotgun and off we went. I was hooked. I bought that H&R from him about 10 years later and still have it.
After getting married, my wife and I moved to a farm/ranch outside Charlottesville, VA. We became friends with local, rural folks and my Virginia hunting began (turkey and deer). When we moved to Colorado late in 1985, I found that the scheduling for my new career kept me very busy during hunting seasons. International travel restricted my hunting at home even further. However, my yearly visits to South Africa opened up opportunities to hunt African game. The parents of several of my students owned hunting preserves.
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I don't want this to come out as moaning and groaning and complaining, but...I had planned extensive hunting and nature observation for my retirement. Rupturing my quadriceps tendon (twice) and an aortic valve replacement surgery with 7 1/2 hours on a heart-lung machine put a stop to my hunting plans. I set goals for when I would be able to hike again, but the time element of those goals turned out to be unrealistic. Still, I am trying. Right now, I am in a walking rehabilitation program, with visits to the rehab facility twice a week. I am very motivated and determined to walk properly again. We shall see how it comes out after the program ends in February.

My prayers are with you brother. I'm blessed with fairly good health for 74 yrs young. Arthritis once in a while in my knee and a well earned BEER belly. I feel for you not getting outside and doing what you want to do..HANG IN THERE!

 

[RonRC]

This is a South African Kudo from near the Karoo desert. It is about 4 years old and definitely NOT a trophy size, but it made great meat for the local village as well as fine biltong (like beef jerky) for us.

 

[Hanshi]

Awesome, Ron!

 

[Buck Conner1]

I have been asked about shooting this animal many times. The only reason was I was asked to put this guy down by the Colorado State Patrol to possibly prevent him from causing an accident on I-70. Back then dart guns were far and few, no options and I still wish it had not happened.

 

[Winter Hawk]

Hang in there, Ron! Give the doctors something to talk about when they give you a clean bill of health. And, as my Dad used to say, keep you tail up!

~WH~