WORRIED

[jdcd8]

Folks i am 21 years old and have been hunting since i was 5 or 6 it is what I eat breath and sleep hunting. My dad never would duck hunt he had a couple of buddies drown while doin it. But we always deer dove and turkey hunted toghther. Well he had a stroke about four years ago. well it has taken its time but it has finally caught up with him his eyesight has been detorating ever since the stroke. He told me today he had to give hunting up because of his eyesight i thought he was just picking and kracked off a joke saying yea old man u just scared i am gonna out shoot ya and you want a good excuse. well i realized he wasn't playing when a tear rolled down his cheek. I have been hunting with my dad all my life and i dont know what being in the dove field or deer woods without him will be like. I just thank god that he is still around to share with me some of the memories we have made. i just ask for all of your prayers for me and for him as this will be the hardest hunting season he or I have ever gone through thanks for the prayers in advance

[tupe]

G R,
My heart goes out to you. I am in a very similar situation. My father has had a couple of strokes over the last three years and is in no shape to hunt any more. Our problem is that he still thinks he should be able to. He can't even push himself around in his wheel chair and is in no way jokeing when he talks about one of us kids buying him a Mule or Pug so he can hunt this year.
Man it breaks my heart to have to be the one to tell him its not going to happen, but at the same time I was taught, by him, that saftey is #1. He simply does not have the strength or reflexes to hunt anymore, much less the eyesight or hearing. It is always hard to see our heroes come down. I will be thinking of you throughout the season, but be glad that at least he made the choice himself. I am my fathers youngest son (31) and I sit up nights worrying about what will happen this fall when we have to sit him down and have the talk with him.
We'll all make it though but it won't be easy.
Hang in their,
M.B.

[Glenn]

Hang is there GH Rocker. Time will heal itself. Good luck to ya. We will be thinking of you this season.

Glenn

[BirdDawgHunter]

I'm in the same boat with you guys. My dad has been just healthy enough (he's 78 this year) to go for the last two years. He has been losing his short-term memory on and off, mostly due to medication for heart and arteries. Two years ago he took my dogs out for a run right before quail season opened, and he brought them back and put them in the yard at the vacant house two lots down in our neighborhood. He couldn't figure out how to latch the gate, they got out, and I left work at noon to look for them (finally turned up 3-4 hours later). My biggest fear that whole season was that he was going to try and go out by himself again, so I made sure that I took him every weekend and Christmas vacation day that he wanted to go. Luckily that was enough for him. Last year was the same, but he's able to walk less and less. He gets tired after about 30 minutes, he can't see the birds, and he can't get his gun up to get off a shot, but he generally wants to know what time I'm coming by the next day.

The best thing that happened during turkey season this year (as bad as it sounds) was that he completely lost his equilibrium a couple of times and fell over backwards. We were less than 75 yards from the truck, and I had to practically carry him back. It made him realize that he couldn't go by himself anymore, which is something I had been hinting at without actually coming right out and telling him not to go. Once again I continued to take him with me every weekend, even though I had to let a couple of turkeys travel off knowing we'd never keep up.

It's hard watching the man who taught you so much gradually lose his abilities. I'm not sure what will happen this year. He's already talking about not going at all, which is probably best, but I'm sure he'll at least want to go opening day.

Sorry to ramble on, but you really struck a chord.

[Welldoggie]

GHR,
Very sorry to hear about your father. Aging of your favorite people in the world is no picnic. It does, however, provide prospective to the things we fret about on a daily basis (as not being such a big deal). It makes you think about appreciating the time you have left to spend with them. I lost my dad to a heart attack in 1989.

I appreciate my dad teaching me how to hunt and am teaching my boys now. He loved any chance to hunt. I went just to hang out...then realized I got the fever and can't stand to miss it now.

Good luck weathering that storm. We'll be thinking about you.

[judge jb]

hey Greenhead Rocker, as a fellow gaining years, i realize that hard hunting is becoming a thing of the past... and i realize that one day i will not be able to do the thing i love best... but the greatest gleem in my eye will come from my youngin enjoying it most... don't shed tears for us, just carry on and enjoy.... i lost my dad some 14 years ago, and he is still a part of every hunt.... too miss a huntin partner is OK.... just because they mean so much to you... every thing will be fine... take care my friend.....

judge jb