When my son was little he loved to shoot bows and I took him everywhere. He's just now coming back to it after losing him to cars and girls for a while.

This was his very first game. Taken with his longbow and a little broadhead I made him.

This quail ran up a little ditch in front of Theodore and stopped about 10 feet away. He drilled him!! Still makes me misty thinkin bout it!

Good stuff Charlie    thank you

For a while I had a monthly column in this magazine. Got the cover photo this month.

Nice pic of you and your son Charlie! I'am just getting started with my son Luke, he is only 2 1/2 and already loves shooting his bow. When he see's me with my bow he always asks if he can shoot too.  :D   We shoot everyday in the backyard, and on the weekends when we go camping.
 Thanks!!.............Raven      

Here's one of my favorite photos of all. Theodore drawing down on a frog...

Theo and I went camping and frog hunting with a bunch of buddies. The first day when we came into camp (we were day hunting them) Theodore had his limit of 8 as did I. Some of the other guys had 4 or 5 apiece. I was bustin at the seams.
I always taught him to concentrate, use good form and there are no limitations to what you can do with the bow.

Charlie , I have to tell ya , I love that one too, and I love reading that frog story to my son, many thanks!!!Marco#78

I am loving every bit of this!

Killdeer~there is no icon that portrays the grin I have on my face!  

This is what I call my snowstorm buck. One afternoon near my camp in Michigans U.P. I was sitting near a  scrape on a typical late fall day. I had been watching this scape for several days hoping to catch the buck that made it when he came in to check it.

About an hour before dark it started to snow, light at first but soon it was coming down so hard you couldn't see 30yd's. At this point the ground was bare but the snow was coming so heavy it soon covered the ground. I was about to head in because I thought the deer wouldn't be moving in this storm when I saw him coming through the white screen like a ghost out of the fog or in this case snow.

I barely had time to get ready and put an arrow on the string of my 72# osage selfbow. As he circled the scrape to get downwind I sent a cedar shaft tipped with one of Glenn Parkers big two blade broadheads. The shot took him in the neck and he went down thrashing. I was elated for just a few seconds and then much to my surprise he was up and running. He headed down hill towards the "ArmStrong Creek" and I heard him splash as he crossed into the heavy cedar swamp.

I took up the trail right away because I thought I'd lose it in the heavy snow if I waited. He was leaving a pretty good trail in the snow but after I got across the ArmStrong  into the dark swamp there was no snow on the ground yet and the trail was hard to follow. With my flashlight and on my hands and knees I picked up his trai and slowly followed deeper into the swamp.

After losing the trail several times then finding it again I finely came onto him well after dark. Having no rope and too far from camp to drag him out that night, I dressed him and hung him off the ground the best that I could with my bowstring. As it turned out if I hadn't hung him off the ground that night he would have been buried in the snow and I may not have found him.

I got back to camp at 11:00pm that night as it continued to snow very hard. There was no one to greet me as I was camping alone. I crawled into my sleeping bag not realizing what was in store for me the next day.

When I stepped outside the next morning I couldn't believe the amount of snow that had accumulated during the night. A foot and a half of the fluffy white stuff lay on the ground. I thought, how in the world am I going to get my deer out of that swamp, and am I even going to be able to find him.

I knew there was a fellow bowhunter camped a mile or so from me and he had a canoe. I thought if he would let me borrow his canoe I could float down the "ArmStrong Creek" and get close to my buck. I pushed snow with the bumper of my 4x4 to the fellows camp and found him snuggled by the fire  enjoying a cup of coffee.

It ended up the fellow offered to go with me and help. I gladly accepted his offer and luckly we remembered to bring a camera. Here is the results.

     

       

       

Great story! I could read this stuff all day! But, I'am heading out to go camping with my familey and make some memories of my own.    Keep them coming, I'll be checking back monday eve.    Everyone have a safe weekend!!.............Raven

A lot of guys don't think of me as a longbow guy. Now that you've seen a few pics?

It goes way back for me. This is a longbow I made around 1964. What a club!!

 

An old friend owned a licenced shooting area and we'd often hunt the birds the guns didn't clean up...usually the ones that were prone to run. Lots of fast action on chukar and quail with a bunny to sweeten the pot.

1969... just returned from the tropics. Shootin ground squirrels is good stress relief.

Then the years went by and they invented color film... who'd a thunk it!!

I have a passion for photos of fall colors. The trouble is I don't seem to ever bring out the real look or feel of the moment.

I thought this cover would be brighter...

Sometimes the best part of huntin is not huntin at all. A nap in the woods is more than relaxing..

This Red squirrel (Pine squirrel) got lodged up in the tree after I shot him.

Shot this antelope from the top of the hay bales in the background. It was the first of many "goats" and an affair with hunting them!

You had to be there!
                                                 

1970 the Mississippi river got out in the bottoms in St. Louis county. I think there is a strip mall in this spot now... hmmmm!!!