Shrewhaven 2022 our first year without Ron(article added pg2/video of 3)

[double eagle]

You know you are in the UP when you see all the Stormy Kromers worn.  Great area and photos.

[rastaman]

Awesome pics Ray!  Thanks for carrying on the tradition and keeping the memory of Ron alive .  Beautiful country and a fine looking group of fellows!

[Terry Green]

MANY MANY Thanks Ray for posting this.  This hunt has been a staple here for almost 2 decades.

I sure miss 'coffee with Ron' every morning here. 

[Ray Lyon]

MANY MANY Thanks Ray for posting this.  This hunt has been a staple here for almost 2 decades.

I sure miss 'coffee with Ron' every morning here. 

Terry,
Ron loved chatting with you and of course always bragged about the cigars he got from you!! We're hoping we can carry on the camp tradition and whether it is at Shrewhaven or something similar Ron's influences will certainly be present.  At Ron's memorial shoot at the Great Lakes Longbow Invitational (which Ron founded), I mentioned to the small crowd that one of the biggest things Ron taught our group was having a camp to build tradition and make memories.  It is nice to have a place like Shrewhaven, no doubt, but I've seen other hunts like the Tradgang pig hunts in Texas or some of the regional PBS public land bow hunts that have been organized.  The Shrewhaven guys have our own group text chat and we're chatting about things and sharing accomplishments year round.  Those friendships are what camp is all about.

Thank you all for the kind words.  It's been an honor to be a part of this thread over the years.  I feel blessed.

[woodchucker]

Ray,

I talked with Ron when he was layed up after his foot surgery...
We talked about getting older, and it being tuffer for me to climb the mountain.
I told him that I'm offered a ride up, but it just doesn't "feel" the same....

Ron told me, "Take the ride Chuck. We do what we gotta do, to do what we gotta do"

I'm sure Ron is watching, and proud of you guys, for "Carrying On" the tradition....

[MSU]

Very nice thread, congratulations on another sucessful season.

[Roger Norris]

You read my mind Ray....as I was driving down I was thinking about the wolves and Ron...he would have liked to see them this year.

I literally saw more wolves from the treestand than deer. Ray and I kinda split up Banana Ridge, and this year I saw no scrapes, no deer, and plenty of wolves. One of the things though...most years Banana Ridge is covered in acorns. This year they were minimal. So it might not have been entirely the wolves fault.

I slept in a tent this year, just so I had more room for gear. It was super comfortable....the coldest night was 17 degrees and it was cozy in my 3 man tent. I did hear the wolves rallying over a kill Tuesday night, it was Wednesday morning I found the wolf kill very close to my stand spot.

I use a Beast Gear stand, and move every other sit or so...often not far, but enough to keep them guessing and capitalize on sightings or sign. So that day I moved quite aways, actually very (too close) close to the cabin. My theory was that the deer might be closer to the cabin because the wolves weren't . I was right, and started seeing deer, but ran out of time.

It was a great camp, time spent with great friends. Ron LaClair was the topic of conversation most of the time. Lots of laughs, with a little sad thrown in. We have all said goodbye to Ron in our own ways, but being together at camp kinda sealed it up. Vaya Con Dios Lobo.....

[Ray Lyon]

I slept in Lobo's Lair with Greg Nicolaou, the small cabin with the front porch that was added to camp a few years after we moved the cabin to the property.  The Lair gave Ron a little more room for his gear and handicap access with the ramp and covered porch.  Greg had to leave a day early and Roger moved in to the Lair with me so he could break down the tent and have it packed before the morning departure.  I will say Roger is like a church mouse roommate after Greg.  We nicknamed Ron 'sleeps like thunder' during the early 1990's camps.  Well, either the ghost of Ron was present or we have Thunder Jr. now.   

[Roger Norris]

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[MGH]

This is definitely what it is all about!  I realize this more and more as I get older.  It's not about the inches of antler or tagging out every year, it's about the memories of those who came before us, and those who will spin tales after we are gone. 

[STICKBENDER98]

So happy to see this thread and read it!!!  I have been waiting for it, I just got back from a mini hunt at my best friends cabin in Ohio that I helped him build in 2020. So glad you all can keep the tradition going for Ron!! The memories made then and now will be cherished by you all for years to come. I have read this thread for years but this question has never really hit me until now, after reading through everything and looking at all the pictures, I got to wondering what brought you all together as The Shrewhaven crew?  How did you all become part of this legacy? I am really curious about how you all met Ron, and became part of his hunting camp.  I think there is a really good story behind the scenes here.



Jason

[Ray Lyon]

Jason,
I just did an article for Compton's Traditional Bowhunter that was in the last quarterly magazine that outlined some of the history. Also, I penned a couple of articles for Traditional Bowhunter Magazine (one about ten years ago and one about two years ago about the history of the camp). 

Ray

[cacciatore]

Thanks Ray for keeping alive Ron's cabin stories. For sure everyone here is missing Ron that I consider one of the icons of our sport. Keep the tradition alive.

[Ray Lyon]

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Thought maybe this would be helpful to some. Hopefully the pictures are clear enough.  This is from the fall Compton's member's magazine.

[Roger Norris]

I realized kind of a sad thing as we were discussing last years season. Ron was in pretty weak shape, and I was avoiding the conversation about driving him to camp. I didn't think he should go...but as I was thoroughly enjoying the bear season at ShrewHaven (with my son) I felt guilty, drove to town, and called Ron. I told him if all that was holding him back was a ride, I would drive him. I told him to discuss it with his kids, and his Doctor, but I would drive him up if he felt like it would be ok.

The ride up was fine. I could tell he was weaker than normal, but he was otherwise the same old Ron. When we arrived in camp, everyone was out hunting. Ron settled in while I unloaded gear. He had a new bow and arrow combination he wanted to try out, so I set up his stool on the porch of Lobos's Lair and he shot 3 arrows. I thought that drawing the bow was too much for him. I noticed an immediate change to his demeanor.

It all went kinda sideways from there, and I ended up driving him home 2 days later. His son met me, and Ron's health really fell off from there. I have always felt guilty about driving him up....I think it was all too much for him.

Which is a long story to say that I believe that I retrieved Rons last 3 arrows. I don't say that as a brag, but just a sad note to our last camp with Ron.  I hope I am wrong, but I don't think he was able to shoot after that. He did recover enough to go turkey hunting in the spring with his double barrel.

Sledge

[Terry Green]

You bet Ray.  I'm still here reading and reminiscing, and I flipped your pics for you above.

Thanks to all that are posting here, please bring more, stories, laughter, and even sad. 

After paying for Tradgang myself for over two years, and after the 3rd server update we had to move to our own server - a Super Server - that couldn't be shared with anyone else. The fees were just too high with a wife and two girls to raise for me to keep financing it.  So, we had to incorporate a Sponsorship program and Ron call me immediately upon my post requesting for said and asked 'Where do I send the Money'.  Same thing when we incorporated banners, he was the 1st.  So, its also sad that there is no Shrew Sponsorship here nor a banner any longer.

But as we all know, Ron is not, was not, nor will ever be defined just by his bow line.

I have to run, but I'll come back and chat a bit about meeting him at his shop years ago in Potterville.

Again, thanks to all for posting as Ron was definitely a corner stone here. 

[blacktailchaser]

MAN.it would be an honor to be part of this..thanks for sharing...

[Captain*Kirk]

The longer this thread gets, the better it gets. So far this is the best tribute I think you guys could give Ron. Kudos!

[STICKBENDER98]

Ray, thank you so much for posting the pictures of the article, it was very interesting to read it. There's nothing better than a warm cabin full of friends, family and laughs!!!  I was looking back in some of my pictures for these, I'm sure I have posted them before but want to share them again.


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My oldest daughter with her Siberian Tiger Shrew, if my memory serves me right Ron told me it was the second one sold at the Expo in Kalamazoo the year they came out.  The funny part to this story is, I had shot the bow, and was talking with Ron about it, and Erica asked to go shoot it, came back as I was still talking with Ron, and said "I want it!!" he looked at me and started laughing and said "I thought you were buying it" as she was laying $100.00 bills in his hand.  He was still laughing that summer at Elm Hall when we stopped to chat with him.


Jason

[Gun]

Always loved the pix of everyone sitting around inside the cabin under lantern light. I was hoping to do something similar after I first moved to Alberta w a friends Bear Camp. Then the Outfitters and Guides got organized.