At the age of 7, my father taught me about shooting bows. A Navy brat until the age of nine, then a half-dozen years living in the state of my birth – Michigan – I took to the outdoors early and enthusiastically, and never have left. Our family moved to rural Montana when I was 15, and I found heaven on earth for a kid who loved outdoor challenges. I killed my first deer at 18 with a recurve, and fell in love with bowhunting.
For 40 years now I have taken to the woods and prairies with traditional equipment, most of those years with gear I have built myself. As a woodworker, I began building my own bows in the late eighties, and have taken multiple species and hundreds of animals with them.
Over the decades, life has lead me into roles as diverse as carpenter to musician, from hunting and fishing guide to museum director, and most importantly from husband and father to mentor.
I have served as board member and President for two terms each of the Montana Bowhunters Association, the Traditional Bowhunters of Montana; spent 18 years as a Bow-Ed Instructor; delved into the National Political Bowhunting scene where folks cared to listen; and been honored to travel the “circuit” of bowhunting banquets as a speaker and entertainer. I have authored one book – “Tension on the String” – and produced two CD’s of “Bowhunting” music, written dozens of articles and by-lines. To put it bluntly, “bowhunting is our family’s life” for the most part….and I am grateful to have been asked to contribute to this blog.