Well guys, it was a great night of hunting but a hard one for me last night. Sorry if this gets long winded.

My grandfather, whom I was really, really, close to passed away on August 26, 2002. It was the worst day of my life, so far. I can't count the number of times I spent hunting, fishing, or riding around on the pontoon with him at the cabin. He was truly a great man. He loved life and man, did he live it to the fullest. I don't think there was anyone he ever met that he didn't care for. He was an honest man, and a man of the lord. He put others first and then himself. Family meant everything to him and could cheer up anyone on any given day. Thats why it was amazing that our family didn't fall apart after he passed. He was the knot that kept us together. December 5th would have been his 66th birthday.

Due to a test in college on the 5th, I couldn't get into the woods until the 7th. As I gathered my things, and walked through the snow on my way to my stand, I stopped. I was going to the first stand location him and I ever built a stand, something wasn't right. I felt as if I was forgetting something, and it hit me. I turned around on a mission back to my house. I walked up the steps to my bedroom and grabbed a ring. My dad and he went on an elk hunting trip not long before he passed, and they made matching rings from teeth. My grandma thought he would have wanted me to have it. I slipped on the ring and my trip felt complete. I arived at my stand.

All the timestanding on my portable,I was thinking about all the great times I shared with my grandpa, and caught myself getting a little choked up as I glanced down at the small wooden stand, now rotting away, that he and I put up.

Thats when I saw it. A red cardinal flying through the woods. My grandpa absolutly LOVED cardinals. I know that was a sign from him. I watched the bird the rest of the night. It was simply amazing.

I only saw one deer, a button buck that I elected on passing. But this was truly the BEST day I've ever been hunting in my entire life. Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post. And if you are on who believes in prayer, if you could, please send one upstairs for my grandpa. Thanks.

Kyle