I'm not obviously going to try to win my own items, but I figured it was only fair that I give you guys my story.

The biggest influence in my hunting and fishing lifestyle comes from my grandfather. Ever since I can remember he's taken my cousin Greg and I out fishing on Lake Erie for Walleye's. At age 12 he bought me my first deer rifle. It was a Savage 30-30 bolt action with a Weaver 4X scope. It was used by a friend of his Phil's wife for a few years and was mint. Hehad me get my hunters education course the summer before my 12th year, so I could hunt that winter. He taught me how to pull the rifle to my shoulder and find my target in the scope without losing the target. He taught me how to sight in my rifle and how to shoot it for 1 1/2 groups consistently at 100 yards. Hitting a pie plate at 100 yards wasn't good enough. "We owe it to the deer to make clean kills" he'd say.

Thedrive we'd make to Ridgway evey year would teach me alot too. I'd listen to those deer hunting stories of his year after year on those trips. I think I can tell them as good as he can now. I never got tired of hearing them. I could tell by the passion in which he spoke of those times that they were very special to him. He loved to hunt deer in the big woods. It came out in every story he told.There were a few things about PaPa that make me laugh when thinking back on those trips. How he and my dad would get Charlie Horses in their legs on the long ride back to Erie after a long days hunting. We'd have to stop and strech and Greg and I would laugh because they looked like a couple cowboys who just got off a horse hobblingaround in a parking lot of some resturaunt on the way home.

The up side was we always ate well coming home. There was something special about stopping at those strange resturaunts along the way too. Seeing all those other hunters and overhearing their stories of the day was exciting for me. I also learned from my Grandfather how to try and be the best person I could be. Be honest, obey game laws, be respectful to others and to love God.Being aPastor in a Nazarene Church for most of his life, he gave me strength in troubled times. He never pushed me into religion like you'd think mostPastors would of their Grandchildren, but accepted my decisions with a little guidance along the way.

Well grandpa has since retired from deer hunting. At 84 years old it's hard to make those trips to Ridgway at 2:00 in the morning. He has since returned to fishing the waters of Pennsylvania for Walleye's and sometimes Yellow Perch.He needs help now doing some of the things he used to do himself and Greg and I will be there for him now.

If I could tell him one thing today. It would be that I love him for who he is and what he's done for me in my life. He's been a wonderful teacher of both how to hunt and fish.I'd tell him Thank You for being both my Grandfather and filling in wonderfully as my Father too. And thanks for all the loans I never had to fully repay.As if I ever could!

Thanks PaPa! Love Ya!

Alright guys and gals. You mean to tell me you can't think of 150 words to describe what one person in your life did to help you become the hunter you are today? This would be a great time to make your tribute to that person and show your appreciation.

Give it a shot! I know you can do it. He y Rob your allowed to post too, but I can't send you any prizes

I have to say I read my short explanation to Mr. Java last night and it brought a tear to his 'hard-@ss' eyes... Made him mushy for a second..

OK I'm going to sweeten the pot here. I'm going to add a 3 a pack of NAP HellRazor 100 grainbroadheads to the winner. Here's how it will work. The chosen winner of this contest will get to choose either the broadheads or the Scent Blocker items. A runner up or second place will get the item/items not chosen by the winner.






Come on you people post hundreds even thousands of things and you can't come up with a 150 word thank you to your mentor?

I do not have one person that steps out from the rest. But I would have to say my dad. He does not hunt but tryes to hold some amount of interest the sport.

I started hunting when I was a kid about 14. On my birthday my dad bought me a bear bow. I had never hunted never even shot a bow.

My grandparents on my dad’s side took me to my uncle's house. Who was a life long hunter? He helped me get my bow readyand I started shooting every chance I got. I was working myup to the weight I had to be at to hunt.

When we where on a fishing trip I took my bow to shoot over the weekend.
When I got home I found out it had been left at the camp ground hanging on a tree.

I did not get to hunt until the year I turned 18which was four years ago

My parents split up for a year or so and me and my dad moved to KY And as a birthday gift on my 18th birthday he bought me a 30.30 lever action.
And when hunting season rolled around. With little interest in hunting. He went in out in 20 degree weather. We me for my and his first hunt ever.

We did not kill anything but I will never forget that day. Two rookie hunters who know close to nothing about deer hunting. walking around the woods in blue jeans with bright orange vest on .The second day I went out alone and whenI shot a deerand drove down a dirt road that turned into a of road dozer track and got my truck stuck and I walked 2 miles back home. And got a ride the rest of the way. When I got home I waited for him. And at midnight he went out with me to get my deer and truck.
Which the deer had been stolen by the guy that gave me a ride. I was total crushed. First I lost my bow then I loss my first deer. He was there to pick me up and help me get back out there. And for Xmas two years ago he bought me a reflex bow and everything I need over 600 dollars in hunting stuff.And with this being my first year bow hunting I owe it all tohim. He has neverbeen into hunting to much. But has done everything he could to help me and keep me into it. And I would love to give him that scent blocker shirt since it is his size. I am a big guy and weighed 450 poundsand now I weight 375 pounds and it was him that got me into the outdoors fishing hiking just all around. And it was him who keep me scouting and hiking even last year when I was unable to hunt.

When this question was posed, it really made me think. There are so many people who have helped me throughout the years a few quick ones come to mind, my grandfather(rip, I miss you more than you'll ever know), my uncle, even the late Fred Bear, his books really inspired me. But, as the list goes on, the biggest influence in, not only my hunting career, but as well as in life, has been my father.
My dad is a hard working man, but he has never let it interfere with his love, our family. I, the oldest and only son, have had more oppotunities then most. And for this, I am truly greatful. At a young age my father introduced me to his second love, the outdoors. Even as a young child, maybe four at the most, I was icefishing with him, and his buddies. Looking back at pictures now, I have to laugh. I was all bundeled up in my one piece, blue snow suite posing next to a 30+" northern pike, almost bigger than me. My smile told it all, I was hooked, no pun intended, on the outdoors.
Like I said I have been blessed. Only eighteen years old and I have been on numerous hunting and fishing trips to Canada, Montana, all over Minnesota, and more. But these trips were more than just time in the woods, it was a bonding, and learning time. I learned so much, at a very young age. I'll never forget all the lessons I learned in the turkey woods, deer woods, numerous lakes etc.
A story, that stick out clear in my mind was my first turkey hunt. We arrived to the field we scouted on our property real early, we shut the lights off as we pulled in, got out of the truck and carefully shut the doors as to not scare the birds off the roost (all tought to me by my father) and we settled in. At day break, two long beards (and I mean LONGbeards) approched from the left, my dad closer to them. They fed out in front of us, and stopped. Shoot, my dad whispered, shoot! Shoot, he says quietly again. I was so nervous I couldn't even relay to him that there was a small tree in the way. He tought me to stay so still, quiet, and to wait for the shot to present himself, that I froze. The first, and biggest bird took one more step to the right and WHAM, WHAM. As soon as I let my Browning BPS youth 20 gauge ring out, he let his Benneli do some talkin'. He shot at the same bird as me, to assure a quick kill. It was a team kill. He let me carry that thing around and show it off. He kept telling me I missed, and it was HIS bird, but he was just kidding with me, like he always does. But, don't think I didn't ask the taxidermist if there was any 20 gauge bb's in that turks melon, and for the record, there was! I was so proud, but I don't think I was as proud as he. I love telling this story because this meant a lot to me. My father has made me who I am today, and I want him to know that. Yes, we have a few fights here and there, but nobody can take away our bond we have made over the years in not only the woods, but everywhere. I love you dad!

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"Please Don't post here just to bash scent blocker or scent lok"

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