Remembering a friend ...

[R.J.]

It's almost 2 years since Mikey V. ( aka Red Label ) passed ( March 18th 2005 ) ....

7 pages ... 10652 views ....

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=8552

Mike was true to his friends , A dedicated father and husband... a great guy to spend time with in the field , and never sherked a task ...

Here are a some pic's of Mike V. from the field ...

Mike put time in shooting his Exomax to make sure he was on target for a " big buck " opportunity ....




I got him out to Hullet Marsh .... he wanted to develope his dog and hone his wingshooting ! ( man we had a great day ... seems like yesterday ! )



I eventually talked him into a climber stand for quick and easy set ups !



And I was there the day he took his first mature whitetail buck ... ( he was thrilled ... seems like yesterday !)




I'm working next Sunday March 18th , so I decided to visit his resting place today , and walk a farm we hunted together since 2002 ...

I'd seen some geese feeding on a grass ridge on the way .... got a few shots ...




They are pairing up now ...



I arrived at the farm ... spoke to the farmers wife and told her I was going for a walk with the camera ... It is a Bio Security farm so I have to park out at the road and walk a loooooong way back ! .... no problem , it's a dull day , photo opportunities may be marginal , but I'm looking forward to the walk in the fresh air ... I see deer in the field and the stalk is on !







The wind was right and I was doing OK ... right up until my cell phone rang ... My daughter called to say " remember to pick me up for guitar lessons " .... the deer didn't seem to think it was a funny as I did !




I work my way into the 2nd field and spot a long neck over the corn field ridge ...



I get 2 frames as a single goose flys away ...




He eventually sets into the next field over with the horses from the next farm in the back ground ....



More birds fly over head and their calls are music to my ears as they fly by .... man this is " my medicine " !



I work my way to what we call " the funnel " .... a narrow ambush spot between two bush lots ....



The memories flood back .... Mikey V , Myself , and Robin , have taken 3 bucks and 3 does from that location since the day I carved that climber tree in 2002 .... I can remember the 1st hunt with Mikey V, like it was yesterday ...

The short version ....I had a buck come thru ... that day in 2002



I made the shot , climb down and take a picture of my gear at the base of the tree ...



I walk over and get a picture of the arrow in the snow ...



I track to locate the buck and get a picture with all my gear ...




Back to reality ... I get shaken from my daydream , by movemnet at the creek by the stand .... it's a raccoon scrambling for a tree ... he must have been rumaging in the creek ...








The rest of the walk was slow , quiet and uneventfull .... I had a couple of does flush out in front of me as I walked the last part of the bush , but couldn't get the focus on them .... I walked quietly back to the farm ... thinking ... " I wonder if Mikey V. saw all that ! "

Enjoy time with your friends in the field .... you never know when it will, be the last ...

[BOB VANDRISH]

A truly nice tribute to someone who was obviously a close friend.
Let's hope he is looking down on all of this and smiling!

[wabi]

Great tribute.
I'm sure many of us remember Mikey V well, and will keep him in our thoughts on that sad anniversary.

[LV2HNT]

Very nice indeed. Even though his time on earth was cut short, I bet he is greatfull to you and the rest of your friends for helping him to enjoy every minute to the fullest and for remembering him in such a wonderfull way. You are a great friend R.J.

[maple]

Thanks for the tributr RJ.

Mike is still a part of this forum. My thoughts drift back to him from time to time as well, remembering the good times he had. Obviously, with good friends.

[A.W]

This is the only pic I have of Red. 3-D shoot 2003. (Kneeling down front row)

[Shakky]

Very nice and well done R.J.

[Corvus]

That was a wonderful post, R.J.

[GaryL]

That was a wonderful post, R.J.

"DITTO"

Sure miss his post, however I know he is in a better place now and watching over us all ....

Thanks R.J.

[ecoaster]

I remember that post with Mike and his buck. I remember thinking these guys sure know what they're doing. I'd like to meet them some day. If you are anything like your friend I'm sure he was a class A guy. It's tough to lose someone close to you, but looking at the photos brings all those great memories flooding back and you can feel those loved ones smiling down on you.

Last month was my rememberance. My sister was killed in a car accident at age 27. The only blessing was she was asleep at the time. Her boyfriend was driving and fell asleep at the wheel.

[Sliver]

Very Nice R.J.

I remember those stories and photos when they were posted... Hard to believe it's been two years...
You seem like you were(are) a good friend to Mikey V. and I'm sure he was to you....


Your A Good Man R.J. for Posting This Tribute to a Lost Friend, Husband and Father..

P.S. I'm sure Mikey V. saw all of it R.J.

[TYE]

I have heard of this guy, but I don't know who he is, but your post was very nice R.J.

[Farmer]

A very fitting tribute to your friend . Red Label would be proud .

We all sometimes forget how fleeting our time on this earth is . We all need to take the time to see more of our family and friends and enjoy the time we have and our memory's .

[jay73]

I remember some of Mike's posts. And especially that picture of that great buck of his.

Although I didn't know him personally, I know he was loved by many.

Nice post R.J. I can tell he is in your heart.

Has that been 2 years already? Seemed like yesterday indeed. Take care bud.


Jay

[Partikle]

Very nice R.J.

I don't remember why, but I was thinking about Red Label last week while I was here reading the forum for some reason? Maybe he still visits here to read posts as well.

Nick