My Last Two Years of hunting with my Father

Luk 1:17  “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This post is in honor of two daddies. My earthy Dad and my Heavenly Daddy (Abba).

My earthly dad was a great dad and I was blessed to have him. A dad is someone special! Anyone can Father a child! This takes nothing special on the part of the father! But a dad is there for you while you are growing up. I was blessed to have a father like this. I was a runt growing up! Smaller than anyone in my class! I was the target of every bully. Funny, because now I am 6 ft 5 inches tall and over 230 pounds. In 4th grade I began to run, lift weights, pushups and sit-ups. I joined the wrestling team.. I was no bigger, but I was stronger!

My dad, ran every mile, lifted every weight, matched every push-up and was at every wrestling practices, match or tournament. See this is a dad! He taught me a work ethic. Taught me how to shoot a gun and we shot archery together. He was very strict when it came to gun safety. Ex military (Canadian Army Rainbow Division). The Rainbow Division was a joint effort with the US. Taught weapons, explosives, but mainly hand to hand combat. There were to parachute behind enemy lines in Japan during World War Two.

This is a hunting story! I am just laying some groundwork!

Well, even with a great and loving home, staring when I was thirteen, I started hanging with a bad crowd and started to smoke cigarettes and some of those twisted on the end ones. I also started to drink at this early age. By the time I was 22 I was addicted to drugs, alcohol and was suicidal.

Then came Jesus! I was not reading my Bible, never praying, never attending church or even thinking of God! Jesus found me! In reality nobody finds Jesus! We are found by Him! That day! One touch from Jesus! Thank God for a praying mom! One touch from His gentle but Mighty Hand amd I was delivered from drugs, alcohol and suicide. No program, no counciling, not step down program. Just Jesus!

Well during my 9 very rebellious years, I had hurt my family in so many ways. No child should ever do this to their family. My dad in particular got so much bad from me!

But God turned my heart to my father! Like the Heavenly Father, my earthly father was just waiting for me. Thinking good thoughts about me and expecting something good to come out of my life.

One day, not too long after this, I went to my dad. He saw me coming and smiled at me. Put out his hand to shake hands. I pushed his hand away, put my arms around him. I kissed him on the cheek. I apologized for the hell that I put him through.

At this time we became best friends! Companions, hunting amd fishing buddies! I am grateful that I got about 25 good years with my dad. For years my dad would always call me Ephraim instead of my given name William. Ephraim means God has blessed me in the land of my affliction!

I am having such a difficult time writing this! Tears in my eyes! Fondness of both of my Daddies. My earthly and my Heavenly Abbas!

This photo isn’t me! Stock photo for visual effect.

Alright you hunters! Tell me you never did this! Sleep instead of hunt!

Anyway fast forward! My dad was 71 years old. We lived about 1/4th of a mile from each other in the state of Virginia. I was working way too many hours and during hunting season, I would go to work very early, so I could come home early and hunt. Usually I hunted with a bow, but this time I went out with a firearm. I called my dad and told him where I would be sitting and asked him to make a man drive through the woods that separated my house from his.

So he left his house and started to walk slowly in my direction. I found a big oak tree, cleaned the leaves from around the base and sat down. The sun was shining on my face and shortly, I was sound asleep. It was very late in the season and the bucks were back to running together. Even though I was asleep I could hear the crunch of the dry leaves on the first floor. The noise became louder and louder! Now I am awake and I could see some beautiful racks coming to the far right. I am right handed and sitting on the ground. If you think about this, it is very difficult to twist in the direction. To the left is easy, to the right, impossible!

10 points, 8 points and two more deer with decent racks all cruising by me! I have always been better at running shots than when my target is standing still in front of me. I rolled over on my belly and shot the first in line. He rolled over and didn’t move. I got to my knees and fired again at the next buck. I knocked him down but he got back up. He ran directly away from me and over a small hill. I was running up the hill while adding some load to my gun. I got to the top of this hill. Only about 30 feet from my sleeping spot, and saw the deer. I shot him in the head! As Jerry Clower used to say, “Graveyard dead”.

I was so excited! Got two nice bucks and did it with my dad! I just want to make a note. I processed and my family ate these deer! And at the time, we really needed the meat!

So now my dad comes! He looks to the right and sees this nice buck. He looks to the left and sees another nice buck! He looks at me. Now I am expecting something good. An atta boy or something! He looks at me and says, “I heard three shots!” “Why is there only two deer?”

What? A wasted round?

I said at the beginning this was about the last two years I hunted with my dad. The next year was his last year on earth. I was across a small logging road behind my house. I could hear something running and I positioned myself where I could see a small opening in what is otherwise very dense woods. Getting closer and closer! Then a deer breaks into the small opening and bang! I shot! I waited for a little and went to see the deer.

Now many are going to think this is just another big story that has been exaggerated. But when I got to the place where the deer lay. There were two dead deer! I got two with one shot! I had never before, nor since got two deer with one shot.

So I went and got my dad! Took him to the spot! I said, “You know, I apologize for letting you down last year by wasting the one shot. This year I made up for that one wanted round.”

My Dad passed away or graduated to heaven a few months after!

I hope, if you have a child that is living like hell or even a well behaved child without Jesus, that you would be encouraged, not to lose hope and to continue to pray and believe for God’s intervention.

If your mom or dad is alive, make sure they know you love them and appreciate what they did for you.

Jesus said, “You must be born again if you are go)ng to see the kingdom. John 3:3

Born once with an earthy father and mother!
Born again from above through faith in the finished Work of Jesus Christ!

God bless!
Daddy William