Joe, some old photo's

Dave Parks

Dave Parks

Well-known member
Since it was in the 90's again today, Judy and I spent the day inside where the AC kept it at 72 degrees so we could pack up stuff for staorage up in the shop. (less to screw with when we move). And I found a box of old floppy disks with some old photos from 20+ years ago. Thought you'd get a kick out of them.

Some coyote's called in and shot with my old .22-250 akong with my old lab Raven.
FRPelts.jpg

My first Oregon elk a small 5x5
5ptElk.jpg

My first Oregon bear. Taken with hounds. My buddy said "I want that SOB bear DEAD when it hots the ground so it don't kill any of my dogs". It took awhile but I finally got the bear looking down at me and the iron sights of the '94 30-30 where they needed to be.........between the eyes. My buddy stuck the back half of a broken arrown in the bullet hole for a joke.
MeNbear87.jpg

Another black bear from years ago.
BlkBear.jpg

A four honker morning with "Raven" doing the fetching. This was back when I had my mule and kept in shape by doing a lot of riding, hunting and trapping. It was back 20 years ago when 32" Levi's were in vogue, hehe.
z4Honkers-1.jpg

Dave
 
Nice Pics Dave.I enjoyed them.I had to capture the pic with the Canadas to see what you were talking about (32" Levies).I thought you were talking about the length,but when I lightened it up I could see that they didn't quite touch your instep.Took me a second to believe you were talking about the waist.Yikes,I can barely remember 32.Now I'd settle for 42.I'll call you tonight.
 
Last edited:
Dave thats quite a cash crop on the coyotes. I enjoy them old pics keep'em coming, you remind me of my grandpa. Always had his hands in something.
 
Enjoyed your pictures Dave. If you wore 32 waist now you would be starving to death hee hee
Hunting bear with a 30-30 is a little under gunned. I can see why the fellow was concerned about his dogs. A good shot helps. About 40 years ago this was bought home to me.
At that time every one just about every one hunted with a 30-30 We were dear hunting and two fellows came across a bear. They were good shots brought with a rifle in there hands. I was about 50 yards from them. I couldn't see them but could hear them. The first fellow said look at this and I heard the shot. The second fellow said you better give em a nother one. He had shot the bear right in the neck. Harold said naw he's dead. Einer said I don't think so and I heard a second shot. I heard his bolt action. A pause another shot. Finally I heard Harolds lever action. a pause a shot. All together six shots all aimed. We tracked that bear for the next four hours all over Gods creation until it went past another hunter with a 06 and he stopped it. After that I all ways wondered if I saw a bear and I had a 30-30 if I would shoot.
 
Howdy, yes, I have a couple nice bear claw Mtn. Man type necklaces made with several bear claws. Heck, I have a beaded Plains Indian style necklace with a claw off the first bear I shot back in the '60's.

BTW how is the falconry studies coming along? My buddy who raises all the exotic birds down the road from me has gotten a sponsor and has started his way into falconry. I don't think he's quite grasped how much time of his falconry will take away from his business and all his other birds.

Dave
 
Like I said on the phone.........best I've been able to do since I started to lose some weight is bet back into a 38" and I'll be happy to get back into some 36's by Fall. From High Scholl until I was about 30 years old my Levi's were the same the same as my Win. '94............I wore them in size 30-30. Then I went to a 34x31. And by the time I was in my 50's I was a 36x31 and stayed there until Judy and I got together, so I guess I can blame it all on her cooking huh? All that I really need to do to get back to a 36 is to run a trapline like I used to do evey winter. But between the poor fur prices, high gas prices and being older than dirt, I don't think there's much chance of it.

About the only thing that gets my blood flowing anymore is the trips to Montana bird hunting. And as you know, of all the places that I've hunted over the years, Montana is by far the State I like the most. If you are into wing shooting it's tough to beat, just ask Ben O. Williams!

Dave
 
thanks and probably like your grandpappy, I've had had more fun and good hunting and outdoor adventures than anyone deserves in a lifetime.

I shake my head at some of the young men today that think life is too hard these days and the only excitement is doing something stupid. Today kids (if you want to call 'em that) are 25-30 years old and still living at home with their parents.

Not that it was anything special, but I turned 21 living in the jungles of Mexico on the Guatamalan border collecting birds with a .410 & #12 shot, staying up late under a kerosene lamp swatting mosquitos while making study skins out of the birds and actually thought I was having a good time! I spent more time in the jungles than the avaerage GI or Marine did on Guadalcanal in WWII and I never got a purple heart for it. Ofcourse I never had any of the birds shoot back at me, but we did have Guatamalan Communist Rebels come through where we were and shoot up the place, rob the train that we were about 1 mile from from boarding one morning on our way to the Ruins of Palenque. The only thing that saved us was a peon farmer stopped us in my truck and asked if we had any medical supplies for his friend who'd been shot in the arm. We bandaged his friends arm and got teh whole story about the train and we headed back to San Christobal de Las Casas to inform the local Military Junta.

After a year living in the jungles and cloud forests of southern Mexico. There were not many species left to collect that the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in L.A. needed. I did manage to collect 3 new species in that year of collecting for them.

I think it may be the way you are brought up by your parents and what values they instill in your mind, plus a lot of good luck. My folks were dirt poor Kansas farmers on the Neosho River near Iola, Kansas who came to Califofnia during the depression and got work in the new strugling aircraft business near LAX and went on to retire comfortably from Hughes Aircraft Company years later.

Sometimes when I reflect back I think about one of my buddies in High School, Mike Petrone. Mike was from a well to do family who gave Mike everything he wanted and more. He always had a wad of cash, nice clothes and always talked about the things he was going to do to make millions after High School.

Soon after his folks bought him a new 1959 Corvette for his birthday, he got stupid one nite driving too fast, lost control and took on a 5 foot diameter eucalyptus tree at about 100 MPH. They found about enough of him to fill a show box for the funeral. I later found out his dad was in the Mafia.

Like Forrest said: Life is like a box of chocolates.

Dave
 
Funny story. It's more about shot placement than caliber IMO. I've had guys on Santa Cruz Island shoot wild boar 3-4 times with a .300 Weatherby at 100 yards adn have the pigs run off on them. I had to finish off many a hog with my S&W .357 after a half mile chase down a canyon. A guide is never pleased with a clients poor shooting whether it be fur or fowl. A .30-30 in the hands of a guy that has shot one for years knows it's limitations. Give a guy like that a Barnes solid copper 170 grain bullet and he can brain shoot elephants with it at 50 yards. It's more a matter of shot placement. Even a good shot can get shook when they walk up on a bear at close range and once a bear is wounded they seem to ignore all but a shot to the head, neck or spine. I know, I've done them all. A good brain shot is always effective if you can do it. A normal chest shot rarely drops a bear, you see it on TV all the time. You don't have much other choice with an arrow, but with a rifle I prefer a close to the base of the skull neck shot on game animals if the shot presents itself.

It's hard to run with a broken neck.

Dave
 
Heck, you need to road test that new trailer of yours....so come on out this fall and you can shoot ducks, geese, pheasants, deer, bear and turkey's. Then you'll have photo's of your own to post!

I'll dig out some more vintage photo's for ya later.

Dave
 
Dave
I enjoy your stories/pictures and your hunting experiences keep them coming but I have one question? Do you or did you ever fish and with your travels there must be some fishing stories? Es verdad?
wis boz
 
Sure Jim, I'll have to dig up some old photo's for you. Back in the 'early '60's when I was hired for the Mexico job I did not take any tackle with me, even a breakdown rod would not have survived that 8,555 mile trip. When we did fish we fished like teh natives with hand lines. The only fish I could identify was the Rabalo's (Snook) the rest were either edible or no good and I left that up to the Indians we fished with. I liked the Snook the best, but the big ones were hell on your hands if you did not have good gloves on or a rag wrapped around your hands, the line cut me pretty good the first time I caught one in the Nayarit River, near San Blas.

I used to fish Baja quite a bit and fished the Channel Islands off California since I was a kid. Applegate Lake is only 45 minutes south of us and over the years Judy and I have caught lots of trout there. Infact I just took the boat out of the barn the other day and removed the tarp to get it ready for fishing.We've taken some nice trout out of Klamath Lake some up to 9.5 pounds. We both enjoy the high Cascade mountain lakes during the summer months when Judy is off work.

In the past I have posted some fishing photo's of trips to Mexico, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, etc. maybe you missed them? I'll see what I can dig up for you.

Dave
 
Falconry is coming along SLOW. This years been busier than I thought- it's pretty easy to get involved with a lot of activities in college! I did have an owl for a few days during the winter time- that was fun to work with. I'm going to try to stay close with my sponsor this summer and get my mews built. I may end up going to school in Alaska this next fall, so falconry will be put on hold during that time.

Sounds like you've got quite the collection of interesting things! I knew a guy like that- he had some cool pow-wow regalia made from a golden eagle skin he bought in the late 50's. I tried on the bustle and stuff... pretty cool!
 
I know what you mean Chris. I did most of my falconry during high school when I had more time to devote to the birds. I can't see how a guy has the time when going through college, that alone demands all your time itself. Maybe later when you wind up with a job that allows you the time otherwise you would not be able to give the birds or yourself the time falconry takes to make it enjoyable. It's not a sport that you can set aside for other things, it takes devotion.

Fine on the old Pow-Wow stuff. I don't care for todays Pow-Wow's etc. to much fake fur and plastic these days. It's seems they have lost the old traditional ways.

I have a few things I've made over the years that I use at the Rendezvous. Not a lot of stuff, but what I have at least looks authentic.
zMTNMAN-Stuff-0.jpg
L to R: a beaded neck knife sheath, a pipe/tobacco pouch, a strike-a-light pouch for flint & steel, a Cage-D-Amour pipe-tobacco pouch with clay pipe and will stem, a three shot wooden speed loaded with attached powder measure in .50 cal., a large Medicine pouch, a bone& beaded choker & a bead & brass trade necklace, Two old eagle secondaries off my Golden eagle I had back in the 1950's, one of my bear claw necklaces made from bears that I have shot,A small deer bone scraper & a Wahinkee Souix scraper I made years ago for scraping hides. The small pouch under teh Mtn. Man picture is my personal Medicine bag. a peace metal and some copper arm bracelets. The old bow on the far right is one Judy's dad made years ago. This stuff is in the guest room for visitors to ponder over.

Good luck in Alaska, it sounds liek it could be a real adventure for you, I'd jump at it if I were you!

Best,
Dave
 
Too cool, Dave!

I love seeing things like that... I appreciate you sharing the pic! That's a nice collection of things- what's great is each one means something to you- i've seen guys who just pay up the wazoo, just to assemble a room in their house filled with artifacts to start a conversation. Love the eagle feathers- those are some good memories for you! Sounds like you've lived quite the life so far! I wouldn't mind sitting around the fire one night picking your brain and hearing some cool stories. Maybe our paths will cross someday...
 
Dave
How come I'm not surprised that fishing was another of your talents. Look forward to the pictures--thanks!
wis boz
 
ok so ileave nova scotia apon retirement im geuss i should swing thru a few states to say hi head one up north to yukon mikes area then back across canada to home i outa be broke by then ,,,lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top