Passing of a Wonderful Father.....January 25, 2014

My Dad Ronald Lee Lilly died today due to complications of a heart attack, renal failure, and pneumonia. He pasted at 7:56am at Princeton Community Hospital, the very same hospital where my mom worked and served for 34 years. My Dad meant the world to me and has been a regular on my blog since I started it in 2008. He taught me how to hunt, how to fish, how to be a man and so much more. In those lessons he taught me more importantly how to succeed and do it while treating other people with respect and caring.  R.L. Lilly was special in a lot of ways. He was a radio operator in the Marine Corps. in Vietnam, he was a Police Officer and Chief, a heart transplant recipient in 1990 at Duke University after surviving two heart attacks, he was an avid supporter of Dawn's Sportsman Club, a wonderful husband to my mother, and the best father a person could ever have. My Dad truly loved to deer hunt. He was known for his love of deer hunting. When he wasn't hunting he was reading about it, preparing to do it, and talking about it. He was a fine story teller and he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and experiences from the field. He also greatly enjoyed shooting and hunting with muzzleloaders. My Dad spent countless selfless hour teaching me to shoot, hunt, drive, study and a number of other things. At every turn that I failed he was always there to encouraging  me to press on.  As proud as I feel he was of how I turned, I was just that much more proud to be his son and have him for a father. He was a fine outdoorsman, a wonderful person, and my best friend.  He was honestly the best Dad I could have ever wished for and I will forever miss him. I would have been lost in this life without him. For all my years to come I will hear his advice and guidance echoing in my mind.  I thank the Good Lord for the wondrous blessing of all the time we were able to spend together and the memories we shared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    -"Home the Hunter from the Hill" - Robert Ruark

 

 

Dinner for 4....January 18th, 2014

Derrick and I tried predator hunting from 7pm to 10pm on a cold dark night. Our first, third and last stand went off rather uneventfully, however on the third we had 2 foxes, a barn owl and 2 coyotes all come to the call within 3 minutes of starting. Derrick missed a tough shot on the first fox and after that the other fox bailed and the remaining 2 coyotes wouldn't come out of the thicket at the far end of the field some 250 yards away. All four came in from the down wind direction which so many predators in the night often due. I honestly had a ball on this hunt. I can't wait to go out again. There is something electrifying seeing a predators eyes glowing back at you in the darkness. With bad weather coming in it may be awhile before the back roads are good enough to get out chase the night critters for awhile.

One Lucky Fox - January 4th, 2014

Dusty and I went predator hunting from 5:30 to 9:30pm today. We made 4 stands total. Three out Barton Ridge and one down in the feather bed. On the stand nearest Dusty's house we had a fox come down to the edge of the brush and hang up. I stopped the call and changed to MadJack. Within seconds there he came. He was a big redfox. He was coming straight to the call. At about 55 yards he paused and Dusty fired a tracer round out of his M4 right over the top of his back. I ran over to the spot we last saw him and threw a load of #2 shot at him running off into the brush to no avail. It's not everyday that a fox gets missed not once but twice by an active duty military soldier with a sharpshooter badge! I am actually starting to wonder if that fox is part cat and has 9 lives.
 We later called a coyote up in the feather bed, but where unable to get a shot at him. He came out into the clearing in the one spot that jammed our chances to take a shot at him. But we are getting better at making stands, getting in undetected, which calls to use and how to play them.

Midnight Predator Hunt - January 1st, 2014

As soon as the ball dropped this new year Dusty and I headed out the door at his Forrest Hill farm for some midnight predator hunting. We called for 2 plus hours. Dusty missed a snap fast shot on a fox that showed up to our hide even before the call got fired up. We saw a couple deer, jumped a grouse, a raccoon but that was it. It was a cold clear night and there wasn't much moving around on this night. But it was fun to go out and prowl around the fields and woods in the dark and try. I will be going again soon.