November 1st, 1984

NeoBlackdog · Oct 23, 2022

Mods,
Please feel free to put this where you think it belongs.

As many of us head to the hills to go hunting this fall I would like to remind everyone to please identify your target and be 100% sure what it is that you are shooting at. On November 1st, 1984 my best friend was shot off his horse by a careless hunter. Delly was only 24 years old with an 18 month old son and his wife was pregnant with their second boy. The fella that shot him had seen a large bull elk in the area and was wired up pretty tight. Del was riding a red and white horse and had orange ribbons tied to both himself and his horse. He had stopped at a spring to water his horse when the careless hunter saw movement and fired. I was only a couple hundred yards away and heard the shot. There's not a day goes by that I don't think about that incident and how one mans careless actions ended a life and changed so many others. Pete Kershaw, founder of Kershaw Knives, was one of the members of our hunting party that awful day and designed the DWO model knife in honor of my friend.
Please be careful out there folks.

pharmseller · Oct 23, 2022

Sorry for your loss.

NeoBlackdog · Oct 23, 2022

pharmseller said:
Sorry for your loss.

Thank you, Pharmseller. Most kind.

Tlock · Oct 23, 2022

That's absolutely terrible! My dad came home from a local day elk hunt covered in blood, me being young and excited I went running out to greet him. It wasn't elk blood, he had helped pack a young man to a helicopter that had shot himself in the head with a shotgun while grouse hunting. It can happen so fast. Thanks for sharing your story about your friend, hopefully his story will save someone's life

NeoBlackdog · Nov 1, 2022

BTT.
Hard to believe it's been 38 years.

kenboy · Nov 1, 2022

I remember reading about that.

Tragic loss.

CS1776 · Nov 10, 2022

Very sorry to hear about what happened to your friend. I appreciate you sharing the story and the message.

orygun · Nov 10, 2022

Delly was in 8th grade when I was in 6th. We lived in a small community and everyone knew everyone, even if you weren't pals. I moved later that summer. I heard of his death and it was heartbreaking. When Kershaw was selling the knife, I bought one. Still have it. The Officers have a very long history in that area. Good people.
Thank you, @NeoBlackdog for the reminder. Did you go to school there, too?

NeoBlackdog · Nov 11, 2022

orygun said:
Delly was in 8th grade when I was in 6th. We lived in a small community and everyone knew everyone, even if you weren't pals. I moved later that summer. I heard of his death and it was heartbreaking. When Kershaw was selling the knife, I bought one. Still have it. The Officers have a very long history in that area. Good people.
Thank you, @NeoBlackdog for the reminder. Did you go to school there, too?

I did. Started there my freshman year.