Mankind at his best is a loving, caring, generous soul. Those of us fortunate enough to have met and known such wonderful human beings should count our blessings and thank God every day, for the world also has some strange, nasty souls floating around the ether.
The eternal positive spirit that glows all around my lifetime of hunting campfires is truly a gift from the heavens, and there is no doubt that the greatest humans are found in the hunting lifestyle, families and tribes.
The term BloodBrother is an aboriginal designation of a true friend who will always be there for you. The native people across the globe learned early on that such a true friend is the most valuable asset in life, and such bonds are the strongest of mankind.
Oftentimes we find ourselves far removed geographically from our best friends and BloodBrothers, but it is supremely comforting to know that no matter what, they are there for us.
I always make it a point to tell my loved ones that I am here for them, and it brings them fortitude and solace.
I’ve had to say good-bye to many of my old friends and it is never easy.
I think back to my last hunt with my dad, Fred Bear, Doug Walker, my Uncle John, Ed Bilderback, George Nicholls, Marv Leslie and others. Though it brings a smile to my face remembering the great times we shared, at the time of loss we wonder if we will even make it through the heartbreak.
For more than 40 years a great man from downriver Detroit has brought an immeasurable glow to our lives and campfires.
John Kalash was born in 1929 on the banks of the mighty Detroit River. He was as natural a born hunter as ever there was, and he created a reputation for knowing all about the abundant and ubiquitous wildlife during that wondrous era of the industrial revolution.
I would call John Kalash the Fred Bear of waterfowling, and duck hunters in the know would seek John’s wisdom and knowledge to enhance and better their hunting experiences.
Left to right: BloodBrothers Paul Schlosser, John Kalash and Ted Nugent.
John lost his beloved wife and hunting partner Pat a few years back, and as he approached his 89th hunting season was at wits end struggling to get out of his wheelchair to get outdoors at all.
An angel named Jannie Smith came to his aid and brought him much happiness as he painfully watched the fall hunting season unfold out of his reach.
We made it a point to invite John to our weekly Sunrize Acres campfire every Saturday to join great hunting families from around the country to hear his stories and share their experiences.
And you can imagine the stories John told from the heydays of his younger years, hunting every manner of game every day throughout every season.
Hunting BloodBrothers Ted and John Kalash.
His boisterous laugh was contagious and there is no question that he created a fun hunting campfire that uniquely fired up the souls of all who shared them.
Just two weeks ago as I performed the song Fred Bear as I did each Saturday, I sang it directly across the fire straight into John’s eyes, and everyone could feel that powerful BloodBrother connection in the air.
At song’s end and through the flickering flames, John struggled to get up out of his chair and stepped across the firepit to hug me like a grizzly bear and through tears tell me he loved me.
All the hunters were silent and each of them channeled the moment that reminded them of loving, emotional times with their friends and loved ones at some point in their lives.
I took John’s hug and words deep into my inner spirit and bid him farewell telling him I would bring some backstraps over soon and to not worry about not killing any game this season, as I had him covered.
There’s no other connection in the world like that of hunting pals and BloodBrothers.
John dealt with nonstop agonizing pain and discomfort and the deep haunting of not being able to get out and hunt. He went from being the ultimate rugged, independent individual to basically a helpless, dependent man, and it hurt him to the core.
A few days later John took his own life, refusing to be alive but not living.
When I got the word minutes later, I paused, but was not shocked by any means. Tears welled up but I actually smiled a wry smile, knowing that only John was in charge of such a decision. My mind raced with the incredible memories he left me with and his wonderful cackle of a laugh.
I was walking my three K9 amigos, Happy, Sadie and Coco, whom John just loved, and we slowly walked to the edge of my marshy lake where geese were lounging and the sky was grey.
A beautiful whitetail doe appeared out of the puckerbrush tangle, and as I lifted my coffee thermos for a sip, my eyes caught movement directly overhead where a bald eagle soared effortlessly on high.
It was the 1st time I had ever seen a deer on that lane mid-morning and the 1st time this year that a bald eagle showed up.
I believe it was John saying good-bye. And then I wept openly and the dogs came to my side, knowing.
Larry Woodward and a gaggle of serious Spirit BloodBrothers down Troy, Missouri, way performed the ultimate BloodBrother memorial here recently when they said good-bye to their lifelong hunting buddy Kenny Sheets.
Kenny Sheets was a BloodBrother to many others, and a lifelong deer hunter in the true Spirit of the Wild.
On the Opening Day of the Missouri deerseason, they took old Kenny in his oak casket to his favorite deerwoods for one last Opening Day together.
Hunting BloodBrothers are always there for each other, right to the end. Kenny Sheets’ BloodBrothers paid him the ultimate tribute for one last Opening Day.
The hunt is the bond. Human life is fueled by the hunt. Not just physically, but more-so mentally and ultimately spiritually.
We all have BloodBrothers. We have all lost BloodBrothers. Be sure your BloodBrothers know that you are there for them.
In the wind, John and Kenny are still alive. Watch for that soaring eagle and be sure to wave and smile.
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Multi-platinum guitar legend TED NUGENT announces a new full-length album THE MUSIC MADE ME DO IT, due out Friday, November 9, on Round Hill Records. The album is available now for preorder everywhere, and the title track “The Music Made Me Do It” is available to download and stream wherever music is sold.
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With more than 40 million albums sold, rock legend Ted Nugent is equally well known as the nation’s most outspoken proponent of our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, conducting thousands of pro-gun, pro-freedom, pro-American interviews in major media worldwide. Nugent is a New York Times best-selling author whose works include Ted, White & Blue —The Nugent Manifesto; God, Guns & Rock ‘n’ Roll and Kill It & Grill It.This year, his award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebrates its 500th episode! For all things Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com
