The Paddle

Our grandpa was one of a kind: salt of the earth, dairy farmer, able to speak with anyone at any time, someone who appreciated nature and could name every plant and every tree. He was the hardest working person we have met but still made time for the people he cared about and loved being together with neighbors, family and friends. 

He looked forward to deer hunting season every year – likely because he was able to just hang out with the guys and socialize. Group deer hunting in Iowa is a popular and traditional practice, allowing hunters to hunt together.  They would pick their hunting land; usually at one of the neighbor farms and sometimes on Grandpa’s farm. Farmers watched the deer grow all summer and they all knew what deer were hanging out on each farm.

One story that came up recently was when our grandpa was hunting with some neighbors and their kids. All of them came in with their brand new fancy guns with red dot scopes, and there he was with his vintage gun that didn’t even have a bead for a site. During that hunt several hunters tried to shoot a deer that was running by and all missed. Grandpa waited patiently for everyone to take their turn and then downed it with one shot. This story really tells what kind of a man he was because he wanted everyone else to experience the hunt.

Recently, we uncovered a bunch of racks sitting in the garage loft at grandmas house so we decided to take a look. There were many big racks but one stood out — The Paddle. It was like nothing we had ever seen before. Most drop tines come down straight but this one was something unique.

The Paddle was the result of one of these group hunts. Although we do not have an exact date we believe The Paddle was harvested in the 80s. It was such an unusual rack and became the topic of conversation for the entire group for a long time to come. This rack is now something we treasure because we know it was special to Grandpa!