Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

Dusty, look at the middle of your screen for a blinking envelope. Click on it.

Well we did a little day work out at the cabin on Saturday, mostly just mowing with the tractor. I mowed around the cabin again and also mowed the full length of the road. Didn't get around to blading the muddy ruts in the bad spots yet, we kind of ran out of time.

I shot a couple of guns, shot my 45 colt on paper at 25 yds just to see for sure how it hits. I'm pretty happy with it, Offhand I'm getting a 6 shot group the size of a beer coaster.

I also shot the last few fact loads I had for my 264, First time with the new scope. I recently put a VXII 3-9X 40mm on it. I only had enough ammo to find point of impact at 100 sighting through the barrel & lining the scope up by eye then making an adjustment to bring point of impact in to point of aim and I got a couple of 3 round groups in before I was empty. I shot a couple of good honest 1" groups. Now it's time to start reloading for that one.

Weezy shot her pink 10/22, tore up some cans pretty bad. Then we loaded the tractor on the trailer & brought it home to work on our driveway some.

Nice slow relaxing weekend.

3 years today.

Time goes by so fast, we've all put 3 years distance between a tragic death and present day. We've done a lot of things with the 3 years but today just feels like day 1 moving forward. It's really the start of year 4 though. I put the shoe on the other foot every now and then, ask myself what I would like for everybody to do in my absence if it were me that was gone and rather my best friend was still here. I realize that I certainly couldn't ask any more of anybody. Camp chickenbuck and friends are doing a good job.

I couldn't have seen my future taking this shape 3 years ago today. The truth is 3 years ago today I couldn't see a future at all, nothing seemed to matter. There was just awful pain and disbelief.

We've done well though, we've all done very well. We built a cabin, established a camp, hunted deer together, hunted grouse, picked wild berries, trail riding both summer and winter. We've laughed and we've cried, we cut the firewood, we've burned the firewood. We've hunted elk in Colorado together, we've fished sturgeon on the US/Canadian border. We've camped the boundary waters canoe area hardcore with canoes and heavy packs on our backs. We've told stories around the fire, we've lived adventures that will be tomorrows campfire stories.

We've done so much more, the kids have grown so much in 3 years.

We're doing well, lets keep going.

My best friend died 3 years ago today, my cousin. Godfather to my children, a big brother to Muffy, a son to Dusty. A husband, father of 3, dearest friend to Rooster(Jim) and to most anyone he ever met.

His smile and laugh cannot be forgotten, it's impossible to forget his positive energy and love of life. I made a promise 3 years ago to adopt certain qualities of his personality and try to make them part of my life, part of how I make decisions. I'd like to thank him for living so well and for providing such qualities to be utilized.

We mark another year on the wall and we keep moving with our lives. For what it is worth, to all those reading this that are reflecting on this same landmark day, feeling the same pain..

I'm proud of you all and thank you for helping me these past 3 years. We know this is his week, the day of his death and the day of his birth all in the same week. He would turn 40 later this week. And I�m pretty sure he's proud of all of us.

To all others reading on, please raise a glass in honor of Waylon D (Dusty) Karsten.

Thank you Waylon, for everything.





I'll be taking the rest of the day off, we're running down to spend some time with the kids today. Maybe see some of you down there today.

Dave....I think they call it a Legacy.
You have nurtured it , watched it grow, and you and your family are living it. I could not possibly think of a better way to honor someones life.

Andddd, I DO know how you feel. I wish I didnt....it has been 11 years-to the week- that I lost my lifelong best freind....


Ingwe

It is very hard to believe it has been 3 years. It just seems like yesterday we were planning our 4 wheeling trip to North Dakota. We had everything ready to go, we were going to be leaving the next morning.

I applied for a job at Lund boats in New york Mills and I was there for a tour of the plant. When I got done there I had 2 missed calls from my mom and one from my sister in law. I knew something was wrong. I called mom back and she said they think Waylon's plane went down. I drove from NYM to Waylon's by Cormorant, I don't even remember the drive. There were so many things going through my head like this is a mistake, maybe they ran into bad weather and landed at a nearby airport maybe he has tried to call but the call won't go through. As we sat at the house waiting to hear ANYTHING, there were reporters calling the house asking questions. It was hard enough to deal with what we didn't know what was going on, and to have them calling the house.

I'm not even sure how long it was that we waited to hear anything, 5 hours or more. When the Sheriff and State Trooper pulled in the driveway then we knew. I don't even remember what they said, after they had confirmed that Waylon was one that had passed, everything else was a blur. It was like someone just ripped my heart out. He was my only sibling, he couldn't be gone. It was like a very bad dream, but I couldn't wake up.

Today is a day of looking back at pictures and remembering all the good times. I can still hear him call me Meesey. From all the memories of when we were little like when mom and dad told me to stay off the dock because the boys were casting. Well I didn't and Waylon got me in the chin with a daredevil. He thought it was caught on the dock so he kept yanking on it. To the memories when we were on our last 4 wheeling trip the summer before the accident. That is where we took our last picture together on a rock where we went every night we were there to watch the deer.

It is a very hard time for everyone. I would like to thank Dave and his family for being there for all of us. Chicken buck is a great place to go to have fun, share stories, and just to spend time together as a family. If it is only family members or other friends there too, it is great.

Sorry for rambleing on. Gotta get ready to go mini golfing with the family. It will be a great day.

A legacy is exactly what this is and a fitting one.I started reading this thread in August of 2007 but didn't chime in with a post until much later.In April of 2008 I recommended to Rick Bin that he should sticky this and look where we are now.811 pages and over 400,000 views.I have made a bunch of friends along the way as we all have.Thank you Dave for being true to your friendship with Waylon and making this all happen.I know how you feel about him.I lost my best friend/like a brother for 49 years in February of 2008.

Stan in SC

Tipping a glass this evening to " Hunters...home from the hill...."

Ingwe

3 years...

I tried to keep as busy as I possibly could today. I even thought about staying away from the thread but this thread was started because of what happened 3 years ago. Much has happened, much has changed. There has been lots of laughs, lots of tears and lots of new friendships made and old friendships strengthened.

I had a book written on here about how similiar today is....weather wise, being on vacation, working on stuff in the garage today just like I was when I got the call that the plane was missing. I was going to talk about every detail of that day, the plans we had, what it was like driving to Waylons company not knowing for sure but knowing deep inside that when I got there, life would change for the worse.

Then I deleted it.

Those of us that lived it already know. Muffy described it perfectly. The disbelief. The shock. The un-describable pain. The fact that it just didn't make sense...

3 years. There has been so many changes in 3 years.

Dave you have been a real inspiration with what you have committed to. I thank you and Pam for letting us be a part of it. Waylon would be proud of what you have done and continue to do.

Dusty, Eileen and Missy. Words can never express how much your Son and Brother meant to me.

R.I.P Waylon.

The first annual Happy Crappy Golf Tournament was so much fun today. Quite a few hole in one's, none were mine. PWM even got one. I still think the only reason the Happy team won is because he joined their team half way through.

It was a great day today. It was nice to spend time with Dave and the rest of my family. Wish Captain Bang Flop could have been there though. Will be looking forward to next year!! I have a couple pictures, I will post them later.

Team captains "happy" and "crappy" golfed a great tournament. in the end it was team happy (which I was part of by the way ) that prevailed victorious in a crushing defeat of the crappies.... crappees? crappys? (spelling?)

Ha!

Well it was a fun little get together none the less and we will have to make it an annual event.

looking forward to seeing pictures. We'll need trophy ideas too, a cup or trophy of some kind.

I just wanted you to all to know how great this thread is and how badly i needed to see the same stuff flowing.

My oldest daughter 17 overdosed on prescription migraine medication last Wednesday, things were touch and go for a while but she is getting the help she needs and we expect her to go home to her mom's possibly today.

If you get a chance give your kids hugs when you get home and love on them.

Very sorry to hear that BD. But very happy to hear she's recovering.

That's a very powerful reminder.

She will certainly be in our thoughts/prayers.

Woo-loo-loo-loo!!!!! I have been on the thread countless times reading everyone's entries, viewing the pictures, laughing, and crying! Dave and Pam have been a blessing to my children, myself and all of Waylon's family. Waylon loved you guys and YES he would be very proud.

oh my goodness!!

MNP, I had no idea you even had computer access right now ha!! I was thinking you were kind of "between computers" at home and relied mostly on your work PC!..

Well I tell ya, you certainly brightened the place up today with your first ever post.

It sure was good to see you yesterday.

By the way, I stole a small cooler from your garage yesterday lol!!

I'll be sure that Pam (AKA burns My Breakfast) gets the cooler to "runs in darkness" today when she meets the girls.

My condolences big drift, that is too scary! I'm glad she is recovering.

That's where that cooler went

yes i was on the happy team, i think thats y we won

With a name like "Team Crappy" the odds were clearly stacked against us:)

I got one that we could probably just as well get filled MNP!

Nice to see you on here by the way!

My Prayers are with you and your daughter BD. I'm glad to hear she is doing ok.

Team Crappy is going to put Team Happy in the dust next year! I have pics but don't have time to post them, gotta go get my hair done.