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Frank Addington
Pop Hangs out with Uncle Ted...
A good example is my father's recent bowhunt for
bear in Canada. It wasn't the huge bear that Pop bagged that amazed
me---he's taken a lot of trophy sized game in his day. No, it was
his hunting partner on this trip that surprised me.
Rock and roll star/bowhunter Ted Nugent was in camp for part of Pop's recent hunt. Prior to the hunt Pop was apprehensive about the trip. He wasn't sure he'd have much in common for the outspoken rocker. He'd grown up in the mountains of West Virginia listening to country music and had little patience for loud, rock and roll music. Pop is a quiet, soft spoken man that's ran a retail archery business for over 25 years. It was going to be an interesting week to say the least. Midway through the hunt my phone rang, it was Pop. "Ted Nugent is great. I really like him. He's done more for sportsmen in this country than anyone I know of... and last night he played his guitar until 1 AM and boy can he make that guitar sing.." were the words coming out of Pop's mouth. I was shocked. It seems that the mild mannered retailer and the rock and roll star had formed a friendship during the hunt. My father even admitted that his eyes grew moist when Nuge played the song "Fred Bear" in camp. I spoke to Ted from the lodge too and he seemed to be having a great time. Mom wasn't able to hunt this year due to a schedule conflict so when she found out Ted hadn't harvested a bear and his hunt was almost over, she urged Pop to urge the guide to send Ted out to her stand. Mom's pretty particular about her stand and has taken several trophies there. I knew Ted must have touched my folks to get an invite like that. Ted extended the hunt one day and harvested his bear that evening on mom's stand. "We must be family now.." the excited rocker told my mom via telephone from the lodge. Ted was gracious enough to sign the arrow he used on his bear for my arrow collection. Like my father, I too had once misjudged Ted Nugent. I made a quick decision that turned out to be way wrong. Since first meeting him in 1990 I have learned more about Ted and have seen him in action and can attest to the fact that he is the real deal. He is great for our sport and we should all be proud to have him on our side. Kid's often come up to me at my exhibitions asking about my friend, "Uncle Ted." Nugent is passionate about the sport of archery and our hunting tradition. He speaks out against the use of drugs and promotes Fred Bear and archery in every rock and roll show he does. Most would be surprised to learn that he's been shooting a bow on stage since the late 1960's or early 70's. He promotes the sport of archery and bowhunting in front of millions each year and he also is a loud advocate for our Second Amendment rights. Add to all of that the amount of time and energy he also donates for things like his kid's camp, benefits for our soldiers, and other causes and you'll see Ted PUTS SOMETHING BACK INTO OUR SPORT. That my friends is the key. I was happy to hear that my folks and Ted are planning to hunt together again next year in a different part of Canada. I also suspect Pop and I may do some late season hunting with Ted in South Texas later this year. I recently heard Pop say that the two men that have most impressed him in our sport were Matt McPherson of Mathews and Ted Nugent. Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is that maybe we should all keep an open mind and not misjudge folks and that we should all strive to give something back to our sport. Rather than fight among ourselves over petty things like a bow's breakover, traditional tackle or modern equipment, we should focus on protecting and promoting our great sport. As my pal Uncle Ted might say, "Let's rock doc..." Thanks for reading folks. Until next time, Adios & God Bless--- Shoot Straight,
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