I don’t know if most hunters realize it, but after about 5 years on the seminar circuit, many of the exhibitors, and especially the writers, speakers, authors, photographers and pro staffers become pretty good friends. At the end of over 20 years on the circuit, I’ve met so many of those people, that it is tough to go to a show anywhere in the US, and not know between 10-50 percent of the exhibitors. Because of our passion for hunting, many of the speakers like to get together at the show, and often at breakfast and supper, or in the bars after supper, to renew friendships and talk about last years hunting success, and new products and new hunting techniques.
I was representing a new tree stand company one year at the SHOT show in New Orleans during January. So, I invited many of my friends to stop by the booth and look at our stands. Coincidentally our booth was right across the aisle from Wildlife Research Centers, for which I have been a pro staffer since 1990, having convinced them to come out with the first commercial elk and mule deer urine for hunters in 1989. So, we had a good location, and I could represent both companies at the same time.
As I walked around the show, talking to my friends I ran into Dan and Guy Fitzgerald at their booth, where they were talking to Ted Nugent, Bob Foulkrod and some other people. When Dan saw me he did what he always does when he sees me, he asks me to either give my personal Christian testimony, or say a prayer for a good show for the exhibitors. I think he just likes to pull my chain, listen to my testimony and get a spiritual high from it, as I do. Anyhow, that is what I did.
During the next four days of the show editors Dwight Schuh (Bowhunting magazine), Jay Strangis (Petersens’ Bowhunting magazine), Gordon Whittington ( NA Whitetail magazine), John Zent ( NRA American Hunter magazine), Mark La Barbera (North American Hunter magazine); writers / seminar speakers / pro staffers Bill Winke, Bob Foulkrod, Ted Nugent, Eddie Salter, Stan Potts, Dick Idol; photographes Leonard Lee Rue III and his son Len Rue Jr. and Bill Kinney, manufacturers Larry Jones ( elk calls), Harold Knight and David Hale, (game calls) Jerry Peterson (Wood’s Wise game calls), Greg Sesselman (Scent Lok), David Bloch (Outdoor Edge Cutlery), Randy "Flag Man" Bartz (goose flags), George Jurgens (goose windsocks), Art Ladehoff (Big Foot goose decoys); TV or Video personalities Roger Raglin, and Jay and his wife Tami (TV personalities), Ray Howell and several others stopped by the booth. Many of these people are strong Christians, even "born again" Christians, and our booth seemed to be a meeting place for them, with coffee, doughnuts and Christian testimonies flowing freely. It was really enjoyable to catch up with all of them – before we hit the show circuit that year.
After a few phone mishaps my wife and children have learned not to be skeptical when someone notable calls the house asking to speak to me. The first mishap occurred when my wife answered the phone, and the person on the other end said, "This is Bud Grant, is T.R. there?" My wife said, "Yea right." and promptly hung up the phone. A few minutes later when Bud Grant, coach of the Minnesota Vikings called, she realized it was really him, and promptly handed me the phone. She did it again when General Norman Schwartzkopf’s secretary called from his offices in Florida, asking for T.R. Michels. My wife again said, "yea right." When his secretary said, "This really is General Schwartzkopf’s Secretary", my wife realized she had made a mistake, and called me to the phone.
You'd think my kids would get used to it sooner or later. They have met former MN Vikings coach Bud Grant, former MN Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale, pro wrestling manager of Hawk and Animal, "Precious" Paul Ellering; Tom Miranda, Gabe Schaffner, John Satterwhite, Tom Knapp, Byron Ferguson and his wife Wanda (he offered to shoot an apple off of Tawnyas head), Tony Dean, Myles Keller, Greg Miller, Mike Weaver, Stan Potts, Jerry Peterson, David Hale (who stayed at our house), Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo, Bob Foulkrod, Dwight Schuh, Larry Jones, Bob Fratzke, Robert Hoague, Gary Clancy, Jeff Murray, Ray Eye, Judy and Herman Kovar, Joella Presson and several others. Tawnya has practically been adopted by many of them because she has been doing shows with me since she was 5. She is particularly close with Dan and Guy Fitzgerald, and Guy's wife Jenny. They are all great people, and seeing them on the show circuit every year, and swapping hunting stories is something we look forward to every winter.
So, when my son Dallas answered the phone and they said it was "the Pentagon calling for Mr. T.R. Michels", he called me to the phone. But, he immediately went to my daughter, Tawnya, and asked her, "What did Dad do?" (like I was in trouble). When Tawnya asked, "Why?", Dallas said, "Because the Pentagon is calling Dad." As a result of my conversations with General Schwartzkopf, and because I am a camouflage designer, and had two camouflages on the market (Konifer in Cabelas’ and Field Stalker in Herter’s), I had been consulting with the pentagon on some new camouflage designs for more open camouflage patterns such as those used in Desert Storm.
Anyhow - a few weeks after the Shot Show, we had just got home from church when the phone rang and my wife told me someone was asking for :T.R." I took the phone, said Hi, and he said, This is ---". He said he had just read my book and really liked it. Thinking he was talking about my Whitetail Addict's Manual I asked him if he had learned anything about whitetails from it. He said yes he had learned a lot, but he was talking about my book Witness; A Christian Hunter's Insights & Outlook. I remember that he said he had read many of my articles in the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter magazine. He also mentioned that he had just had his first article published in that magazine. I told him that I had read it and liked it. He said that he thought I should write some articles along the lines of what he did. I told him that when my editors wanted an article from me, it was usually something about game animal biology and behavior, or hunting techniques, because that is what I'm best at.
I then told him I would send him my Whitetail Addicts’ Manual, because he might learn something from it. He said he knew he would learn something from it, because he had read those other articles of mine. So, when I got home I put the book in an envelope for him. And then, suspecting that he might not be a Christian, but that he might be interested in my views on Christianity, I also put a copy of my book Witness; A Christian Hunters Insights and Outlook (which contained my personal Christian Testimony, some of my thoughts on Christianity, and several threads from the religion forum on the T.R.’s Tips boards on HuntingNet) in the envelope. Those threads talked in depth about Christianity, and a lot of different topics and questions about it. I hoped it might get him interested in Christianity, thinking "The lord has opened a door for me, I better walk through it while I have the chance." So, the books were off to him in the mail.
When were done discussing the book on the phone, I asked him if he would say Hi to my children. He said sure. I took the phone upstairs to where my 210#, 6'1" 16 year old son Dallas was taking a shower. I pulled back the shower curtain, pushed the phone toward him and said, "say Hi Dallas". He looked at my like I was crazy, because there he was stark naked and soaking wet in the shower. He said, "Who is it?" I said, "Just say Hi." When he didn't say anything I heard the voice on the phone say, "Hi Dallas". Then as the caller introduced himself - I saw Dallas' eyes get wider, and he said "uh huh", and again "uh huh". Then he handed me the phone and I repeated the scenario with my daughter Tawnya, who was sitting in her room.
When I finally got off the phone I went to Dallas and said, "Did you think you would ever get to talk to --- on the phone? And Dallas being the "word wizard he is said, "Nope". When I asked if he thought he'd ever get to talk to --- on the phone naked he again responded, "Nope". When I asked if he would ever forget it he said in a highe pitched voice, "Nope".
I suppose not, it was Ted Nugent.
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Topic: A Famous Hunter Calls our house ... (Read 1770 times)
