The Making of A Sportsman

About the Book

This is the story of a 43 year old who takes up big game hunting for the first time. A series of adventures and misadventures, that leads him to become the consummate hunter with the highest respect for the animals he pursues. These stories contrast triumph and near defeat with an overall respect for the hunting heritage he has become a part of and a new depth of appreciation for life.

About the Author

My relationship with Ed Stilwill began in 1981 when he joined the Grand Traverse Radiologists as the fi fth physician. I was their Retirement Trust Officer and Ed and his associates were my clients. In 1994 Ed asked if he could join me on a two week deer and antelope hunting trip to Montana. He drew a non-resident license and I did not. That was when he told me he had never hunted big game before.

On our trips, Ed would bring a hard back novel and take meticulous notes. He would return home and dictate these on cassettes for our pleasure later in the year. Ed is a student of western history and in particular, American Indian history which is used extensively in his writings. These stories tell of a 43 year old who travels west and north in pursuit of antelope, deer, elk, caribou, waterfowl and upland birds. Ed makes a few mistakes but learns fast and soon becomes a sportsman with the highest regard for the animals he pursues. These are a collection of tapes that have been edited by me for this book.

Ed lives and practices medicine in Traverse City, Michigan when not at his mountain top home in Big Sky, Montana. I have taken an early retirement, moved to Helena, Montana with my wife where we purchased horses and began a new chapter of our own.