Well I reckon this is kind of a long story, but here goes...
My grampa got this buck back in '88 at a time when deer hunting was just startin to get popular again in IL. Turns out this deer was the biggest deer of his life. Don't remember the stats, but I do remember his name was in the local paper and if memory serves, this deer was down moments after sunrise. The man was a passionate hunter and yet very low keyed about the whole affair.
In the early '90s my granny passed and pa decided to sell the farm. Instead of having all the kids squabble over what they wanted he had it all auctioned off and let them bid if they wanted it. When the auctioneer got to the trailer with the deer racks I put my bid in but my uncle won so he got first dibs and chose this rack.
Just recently, this uncle passed away and I was presented with the opportunity to reclaim what I had bid on 18 years ago. It wasn't till I was driving home that I realized the full significance of the rack, and I started making plans.
After contemplating, the best use of this resource I decided to split it up and give a part of pa back to the family. I just felt like it would be foolish to lose this opportunity to memorialize the man who has had such a huge impact on not only my life, but the lives of the entire Stanberry clan.
The final step will be to have him sign each knife and then I will pass them out to each of his children at this years thanksgiving feast. Grampa has given so much to this family, in so many ways. And now that he is nearing his end, hopefully, this will help everyone in our family to remember the values that he stands for and stand together to keep this family strong.
God Bless!
