Lifelong hunter up to the challenge of another hunt

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

When hunters headed to the deer blind for opening morning of the 2007 firearm deer season it was with thoughts of seeing a buck sporting a monster rack that would make both ?Boone? and ?Crockett? take notice. Don Kowalski of Rogers Township, even at 88, was sharing similar thoughts. Why not? Kowalski took the most-prized buck of his life 13 years ago when he took down a nine-point buck. That was when he was 75. Don still has the trophy hanging in his garage — with the tag still attached. It hangs above two of Don?s other prized collectibles: a 1926 Model T coup and a 1930 four-door Model A.

Kowalski says he has no physical obstacles that will keep him from another hunt, or the camaraderie of hunting camp. Kowalski doesn?t wear any eyeglasses, unless he?s reading and he gets around pretty well. ?I walk pretty good, yet,? said Kowalski. He does need some help getting to the deer blind, though. If that conjures up thoughts of a cane or walker, think again. Kowalski drives a four-wheeler to the blind. He?ll need it to drag the ?big one? back to camp ? if he gets one.

BORN JUNE 16, 1919, 41 years after The Advance started publishing and seven years after the Titanic went down, he has hunted his entire life, and all of it pretty much in the same area north of Rogers City. The Nagel Highway resident grew up not far fr

om his present home. ?I hunted in the woods here, when I was a kid. I would hunt for rabbits and partridge,? he said. Kowalski hasn?t missed many openers either. Being a sailor on the Great Lakes, he did miss a few, but there have been many others.

What does Kowalski like about the second half of November? ?Being in camp. I?ll be there all week,? said Kowalski. He was excited recently to see six spikers near the camp. One had some particularly long horns, but an interesting color to them.

?The color was orange,? he reported. Kowalski gets teased about his age, but said, ?That don?t bother me a bit.?

Along with being an avid hunter, Kowalski is a World War II veteran, and helped commemorate Veterans Day Sunday in Rogers City. Veterans Day was first commemorated in the United States as Armistice Day, but by presidential proclamation became Veterans Day in 1958. Interestingly enough, Kowalski has been around longer than both historic dates. Regardless, Kowalski will have both a buck and doe license ready for whatever crosses his path.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.