Douglas Pearson said:
My sincere condolences to all those who loved Bob! I have known him since June of 1974.
Bob and I enjoyed many hunting trips together. He was the consummate hunter and took hunting very seriously. I was raised in Colorado and had been hunting all of my life, and it all came quite naturally to me. Bob, on the other hand, grew up a city boy in Ohio and had to learn hunting and “outdoorsmanship” as an adult. He was apparently a quick and capable learner who had first-class skills, including hunting, field dressing, camping, and navigating the wilderness!
We hunted elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, mountain lions, and numerous smaller animals. There were ranchers in the area who encouraged us to shoot prairie dogs, as horses and cattle could break a leg if they stepped in a burrow while running. So we went shooting these little pests from time to time. We would make bets on the outcome of long and difficult shots. This activity helped sharpen our shooting skills and was very good fun. Hunting trips are a way to really socialize and get to know other people. We and various others with whom we hunted engaged in many antics while in camp, but not while hunting.
We were also both members of the “Twin Peaks Handgun Metallic Silhouette Club” located east of Walsenburg, Colorado. This sport requires that one knock over heavy metal plate life-size targets of chickens, pigs, turkeys, and bighorn rams at ranges from 50 yards (for chickens) to 200 yards for rams! (The rams weighed 46 pounds, and had to be knocked over from 200 yards!) Bob made a practice range at his home in Beulah for us to use. We practiced regularly and entered competitions at TPHMSC and other places in Colorado. Bob and I both competed in the Colorado State Championship competition. Bob used a highly specialized Thompson Center pistol and competed in the “Unlimited class”. I used an unmodified Smith and Wesson revolver in the “Production class”. In 1978 and 1979, Bob and I got trophies in our respective classes. We were not in direct competition as we were in different classes. I don’t remember what place trophies Bob received, but I got third place in both years in my class.
I flew with Bob on numerous occasions, both in Colorado and cross-country. Bob was a careful and skillful pilot, but after the first time I flew with him, I felt a bit vulnerable and told him that I wanted him to teach me to land the plane in case something happened to him in the air, as I didn’t want to die with him unnecessarily. He found that humorous, but rational, and agreed to teach me. First, he showed me how to take off and then eventually to land. After a couple of pretty rough landings, I got the hang of it and did a respectable job of getting the plane safely and carefully to the ground. Subsequently, I felt much more comfortable flying in his Cessna 185.
Another memorable thing that we did together was to have an annual pig roast party at his mountain home in Beulah. We would purchase a live pig and butcher it. We would then inject the hams, back-strap, shoulders, and other meaty places with barbecue sauce. The pig would then be put on a motorized spit that we had constructed, which turned the pig above a firebox that could be raised or lowered to alter the heat level. We would get the pig on the spit by 9:00 pm, and it needed to be tended continuously as the fire (local scrub oak wood) needed to be stoked. We needed to keep a hose handy, as four or five hours into the cook, the fat would start to ooze out, and it could catch fire, so the hose would be used to extinguish the fire on the pig. Bob and I and a couple of other fellows would stay up all night, drinking beer, shooting the bull, and alternately napping one or two at a time. The next day, guests arrived and brought side dishes, drinks, etc., and we had a great party. I must say that the roast pork was absolutely divine!
I have many wonderful memories of my time with Bob Davis!
My sincere condolences to all those who loved Bob! I have known him since June of 1974. Bob and I enjoyed many hunting trips together. He was the consummate hunter and took hunting very seriously. I was raised in Colorado and had been hunting all of my life, and it all came quite naturally to me. Bob, on the other hand, grew up a city boy in Ohio and had to learn hunting and “outdoorsmanship” as an adult. He was apparently a quick and capable learner who had first-class skills, including hunting, field dressing, camping, and navigating the wilderness! We hunted elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, mountain lions, and numerous smaller animals. There were ranchers in the area who encouraged us to shoot prairie dogs, as horses and cattle could break a leg if they stepped in a burrow while running. So we went shooting these little pests from time to time. We would make bets on the outcome of long and difficult shots. This activity helped sharpen our shooting skills and was very good fun. Hunting trips are a way to really socialize and get to know other people. We and various others with whom we hunted engaged in many antics while in camp, but not while hunting. We were also both members of the “Twin Peaks Handgun Metallic Silhouette Club” located east of Walsenburg, Colorado. This sport requires that one knock over heavy metal plate life-size targets of chickens, pigs, turkeys, and bighorn rams at ranges from 50 yards (for chickens) to 200 yards for rams! (The rams weighed 46 pounds, and had to be knocked over from 200 yards!) Bob made a practice range at his home in Beulah for us to use. We practiced regularly and entered competitions at TPHMSC and other places in Colorado. Bob and I both competed in the Colorado State Championship competition. Bob used a highly specialized Thompson Center pistol and competed in the “Unlimited class”. I used an unmodified Smith and Wesson revolver in the “Production class”. In 1978 and 1979, Bob and I got trophies in our respective classes. We were not in direct competition as we were in different classes. I don’t remember what place trophies Bob received, but I got third place in both years in my class. I flew with Bob on numerous occasions, both in Colorado and cross-country. Bob was a careful and skillful pilot, but after the first time I flew with him, I felt a bit vulnerable and told him that I wanted him to teach me to land the plane in case something happened to him in the air, as I didn’t want to die with him unnecessarily. He found that humorous, but rational, and agreed to teach me. First, he showed me how to take off and then eventually to land. After a couple of pretty rough landings, I got the hang of it and did a respectable job of getting the plane safely and carefully to the ground. Subsequently, I felt much more comfortable flying in his Cessna 185. Another memorable thing that we did together was to have an annual pig roast party at his mountain home in Beulah. We would purchase a live pig and butcher it. We would then inject the hams, back-strap, shoulders, and other meaty places with barbecue sauce. The pig would then be put on a motorized spit that we had constructed, which turned the pig above a firebox that could be raised or lowered to alter the heat level. We would get the pig on the spit by 9:00 pm, and it needed to be tended continuously as the fire (local scrub oak wood) needed to be stoked. We needed to keep a hose handy, as four or five hours into the cook, the fat would start to ooze out, and it could catch fire, so the hose would be used to extinguish the fire on the pig. Bob and I and a couple of other fellows would stay up all night, drinking beer, shooting the bull, and alternately napping one or two at a time. The next day, guests arrived and brought side dishes, drinks, etc., and we had a great party. I must say that the roast pork was absolutely divine! I have many wonderful memories of my time with Bob Davis!