Fred Radford's Hunting Stories

My brother George and I used to do quite a bit of hunting, moose or deer.   I remember in the 40’s when we got a moose way up towards Thaddeus Lake.  Mother always wanted to go with us, to be with us when we packed it out.   We were about three and a half to four miles north of where my brother George lived, so she went with us.   Along what was just a trail through the bush and we’d dress the moose, cut it up, and put it in the packsacks to carry it home.  After that it became a tradition that mother did every fall when George and I used to hunt.

             Fred Radford             Harriet Radford     George Radford

Speaking of hunting I never forget the time I went hunting north of the Airport Lake.  I was up on a hill and I looked down below and there were three moose.   I took a shot at the bull but I think I missed it.  There was also a cow and a calf there too, and the cow came belting up the hill.  I could hear it coming, but it went out of sight in the bush, then all of a sudden there it was a 100 feet from me.   I had to shoot it as I thought she was coming after me, but I think she was just running and didn’t know where she was going.  But anyway we got that moose.

Years later, after I moved to Sioux, I was hunting with Ostrum.  We used would go in that same area and we did quite a bit of hunting in that area.  The last moose I shot was standing in the middle of the road.  We shot him and he just wandered to a hill.  We just turned the truck around, backed up and put him in.  It was then that I said to Ostrum, that is the end of my hunting, I’m going to hang up my gun. I felt it was getting too easy.  That 1954, and it was the last bit of hunting I did.  I let them enjoy their lives the same as I have mine.

(An interview recorded and transcribed by Fred's son John Radford)