One Heck Of A Ride

13 When the phone rang recently, it was my good friend Bill Paulin calling. We visited and talked about some of his recent hunts, some we had shared, and then he said he was writing a book with Bill Quimby, an author and editor who had helped such well-known international big game hunters as the Crown Prince of Iran, H.I.H. Abdorreza Pahlavi, as well as C.J. McElroy, Watson Yoshimoto, Hubert Thummler, Arnold Alward, David Hanlin and others publish their memoirs. I told him I thought this was great, and then he flattered me greatly by asking, “Jimmy, would you write the foreword?” I have a problem writing letters, contracts, and ordinary business correspondence. Where would I start? How would I express the many reasons why we hunt, or explain our efforts to conserve wildlife? How would I talk about the friends we make over a lifetime of hunting? It was obvious I needed to start at the beginning, when I was on an airliner on my way to Canyon Creek Ranch in Montana for an elk hunt. Two young and very fit gentlemen were sitting in front of me, reading an article in Safari Magazine about a lady who had successfully hunted a black bear in Idaho with guide Ray Rawls. In those days, few women hunted big game and I smiled when I heard them talking about the article. I listened to them for a few minutes before I tapped the shoulder of one of them and informed them the lady in the article was my wife, Sharon. Introductions followed and I learned Bill Paulin and his hunting partner, Bud Dyer, also were traveling to Canyon Creek Ranch to hunt elk. It was the start of a friendship that has lasted more than forty-five years. Although none of us harvested an elk, we all agreed that hunt was a resounding success. We hunted hard and enjoyed the ranch’s home-cooking and comfortable quarters. More Foreword Jimmy Standley (left) and author having a good time at The Grand Slam convention.