Being a part of the Brotherhood is following a creed in which to live by, as does our December Bone Collector of the Month, Michael Schrader. He proudly tells Bone Collector about his way of carrying out being a provider, a caretaker, and a leader.
Providing for his family, Michael works full time as a Computer Network Specialist in Illinois. When he isn’t working hard for the city of Springfield, he works hard outdoors hunting Turkey and Deer. Learning from literally following his father’s footsteps in the field at the age of 6, he began the culture of the hunter at age 10 when he shot his first Quail. “Although I still believe it died from a heart attack rather than the shot,” he adds. In addition to providing for his family, Michael donates his first deer each year to the Sportsman Hunger Program, and mentions that he was proud to be able to donate two last year.
Michael takes pride in his caretaking ability by caring for Earth and teaching his children to do the same as well. He describes the best part of being in the outdoors as “seeing and feeling the rhythms of Earths circle of life.” He does his part to keep from obstructing this delicate cycle by keeping the outdoors in better condition than he found it. “We pick others trash left behind, so the next person can enjoy the same beautiful spot.” He truly cares that generations beyond ours experience life outdoors as we do now.
Leading younger generations into an appreciation and respect for outdoors is another one of Michael’s passions. He tells us that he has friends who don’t hunt or fish so he will take their children outdoors so they can have the same experiences he has had. “Last year we got my son’s best friend Spencer into the hunter education course and he took his first buck, a nice 6pt buck.” Teaching younger hunters is a trait he learned from his father, which he now passes along to his son. “My most memorable hunt occurred this year. My son Dylan 17, Spencer, and I hunted together for the Illinois Shotgun season. Dylan and I were in a double stand and Spencer was in a nearby stand. At 8:50am I spotted a buck coming up out of the draw. I told Dylan to get ready, as the buck should come out on his side. I couldn’t see the shot because moving would spoke the deer. I froze and waited………next I heard BAA and boom. Dylan just dropped his 1st Buck a nice 8 pointer. We hugged and whooped it up. Dylan was shaking and was very excited as we got to his trophy. He said ‘Dad just like the outdoor channel I used the BAA to stop him and man it worked!’ What a special memory we shared and he couldn’t wait for grandpa to get out of his stand to see his buck. This brought back the memory of my first Buck 30 years before. I was also 17 and it was a nice 8 point buck. My dad had it mounted for me and I still have it proudly hanging in my office. Needless to say we are having Dylan’s mounted. I guess history tends to repeats itself.”
As proud as you are to be in the Brotherhood, we are to have you Michael. Good luck in the field this season to you, Dylan, and Spencer.
