Bill Cochran | Special to The Roanoke Times Dec 19, 2017 (2)

Clyde Roberts

Not many hunters take three deer during a single season, but Clyde Roberts of Bedford County accomplished that feat this season at age 104.


Clyde Roberts already had killed two does in Bedford County during the 2017 deer season, now he was perched 20-feet high in a tree stand looking for a bear.

Did I mention that Roberts, who lives in Evington, celebrated his 104th birthday in October?

His son, Mike, believes his dad is the oldest active hunter in America. A Google search doesn’t dispute that.

What is certain, Roberts has become the hero of hunting blogs this year, getting nearly 20,000 likes on one that described his hunting prowess.

He wasn’t always a hunter. He took up the sport when he retired from Rubatex in Bedford at age 65. That may sound like a late start, but for Roberts it was nearly 40 years ago. Mike had bought him a gun to get him started.

“I think Mike thought his father needed a hobby to help pass the time, and perhaps he was correct,” Roberts said. Growing up poor in Bedford County, where he cut timber and cleared land, hadn’t afforded him many luxuries or free time.

One of the best deals of his life was the $5 lifetime hunting license he purchased from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries upon his retirement.

“I suppose the state fish and game folks figured anyone retiring would not be around long enough for them to lose money. I have hunted and trapped on that $5 license for decades. Some years later that deal was discontinued.”

Roberts has been around longer than the DGIF itself, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016.

Last season, Roberts killed the largest buck of his life while on an Election Day hunt with his granddaughter, Christin Elliott. The two voted that morning and spent the afternoon in a tree stand. The big-bodied buck carried a wide-rack bearing 8 gleaming points. In a blog report, Christin called the hunt, “Awe-inspiring. The hunt of my lifetime. The best part was when he knelt down and thanked the good Lord.”

Elliott used her cellphone to text a blow-by-blow report of the hunt to her dad who was on an elk hunt in Montana.

“When people ask me about the secret to my longevity, I tell them it was all about hard work and living for the Lord,” Roberts said.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/...de-a9e5d6c64f6a.html

104? Looks pretty good for 104. Kudos!

god bless guys like this. double kudos for getting over on the state of Virginia for that 5$ lifetime license 40 years ago. if i was 100% certain id be living in CA 60 more years I'd buy one here

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
god bless guys like this. double kudos for getting over on the state of Virginia for that 5$ lifetime license 40 years ago. if i was 100% certain id be living in CA 60 more years I'd buy one here

It wouldn’t be five bucks here...

My next door neighbor turned 100 several months ago. Nearly every day he walks to & from the grocery store – about a mile, round trip. We can only hope to be in such good shape at that age.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
My next door neighbor turned 100 several months ago. Nearly every day he walks to & from the grocery store – about a mile, round trip. We can only hope to be in such good shape at that age.

Walking is one of the keys to long health. My aunt and uncle are in their late nineties and they take a walk every day if the weather permits.

I worked at Lowes 14 years ago and I went from 210 down to 168 pounds which was my high school weight due to all the walking around in the store.

He looks more like the 70's than 104.

Now that's badass.

Crazy to think that he was a toddler when WW1 broke out!

I wonder if that is a current picture? If so the man looks great. We should all be so fortunate!

quote:

Originally posted by Gene Hillman:
I wonder if that is a current picture? If so the man looks great. We should all be so fortunate!

Looks like the Roanoke Times has been making hay off of this guy. Here are two more stories when he was 102 and 103:

Spending a Day Afield with Clyde Roberts, 102 Year-Old Hunter:

http://blog.wildlife.virginia....102-year-old-hunter/

103 Year-Old Hunter Clyde Roberts Takes Nice Buck:

https://blog.wildlife.virginia...rts-takes-nice-buck/
....................................



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqX8PFZoOIY

Cudos to this guy!! I'm hoping that retirement might give me the time.

I guess it is never too late to start huntin'.

I need to get going. Ha!

Just to be up anywhere at 104 would be a feat for me.

If I can stay awake long enough to hold my bladder for the whole day when I'm 104, I'll call it a win.