On Dec. 30, 2017, I lost a longtime friend and the world lost one of the greatest ambassadors for deer hunting, Charles Alsheimer.

Back when I first started writing, I attended a New York State Outdoor Writers Association Conference and had a chance meeting with gentleman for my part of the state. During a coffee break I was able to begin to pick the mind of one of the most knowledgeable whitetail hunters the world has ever known and the best of it all, he lived within 90 minutes of me.

At first, I would call Charlie and ask him the most off-the-wall questions and begin to gain insight of not only his vast first hand knowledge of the whitetail deer but after a time get to know the man himself. Charlie was one of my first friends that not only had a regional following but also a national following. I was able to see first hand how he handled himself and right way to treat folks. I have a bunch of stories with Charlie in them, but the ones that I will hold dear, is the way in treated folks. Charlie would treat everybody like they were old friends.

Over the years, we would catch up on the sports show circuit. Through those years I would listen as Charles would discuss his passion, the whitetail deer and Quality Deer Management. His everyman’s approach to hunting and how to manage deer has been shared with millions of sportsmen across the country.

As a photographer, Charlie would say he had to close enough to get that prefect picture. One of his most famous was taken at ground level. There is a monster buck standing in front of an archery hunter in a tree stand. He was able to shoot the picture from the ground, with the buck in between himself and the hunter. The picture itself is first class but for those that study the picture, one begins to understand the difficulty of such a difficult shot.

For those of us that love the world of the whitetail deer, you no doubt have seen Charlie’s photos or read any of his pieces on Quality Deer Management and whitetail behavior. For 40 years, Charlie was able to share sportsmen his experiences and knowledge, through Deer and Deer Magazine and D&DH TV.

His love of God and family were evident to all that where blessed to know him. Thank you, Charlie, for all that you gave to myself and all the lives you touched. Rest in peace my friend.