The Bobbie Blesh Buck Story

Article by DAVID SIKES

n 83 years, Bobbie Blesh never demonstrated a desire to

hunt; though, as a child, she was exposed to a rich Texas
hunting culture through her father.
Evidence from taxidermists of her dads field prowess was
displayed prominently on the walls of her familys comfortable
Dallas home. As a child, Bobbie even had a huntress role model in
an aunt. Her fathers sister enjoyed sports afield.
Even so, as Bobbie watched her father prepare for hunting
adventures involving deer, doves and quail, the urge to follow or
to ask whether she could tag along did not occur. And, through
all those years, Bobbie cannot recall anyone extending to her
an invitation to join in a hunt. In retrospect, this didnt seem to
bother her.
In many ways, Bobbie Iris Rickard enjoyed the typical urban
lifestyle of an upper-middle class girl born in 1929. She was shielded
from many hardships of the Great Depression, because her father
owned a successful chain of five-and-dime stores. She was an only
child and the focus of loving parents. Bobbie was a good student at
Highland Park High School and active in the church youth group.
After graduation, she did what might have been expected of a
Texas girl from a good Christian family. She enrolled in Southern
Methodist University, joined a sorority and in four short years
earned a bachelors of science degree in home economics. Some
might see this as typical for a young lady with a southern Methodist
upbringing back then.
The following year, in December 1952, Daddys little girl married
a responsible gentleman from a good family. It was a good fit,
evidenced by the success they enjoyed from a noble calling. Bobbie
and her Ph.D. husband ultimately established and operated an
educational institute for preschoolers, while raising a beautiful
family, two daughters Sharon and Joyanne and a son named
Warren.
Dr. Robert Blesh was an educator not a hunter. So, Bobbie
watched again from the sidelines as her own father instilled his
hunting heritage into outdoor-eager Warren, as if he were the

TEXAS WILDLIFE

NOVEMBER 2015

Photo courtesy of the Blesh family

HUNTING
HERITAGE
ON RRR
RANCH

HUNTING HERITAGE ON RRR RANCH

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

Photo courtesy of the Blesh family

Photo by David Sikes

HUNTING HERITAGE ON RRR RANCH

Bobbie Blesh is so excited to get her hunting license.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

NOVEMBER 2015

son he never had. Nearly every Saturday,

Bobbies dad would stop by the house to
take Warren to the family farm in Aledo.
Looking back, Bobbie cannot recall any
aversion to the outdoors she might have
held as a child or an adult. In fact, Bobbie
enjoyed catching panfish at Lewisville
Reservoir and salmon fishing in Alaska.

Who knew that Bobbie the

petite, SMU sorority girl with
a home-ec degree wanted to
go hunting?
And, she wasnt afraid or against guns either.
Warren recalls his mother shooting an old
over-and-under varmint gun that belonged
to his grandfather, but hes not sure what
was in her sights. The upper barrel was a
.410 gauge shotgun with a .22 caliber rifle
below. Nobody is sure what became of the

HUNTING HERITAGE ON RRR RANCH

always been just a request away. She did

not lack opportunity. Her son Warren
owns and manages a small ranch near
Goldthwaite with plenty of whitetail deer,
blackbuck antelope and other game. Part
of his management plan involves offering a
variety of hunting packages for a fee to help
cover expenses. And, by this time, Bobbie
had spent many nights in the bunkhouse
of this peaceful Central Texas respite. All
she had to do was ask or express a passing
interest in hunting. Warren would have
been delighted to accommodate her wishes.
But, instead, the sassy grandmother
revealed her desire at a very public
fundraiser for the Goldthwaite Botanical
Gardens. Warren had donated a blackbuck
hunt for the banquets live auction. The
unsuspecting Blesh family sat in the
audience, along with Mom, when the
auctioneer rattled off the particulars of the
Triple R hunt.
It is unclear whether Bobbie planned
what happened next. The bidding opened at
$1,500. Bobbie grinned and raised her hand
to the delight of the crowd and puzzlement
of her family.
Somebody upped the bid to $1,600.
Bobbie, now fully engaged and invested
in the chase, raised her hand again with
purpose. The auctioneer enthusiastically

began babbling and begging for someone

to boost the bid to $1,700. The hunt was in
Bobbies sights. She obliged the auctioneer,
not once but twice, out-bidding herself
until the total had reached $2,000.
Yes, as you can imagine, Warren was
staring intensely in disbelief at his mother
when the auctioneer shouted, Sold! and
punctuated the sale with the resounding
finality of his gavel.
Why, Mom? Warren asked his dear
mother.
Because nobody has ever asked me to
go hunting, she replied with a self-satisfied
grin. Now, when are you going to take
me?
Warren describes the Triple R as a modest
little ranch with a big heart. The family
prides itself in welcoming young hunters,
just as his grandfather had nurtured him.
Warren especially enjoys hosting first
timers, hoping other small-ranch owners
follow his lead. But, he never imagined his
mom would be among these first-timers.
The blackbuck hunt went well. Warren
had prepared her for months by marking
magazine photos of deer around the house,
placing a dot or X in the spot she should
place the bullet. He even marked the spot
on the ceramic deer figurine of a pair of
lounging deer that had been in the family
Photo by David Sikes

old gun. Bobbies father died 1977.

Bobbie enjoyed a mostly domestic life,
again, one of family bliss in a setting mostly
guarded from misfortune.
Fast forward to 1996, when Warren
approached his mother with an opportunity
to purchase 400 acres hed been leasing as a
hunting camp in Mills County. The owner
wanted to sell the property but promised
not to list it if Warren could come up with
some fast cash. Mom came through by
helping with the down payment. Warren
honored his grandfather by posting his
monogram, RRR, above the ranch gate.
As a grandmother, Bobbies good life
continued. She watched her children
become successful and responsible parents
with families of their own. For years, family
and friends suspected nothing was missing
except perhaps later, in 2007, when her
husband died. But, surrounded by people
who loved her, Bobbies heart healed as
time passed. She had her health and the
fulfillment that comes with the life shed
led, along with the gratification of knowing
she had touched many lives along the
way. What could be missing from such a
storied legacy?
Well, one day, Warren noticed a subtle
clue that Bobbie may have wanted more.
According to Moms ledger, only a few
hundred dollars remained on Warrens
debt for the ranch. The final payment never
came, because Bobbie refused to accept
it. This was not actually a loving mothers
act of generosity. She wanted a piece of the
Triple R Ranch, along with ranch privileges
for life. Bobbie had grown to like the easy
pace and serenity of rural life.
Her unlikely evolution came as a surprise
to her children. The second hint that
something might be simmering unfulfilled
in this Texas grandmother came suddenly
as another surprise to everyone.
There were no obvious signs of
discontent, no warnings, no bucket list to
anyones knowledge. She had not confided
in her children or friends this grand and
secret desire.
Who knew that Bobbie the petite,
SMU sorority girl with a home-ec degree
wanted to go hunting?
Rather than come right out and
say so, Bobbie chose a more dramatic
revelation. Understand that hunting had

Bobbie Blesh takes aim during a deer hunt with her son, Warren Blesh.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Photo by David Sikes

HUNTING HERITAGE ON RRR RANCH

TWA Life Member Warren Blesh and his mother Bobbie Blesh with the whitetail buck harvested on Warrens RRR Ranch near Goldthwaite.

50 years, showing his mother where to aim.

After her one-shot harvest of the blackbuck,
Bobbie walked toward the animal, turned to
her son and revealed she wanted a whitetail
buck next.
The lessons continued in the off season,
and Bobbie was ready. But, within days
of the hunt, she fell. This threatened to
postpone her hunting plans. The spill
blackened Bobbies eye and fractured a bone
in her left hand. The doctor said the hunt
was off. But, it wasnt. Bobbie promised not
to use her left hand. And, her eye was not
swollen at least not enough to hamper her
shooting accuracy. Bobbie was determined
to fulfill her quest.
And, I want to shoot the same gun, she
told Warren.
Of course she did. The rifle the Blesh
family all knew as The Legend was the
stuff of tradition. It belonged to a relative
a cousin to Bobbie thinks who became
one of his hunting mentors throughout

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

childhood. The relic had been part of

Warrens memories since he was 14. He
believes its a British made firearm from
World War I reworked into a 22.250. And,
even today, when Warrens hands caress
the oiled and worn wooden stock his mind
conjures the face of James Rip Farley, who

I should have done this

50 years ago. I thought
the antlers were bigger
than that.
Warren refers to as his father of hunting.
For 35 years, they were a familiar and
comfortable trio, Warren, Rip and "The
Legend." Together, they never missed what
they aimed to shoot or an opportunity to
hunt the Power Ranch near Goliad.
On their final hunt together, Warren, then

NOVEMBER 2015

a young man, and Rip spotted the biggest

buck they had ever seen together. Warren
held "The Legend" steady, but something
told him not to shoot. Instead, the pair sat,
watched and savored their final hunting
moment together though they didnt know
it would be the last. Rip died a few months
later but not without a final gesture. Warren
got the gun in accordance with Rips wishes
as stipulated in his will. But, legends belong
to the ages. The Blesh family knows, because
Warren has told them in certain terms that
when he dies, "The Legend" goes to Farleys
great grandson, Alex Eilers.
But first, there was destiny to fulfill. Its
next duty was to put a smile on the bruised
face of Rips 83-year-old cousin Bobbie. So
on a December dawn, with her son sitting
snuggly by her side in a rustic ground blind
on the RRR, Bobbie with her good hand
clutched the now familiar relic she knew
by name and reputation. Mother and son
whispered throughout the cool morning

Bobbie completes her TBGA First Harvest

Award paperwork.

as they peered through the blinds narrow

window. But the hunt did not produce a
buck befitting Bobbies first.
The midday siesta gave Bobbie time
to imagine what could have been and to
dream about the evenings opportunity.
Like a child, she would not be denied and
Warren certainly was not going to stand

in the way. The afternoon wildlife activity

was much greater than what the morning
chill had revealed. And, this was reflected
in Bobbies antsy attitude. But when the
bucks came out, the whispers returned. It
was Bobbies time.
Her shoes were blue. Her nails were red.
Her sweater was white. The bruise around
her squinting left eye was a delicate shade
of lavender. Her jeans were fashionably
faded, topped with her daughter-in-laws
GameGuard camouflage jacket. And resting
a broken left hand on her knee, Bobbie
sighted down the barrel of "The Legend"
with her good eye and squeezed the trigger
with the index finger of her uninjured hand.
Her aim was true, and the buck was hers.
The celebration inside the blind was brief.
Warren helped his mom over the uneven
terrain in silence. They stopped and stared
at the buck. Warren nudged the animal
with his boot.
You did it, Mom, he said. One shot.
Bobbie looked up at her son with pride.

I should have done this 50 years ago,

she said with a youthful grin. I thought the
antlers were bigger than that.
Photo courtesy of TBGA

Photo courtesy of the Blesh family

HUNTING HERITAGE ON RRR RANCH

TWA Past President Greg Simons (l) and TWA

CEO David Yeates (r) presented Bobbie with
her First Harvest Award at the Texas Big Game
Awards banquet in San Angelo.

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