Discover Smith Mountain Lake
FALL 2016
11
10
Dave Lortscher opened his eyes in Carilion Memorial Hospital’s
recovery room and met the gaze of the heart surgeon looking down
at him. Tubes, gauges, and all manner of other medical equipment
covered all parts of his body. It was 2002, and he had just undergone
emergency open heart surgery. His first barely audible question for
the surgeon: “Will I be able to hunt
again?”
Obviously, he got the answer that
he wanted. Since then, Dave has
hunted in 13 US states, 4 Canadian
provinces, and also in Europe,Africa
and South America. He has placed
five animals in the World Record
Book. Nine more await certified
measurement, and are expected to
qualify for the record book as well.
Lortscher identifies withTV outdoor
star Jim Shockey, with whom he has
shared time in hunting camp. “When
I’m not hunting,” Shockey says, “I’m
thinking about hunting. It’s on my
mind, because it’s in my soul.”
Joyce Lortscher, Dave’s wife of 52
years, says “I encourage Dave to hunt,
because his preparation includes a
lot of exercise and healthy eating,
which in turn keeps his heart in good
condition.”
Staying in shape is an important
component of his preparation. A
few years ago, as part of his pre-hunt
training, Lortscher had walked 75
miles in one day as a one-man fund-
raiser for the YMCA. His efforts
garnered sufficient funds to build a
“tween room” at theWestlake facility.
Hunting is not for everyone, and it
certainly has its detractors. Dave
explains his perspective on hunting in a way that educates and informs
those who may not understand what he does.
“Whenever possible, I hunt for older male animals that have been
supplanted as breeding stock by younger, stronger male animals.This
is a great conservation practice and benefits the herd tremendously,
because I’m removing a redundant animal that would otherwise be
competing for food and water, and that would ultimately be killed by
another male in the herd, by predators, or by old age and starvation.”
Lortscher is highly respectful of the animals he harvests. Before field
dressing his trophies, he prays over them in the European tradition,
thanking them for their lives,
commending their spirits to the
afterlife, and promising to use
their meat and hides to benefit
others. He often thinks of St.
Hubert, patron saint and role
model for all hunters.
In keeping with this spiritual
respect, Dr. Dave insists that
every bit of meat be carefully
preserved and then used to
benefit the community. In
addition to providing meat
to eight families in Franklin
County, he recently donated
over 600 pounds of venison to
Lake Christian Ministries for
distribution. In Argentina, he
donated over 1,000 pounds to a
local Christian food pantry, and
in Africa he provided over a ton
of freshly harvested meat to a
Christian mission serving some
very poor, starving villagers.
Naturally, there is more to the
attraction of hunting than merely
harvesting an animal. The entire
adventure of long-distance travel
stimulates him immensely. He
begins the process by carefully
screening the kind of animal(s)
to be sought, the potential
travel destinations, and most
importantly, the outfitter(s) with
whom he intends to hunt. This
pre-hunt investigation can take as
long as a year or two. Small wonder, then, that Lortscher already has
a “bucket list” that extends two years into the future… for now, at
least.
Many months of careful preparation follow. Dave creates a detailed
list of everything that he will need to take with him on the hunt,
including a very comprehensive first aid kit.
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Above: This monster Manitoba elk was 9½ years-old and weighed
over 1,000 pounds. Below: This Greater African Kudu is one of
Lortscher’s Record Book trophies.
