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, Virginia, 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.