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John Braschayko
The picture is of 13 year old John Braschayko and his Dad. John is Benefit4Kids most recent “Outdoor Wish Kid”. Benefit4Kids teamed up with Brigid O’Donoghue of Bio-Tec research and Bill Roller of Little Flat Creek Ranch to send John on his wish hunt. Some of you may remember John from my post “He Made Me Cry” a month or so ago. April and I met John and his Mom at an outdoor show in early September. When April asked John what kind of hunt he would like to go on he sheepishly replied “I’d like to get a big buck”, that got the ball rolling. John suffers from Epilepsy and had to have part of his brain removed to help control his seizures. The surgery left John with several physical problems including paralysis of his right side. He fought like crazy to regain movement in his right side and just recently became strong enough to shoot a gun. When I spoke to Brigid about John I found out that she had gone through a very similar experience when she was younger. Brigid contacted Bill Roller and told him John’s story. Bill graciously donated a hunt for John at his 1700-acre ranch. John’s Mom, Dad and Brigid were also invited along to share in John’s Outdoor Wish. John’s hunt was scheduled for the 15th of November so his Mom and Dad decided to make a trip of it and left early so they could enjoy the trip from Michigan to Southern Missouri and visit some sights along the way. When they arrived at Bill’s ranch not only did he take John under his wing but he also took him fishing on a few streams at the ranch and fixed dinner for the whole family. They then headed for the range to check John’s gun and John’s first shot was only 1 ½” off of the bull’s-eye. Once out in the blind it didn’t take long before a good 10-point buck came out to the food plot and John excitedly got ready to make his shot. Although he still struggles with the weakness in his right arm and hand he steadied his rifle and made a nice one shot kill on a great buck. As I’ve mentioned before it takes a lot of people to make this kind of Outdoor Wish come true and those of you who support Benefit4Kids through donations or purchases of Ultimate Sportsmen Raffle tickets are as much a part of making John’s wish come true as anyone. I’d like to personally thank Brigid for the hard work she does to help so many kids and also Bill Roller for donating this hunt to John. They helped to make a young man’s dream come true and quite possibly have changed his life forever. Here’s just a few excerpts from an e-mail John’s Mom sent me and one from his sister Karen that I’d like to share with all of you. “Our trip was an absolute dream come true!” “The whole thing was so incredible. John has memories to last a lifetime.” From John’s sister Karen “He is so touched that people like you would do so much for him; I remember the day he came home and told me about it.” “This has made a huge difference in John's life.” My Thanks to all of you, God Bless Steve Pray President, Benefit4Kids B4K Notes: John’s hunt was donated by Bill Roller of Little Flat Creek Ranch. John’s mount is being donated by St. Clair Flats Taxidermy in Algonac, MI. All of John’s travel, food and lodging expenses were covered by Benefit4Kids Evan Fridley
10-Year-Old Evan Fridley from Thomas West Virginia suffers from Spina Bifida. Evan heard about Benefit4Kids while on a special Doe Hunt in TN especially for kids with Spina Bifida, when he ran into Christian Aders. Christian is a past wish kid of Benefit4Kids who went to Texas to live his wish of shooting a 4 Horned Ram. Evan is a very smart young man who LOVES to hunt. While talking to his mom she tells me all these stories of Evan and it's not hard to learn of his passion for the outdoors! Evan wants to Hunt Red Stag and has numerous questions already about how big will it be, will it have a crown, etc, and this thing is barely even planned yet. Benefit4Kids will be sending Evan and his family to Superior Game Ranch (www.superiorgameranch.com) near Escanaba MI, sometime in late September to fulfill his dream of shooting a Red Stag! Not only will Evan live his dream of shooting a Big Red Stag, but also he and his family will get to see the Mackinaw Bridge and the gorgeous fall color tour show that the Upper Peninsula is so well known for producing that time of year! Evan and his family will be traveling from their home in WV to the beautiful Upper Peninsula of MI the 2nd week of October. They are set to arrive at Superior Game Ranch on Saturday October 7th, where Jeff and Reba Debacker will meet him. They are due to stay there until the 10th where they will enjoy the beauty of all the animals available on the ranch, but Evan will have his eyes open for only 1 animal.... the Red Stag! Along the way they will make numerous stops at select points along the way including Cabelas, all while enjoying the breath taking color tour you can only see in Northern MI this time of year! A special Thank You goes out to Jeff Debacker and Superior Game Ranch as well as Loyd Rebark. Superior Game Ranch does not currently offer a Red Stag hunt, as they are trying to grow their population of Red Stag to one day offer this hunt to everyone, but out of the kindness of their hearts, Loyd Rebark who raises Red Stag in the Upper Peninsula with the help of Jeff Debacker is making this young mans dream a reality by making an exception this time! If that wasn't enough they are donating the cost of the Red Stag and all the facilities to make sure the family is comfortable and feed well during their stay! This trip would never have been made possible without these 2 guys and a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to both of them! When this stay at Superior Game Ranch ends, they will spend the rest of the week visiting the numerous tourist’s spots the Upper Peninsula has to offer Evan Fridley and his family recently returned from a very enjoyable trip up to Superior Game Ranch in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On the way up, they made a stop at Cabelas in Dundee MI as they have never been to a Cabelas store. They were in for a treat upon arrival, as we heard they were thinking about doing this I contacted Rick Garrett which is the main guy in charge of Promotions at the Dundee Store and he put together a special trip time for the family while they were at the store. Although he would be out of the store that day on business, he made sure no loop holes were left and when Evan and his family arrived, they were greeted with signs all over the front door, welcoming Evan Fridley! Evan tells me he couldn't believe they did that for him! While at the store, they got a special tour of the store, it's amazing fish tank, were given a special gift bag with numerous items inside for Evan, along with employee discounts on anything they purchased while at the store, free lunch, a ton of tokens for all the kids to enjoy the shooting gallery, among meeting and spending the day with many of the store employees! Thank You Rick, Rich (Store Manager), and all of the Cabelas team for showing Evan and his family a special time while at Cabelas! From there they traveled north and met Board Member Jason Miller and his wife Jennifer in St. Ignace for dinner, then off to Gladstone where the family stayed the night, while Jason and Jennifer headed on to find the ranch to avoid loss time in the morning. It turns out it was a great idea because it took Jason 2 hours to find the place, which ended up being only about 30-40 minutes from the hotel. I think we'll get Jason a map next time Saturday morning they arrived and wasted no time getting out in the woods. The weather wasn't cooperating as temps rose into the upper 60's and 70's and the Red Stag didn't want to move. They never could get close enough and when they did move, the Stag stayed in a group of Elk, one being a HUGE trophy, which Evan wanted to take, but he was focused on the Red Stag! Later that day they finally set up and were able to get the Stag to separate from the Elk, and Evan made the shot count! Although it took a second shot from Evan, he stayed focused and stayed with the stag to put another shell in him, which dropped it in its tracks! Jason tells me this kids determination and focus for hunting is like none he has ever seen in a kid before. I was able to learn more about his background when Jason and I met the family in Southern MI on their way home for dinner. I could tell hunting is this kids life and if he can't be out in the woods or shooting a gun, he wants nothing to do with it! Good job Evan and fantastic Hunt! Since Evan shot that hog the first day, B4K threw in a hog hunt as well as a spur of the moment decision and Evan was thrilled! He finally shot a big hog, but Evan soon realized hog hunting was a littler tougher! I'm still awaiting pictures of the hog and will get them posted as soon as possible. The family tells me they spent the remainder of the trip hunting Pheasant on the ranch with Jeff, Walleye Fishing in Little Bay Denock, then visiting and sightseeing around Mackinac City before heading home. They had a blast and its all in thanks to Jeff and Reba Debacker as well as Loyd Rebark for their generous donations of the Red Stag and Ranch facilities for Evan to see his dream come true! Evan's Red Stag is being mounted by a taxidermist we have worked with in the past in Northern MI and we will then get his mount to him ASAP so he can hang it on his wall and remember all the memories everyone involved help create! Justin Bradford
Dreams can come true, even though sometimes they need a little help. Justin Bradford, an 8 year old from Lapeer, Michigan received just that. Benefit4Kids (B4K), along with support from Safari Club International-Detroit Chapter (SCI-Detroit), together helped put that ‘Dream’ in motion. Just over four years ago, Justin was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare genetic disease effecting young boys. They generally have a history of learning disabilities and/or behavior issues such as attention deficit disorders. The disease worsens over several years, and usually in less than two years from diagnoses; the child will lose all cognitive, mental, and physical functions, and deteriorate into a vegetative state leading to death. After receiving a bone marrow transplant 2 years ago, Justin was doing great. When they started to wean him off his immune suppression medication, his body started to reject the donor blood. After spending about one week in the hospital each month, and at one point for five weeks, he is up and mobile. However, the outlook is still not good. A few years earlier, Justin had an older brother, Michael, who was taken from his family and friends by the same disease. Michael was provided the opportunity to go on a dream hunt of his own. He wanted to harvest a Corsican Ram. With his vision deteriorated so far, he was unable to accomplish this task so many of us take for granted. This is where Justin came up with his idea of a dream. He wanted to harvest a Corsican Ram for his older brother. This led him to B4K Upon hearing about Justin, his condition, and his choice of a ‘Dream’, B4K decided that he was not only going to be able to fulfill the hunt for his brother, but also a ‘Dream’ of his own. This ‘Dream’ contained a Fallow Deer hunt in Texas. The hunt was scheduled for November 2005, then in December, which again was cancelled due to hospital stays or doctors orders. Finally, January 16, 2006, after all the roller coaster rides of his health, Justin was feeling great, and with the doctor’s ok, he was going to Texas. This trip was not just for Justin, but it was to include his whole family: dad (Mike), mom (Denise), and his sister (Ashley). To be included, this meant that they would accompany Justin out in the field to enjoy this adventure as ‘a Hunter and his family’. The plane ride was Justin’s first. He thought it was fun, sitting at a window watching the view. Once in the Great State of Texas, it was straight to More or Less Game Ranch outside of Abilene, Texas. Meeting the guides, staff, crew, and dropping off the gear, it was straight out to view the all the critters. As it being evening, they wanted to scout some Rams that would be great for Justin. After scouting for half an hour, they spotted a group of Rams. When asked if he wanted to harvest one of these, Justin stated that he would rather hold off and look around for others. Being in the field for a couple of hours, they spotted a Fallow Buck, nice size, possibly a true albino. The guide said it would be a great selection if Justin would like to take that one. With no hesitation, Justin agreed, and they grabbed the gear. Because of his size and health, Justin would not be able to absorb the recoil of the .243 he would be hunting with. So his gear consisted of a tripod stand his dad created to hold the rifle. This, with the help of sand bags would be able to hold the gun steady, but also help absorb the recoil. Another item in his gear was extremely special for Justin. It was a bear paw pouch made into a necklace. This was Michael’s; it had been made for him to take on his hunt. Now it was Justin’s. I am sure, that if you ask him about it, he may not directly tell you how much it means, but that you can see in his eyes. After stalking up to 80 yards, they setup and sat there waiting for the deer to provide a clean shot. The buck would come out of the thick brush, and just as quickly would turn and vanish back into the brush. Because of this action, they had to setup and move three times. On this third time, the Fallow deer came out, hesitated, turned as if heading back but stopped, turned back, providing the time for Justin to pick his spot, and gently squeeze the trigger. The guide wanted Justin to get a shot at about 50-60 yards. But the way the Fallow was acting, he was not sure if they would get that chance of getting that close. When asked if Justin would be able to make the shot, dad stated “if he shoots this like the .22, there will be no problem”. Mom was almost sure there would be lots of misses before there would be one that even made contact. With a little hesitation and thought, the shot would be taken if provided. At the crack of the rifle, all eyes watched as the Fallow Buck dropped, there on the spot. First shot, first harvest. Justin has his first animal, a nice Fallow Buck. After waiting a short while, as they walk up, nothing but smiles, a few with some tears. Justin standing next to HIS Fallow Buck, 17 points in all, and almost pure albino. Justin says that he was the most excited after the taking of the Fallow, but the consensus was that mom was more vocal and physical, jumping with tears of joy. After the pictures, and the joys of the hunt told over and over, it was time to go back to the ranch house. There, more pictures and stories were told. Before hitting the sack, still all excited, Justin had to call Grandpa about the good news. It spread quickly across Michigan, as if hearing play by play. The next morning mom and dad thought they could sleep in a little, but Justin still all excited, woke them up. The early morning and evenings were pleasant, but the midday was hot. All the hunting would be in the late afternoons. To pass the time, instead of sitting watching television, they would ride ATV’s and explore the grounds. That evening, they went out to setup on the edge of a field that was known for rams to visit. After a short time, they noticed some entering the field on the far side. Unfortunately, the rams had moved away even farther. Because of this, they had to relocate and set up a second time. Using the binoculars, they counted about twenty rams. The guide mentioned there was a nice Corsican Ram out of three of the largest ones that Justin could harvest. The guide mentioned that it was 160 yards, but after seeing Justin handle the Fallow, he was sure he could handle the shot. Being setup, and viewing through the scope, Justin sighted on the one that was to be his. This was easy, for it had a broken tip on one of the horns. All that was stopping Justin now was that the three rams were still grouped too close together to just hit the one. Justin mentions to his dad “if I shoot now, I will shot two of them”. A few times the rams would separate, but as Justin sighted in, they would bunch up again. Being all excited, it was patience that must have seemed like hours, waiting. Then suddenly the rams parted, as if it were meant to be. Again, Justin made sure of the spot he picked, and squeezed the trigger. A split second after the crack of the rifle, the mighty ram fell. Again, one shot, one harvest. This time after the nervousness in himself of hunting had subsided, Justin was sure that he was the most excited of them all. Dad and Mom were proud of Justin, but most of all the time spent together doing this as a family After pictures and more stories, it was off to the ranch house to clean the game and get ready for dinner. Again when dinner was over, no television here, too much to do and see. During the course of viewing the ranch, some of the other animals they saw were Red Stag, Elk, Buffalo, Aoudad, Black Hawaiians, lots of turkey, and Armadillos. Justin thought they were pretty cool looking critters. The next day started again with riding the ATV’s, then scouting for boar. They were out so long that the staff had to call them on the radios to come in for lunch. Soon afterwards, they were back out scouting. The guide decided to take them to another ranch that was leased by Wildlife Images. Here again they scouted. A short while later they spotted some boar. Because the guide and ranch were proud of the way Justin handled his sportsmanship, they surprised him by telling him he would be able to take one. Quickly they set up, viewing their choices. Here now were the true Texas Wild Boar, at 200 yards. The guide picked one out for Justin, counting out which one was his. Justin sighted in, found the one that was his, and wow …. this was a big one. Being sure of his spot and squeezing of the trigger, there was the crack of the rifle everyone was waiting for. The boar rolled over onto its side. There was a moment of hesitation. Nothing. The boar stayed right where it fell. More pictures and stories, everyone was proud. They started calling him ‘One Shot Bradford’. Once back at the ranch house, the guide introduced Justin to his son. He had been dropped off because they were going to go back to the other ranch to cull some whitetail doe. Excited is not close to the words from the expression on Justin when he was asked if he wanted to go. Off they went. Here again, he did his magic. Another one shot, one animal. I don’t know, but if you ask me, I would say that the bear paw necklace carried a little magic inside if there is such a thing. Or could it be that there really are people out there that truly care. Whatever it was, it’s good for the heart. Here, an eight-year-old boy gets his choice of a Dream, but wants to fulfill someone else’s. In turn, he not only gets that, but also a Dream of his own way beyond of what he would have imagined, and as a family. Things happen that way sometimes, this was truly Justin’s time. Benefit4Kids is a 501c3 organization thats primary mission is to grant outdoor wishes of children with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. They also work to involve today’s children in the outdoors and many of the activities it offers them. Find out more about B4K at www.b4k.org or call 810-441-2579 Safari Club International-Detroit Chapter is proud to have helped supply that Dream. If you know of others that might benefit from the Humanitarian Projects of SCI-Detroit, please contact me via email at huntmi@hotmail.com, or call 586-792-1145. To see more about SCI-Detroit on the web, go to www.scidetroit.com. John Gornyecz SCI-Detroit Director B4K Michigan Director Jerry Steven’s Jr.
Young Jerry Steven's Jr. from Port Huron MI suffers from Muscular Dystrophy. This young man just wanted to go hunting but physical abilities prevented this from happening for the most part...until he found Benefit4Kids! About 3 months ago my daughter Sheila called and told me to expect a call from someone she and her future husband had just met. In reality it was a friend of that person who called. His name was Jerry Stevens and he had a son named Jerry “JJ” who suffered from Muscular Dystrophy. We talked for quite some time before he finally asked me the question he feared the answer to, “was there any way we could take Jerry hunting”? Jerry told me that JJ had always wanted to go hunting but his wheelchair and condition had always prevented it other than some video games. Jerry explained JJ’s condition to me. He also told me about an upcoming life threatening operation JJ would be facing soon and said that even if we could just get him in the woods and just let JJ be there to help hold a gun it would be “so cool for JJ”. HAH I said. Not a chance. No way would we put JJ out in the woods while someone else shot his dream animal. I told Jerry we’d make sure that JJ got the chance to shoot his own animal and told him to talk with JJ about what he wanted to hunt while I made some calls. My first and most important call was to Jim Reifert cause I KNEW if there was anyone who could build what we needed it would be Jim. I explained to him what was on my mind and if I remember his exact words they went something like “don’t worry about it Bro, I’ll have something set up in no time”. Knowing Jim as I do I didn’t worry about the “wheelie gun rest” again. I talked again with Jerry and he told me JJ didn’t care what he hunted, he just “wanted to go hunting”. So back to the phone I went. I had a whitetail hunt all set up for when Ma Nature stepped in and dumped over 18” of snow on the ranch we were taking him to. Now I got to tell you I love ole Ma Nature as much as anyone but she kind of pee’d me off on that one. Now what? I spoke with Al Baggett and he told me about a place near where JJ lived that offered some pretty cool hunts and gave me the number. One phone call later it was “Game On” again. JJ’s hunt was set for Dec. 26th and he would be hunting one of his favorite critters the majestic Red Stag. To quote Jerry when he told me about JJ’s excitement upon hearing the news was “he’s electric”. The night before JJ’s hunt was pretty well sleepless for all of us as the anticipation set in. My nerves were on edge as the weather hadn’t been too good and we had gotten allot of rain on Christmas day. That combined with the fact that I’m a worrywart when it comes to our wish kids had me up well before daylight. Soon it was time to meet Jim, Jerry and JJ at the restaurant for our breakfast. To my surprise JJ’s Mom came along, as did Jim’s daughter Beth who we soon found out goes to school with JJ. After breakfast we headed over to the ranch where we were met by Thingy the owner and a few of his helpers. You could tell they were a little nervous about the whole deal until they saw the enthusiasm in JJ and watched as Jim set up JJ’s “wheelie gun rest”. Once Jim made some final adjustments to the rest we headed out in the snow after JJ’s stag. I told JJ he needed to get some snow tires on his rig before our next hunt but it wasn’t long before we found ourselves with 2 nice stags and a group of does. The wind was in our favor so we quickly set up in the hopes of getting JJ a shot, as the going was rough in the mud and snow. One of the stags noticed some of our movement and slowly started moving to our left to try and wind us. He knew something was up but wasn’t sure just what. He’d soon find out. As the stag slowly circled us JJ positioned himself in his chair moving it ever so slightly with his controls waiting for a clear shot. The anticipation was driving me nuts. Suddenly there was a thunderous BOOM and the stag stumbled but didn’t go down. I was amazed as I saw where the bullet hit and felt any animal would have gone down instantly with a hit like that. In the excitement JJ wasn’t sure he had hit it. After some assurance that he did we watch the stag for only a moment or two when he started to stagger and then went down. At 60 yards the young boy in the chair had taken out both lungs and the hunt of his dreams was fulfilled. Shortly we were back at the lodge slapping high fives, laughing, joking and retelling the story. When JJ let out his WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO we all smiled the kind of smile you only get from someone else’s happiness. Every now and then a grown man would quietly step off by himself as tears fell in thanks for allowing us to be a part of such a wonderful moment for JJ. We all know what faces JJ in the near future with his surgery but if any kid can pull it off its’ JJ. His spirit, his enthusiasm, his infectious smile and his love of life is something each and every one of us can learn from. He’s shown us all that with a little help and a little love anything is possible. I am a better man for knowing him and a richer man for being his friend. Thanks for helping Benefit4Kids help kids like JJ. Caleb's Hunt Day One
10 year-old Caleb Laxton and his Dad Mike arrived at Deer Tracks Ranch in Fife Lake, MI. with the hopes of Caleb getting a nice buck to mount on the wall next to his Dad's. Once settled into the lodge they headed out to the range to check Caleb's gun to make sure it was still zeroed in after their 750 mile trip from TN. Caleb fired 3 rounds from his 25.06 and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that if the buck of Caleb's dreams stepped out he was in serious trouble. We took a quick tour around part of the ranch to kind of "check things out" and it didn't take long to realize that the folks at Deer Tracks really care about the type of hunt their folks have. I'll tell you right now this place has some really rugged terrain and I have no doubt there's bucks in here that have never been seen by a man. There's big ridges, numerous creeks and some God awful swamps for the deer to call home. There were several different types of blinds in strategic places for the hunters to use depending on the type of hunt they were looking for. If you ever get to Deer Tracks ask to see the "Eagle's Nest". What a beautiful place. Anyway, on with the hunt. After the tour Caleb, his Dad and Caleb's guide Bill set off for a place where a lot of bucks had been hanging out recently. Phil (another guide) and I headed off in another direction to set up in a blind to try and film some deer and get some photos. Little did we know we should have switched spots with Caleb for the evening. Once Phil and I got set up we sat anxiously waiting to hear the bark of Caleb's gun. It didn't take long before we had some does and a few small bucks out in front of us. We were set up on the edge of a large tag alder swamp overlooking a field and the deer seemed really nervous for some reason. Soon we had a great 10 point come out and run off several of the smaller bucks and he started grazing along with the does. We had several really awesome bucks go through on the edge of the swamp but none seemed interested in going near the 10 point for some reason. Maybe it was because every time one of them approached his "space" he would lay his ears back and start walking toward them with the stiff legged walk of a buck with a bad attitude. All of this was really great but our thoughts kept returning to Caleb and wondering why he hadn't shot yet. Surely with the deer moving the way they were they had to be seeing some nice bucks. Slowly darkness fell and it was time to leave yet still we hadn't heard a shot. Once back at the lodge we found out that indeed Caleb had shot a nice buck but the news wasn't to good. Just as Caleb shot the buck took a step forward and Caleb's bullet struck a little further back than we would have liked. After Caleb's shot the buck moved down the hill a bit still in range but wouldn't offer Caleb a good second shot. The buck was going to lay down right there and Bill felt comfortable that once he did they would be able to sneak around him and put in a killing shot. Then as they watched in horror another buck sensing the bigger buck was injured went after him and ran him off. Now they were worried. Since Bill was video taping Caleb's hunt for him we were able to watch the shot in slow motion several times and decided it would be best to wait a few hours before going after him. We were worried about the coyotes in the area but knew it was best not to push the buck. After eating a great dinner we discussed our options and where Bill felt the deer would go. We decided that after waiting a few hours it was time to see if we could find Caleb's buck. Caleb wasn't feeling to well so he and his Dad stayed at the lodge while Bill, Phil and I grabbed the lanterns and flashlights and headed back out. I know each of us was saying the same prayer as we headed down the trail. Once we got to where the deer was standing we immediately found a fairly decent bloodtrail and our confidence started to grow. We slowly tracked Caleb's buck about 200 yards when suddenly the trail went cold. We marked last blood and slowly searched every runway and made slow small circles trying to pick the trail back up but lady luck just wasn't with us. Although all three of us felt the deer was laying dead close by we decided to wait till morning to continue looking just in case. We didn't want to jump him if he was still alive as he was heading for a really nasty swamp. Things did not look good for finding Caleb's deer and we reluctantly headed back to the lodge. Not one of the five us got a good nights sleep. Caleb's Hunt Day Two I didn't need an alarm clock to wake up at 5:30, for like my four friends I woke often through the night and prayed that we would find Caleb's buck and the coyotes wouldn't. Although it didn't get light enough to go looking again until almost 8:00 we were all ready to go by 6:30. With the help of a few pots of coffee and some friendly story telling we somehow made it to daylight without exploding from the anxiety of what was ahead. There had been a light dusting of snow overnight and Bill, Phil, Mike and I all knew the odds were not in our favor. Caleb put on a really good front but it wasn't to hard to tell he was as nervous as the four veteran hunters with him. Once again we headed down the trail each repeating the prayers we had said the night before. Hopefully the results would be different today. Once we reached the spot we had marked "last blood" it was obvious that looking for further blood was useless. Although there was just a dusting of snow it was enough to cover any blood that we may have missed the night before. There was only one thing to do and that was to spread out and search every nook and cranny in the hopes one of us would spot him laying there. The area we were in was fairly thick with many blowdowns and patches of tall weeds. Bill took a bearing on the direction the buck had been traveling and we spread out to search in that direction. I don't mind telling you my hopes were not high as we started out. We had gone about 80 yards when I heard one of the sweetest sounds I've heard in a long time. Bill hollered out to Caleb "Hey Caleb, come on over here and look at your deer". I gotta tell you Caleb's reaction still brings tears to my eyes. He covered the distance between he and Bill in about 2 seconds flat hollering all the way. If I remember it right his exact words were "You found my deer??? You found my deer??? Oh Thank you God!!! Hey Dad, Bill found my deer!!! Dad, Dad he found it!!! Thank You Bill!!! Those last 3 words were said as he almost tackled Bill giving him a hug before he even looked at the deer. After all the back slapping, high fiving, picture taking and four grown men quietly thanking God we headed back to the lodge with Caleb's buck in tow. Once back Caleb finally told us how worried he was that we wouldn't find his deer and how bad he felt that the shot wasn't a good one. Looks to me like his Dad has taught him well. We explained that it wasn't really his fault and if the deer hadn't moved at the last second his shot would have been perfect. He said he knew that but assured us anyway that "that will never happen again. Before I ever shoot again I'm making sure the deer isn't going to move". This afternoon Caleb and his Dad headed back to TN. and Caleb is anxious to show his friends and family his deer. Mike will be giving me a call once they're home to give me the number to a really good taxidermist and Benefit4Kids will get Caleb's buck mounted for him. I hope one day when Caleb's Dad is old and gray he can sit in his chair looking up at Caleb's mount next to his and look over at Caleb and tell him "hey son, remember when you were so sick and we went on that hunt where you got your first buck". I hope those memories last them both a lifetime. I know they will for me. My thanks to all of you for doing what you do to help support Benefit4Kids and our kids like Caleb. If you have a minute please drop a quick e-mail to the folks at Deer Tracks (cariboubill@hotmail.com) and thank them for what they did for Caleb and all of the other kids they've helped over the years. Caleb's isn't the first "wish hunt" they've done and there's a bunch of kids that Bill and the folks at Deer Tracks have given memories to. Bill and I are working together on a special hunt for next year and it promises to bring special memories to a bunch of kids like Caleb at Deer Tracks. B4K Notes: Caleb’s hunt was donated in part by Deer Tracks Ranch in Fife Lake, MI. Travel expenses for Caleb’s hunt were paid for by BADF East Tennessee Chapter All other expenses were covered by Benefit4Kids Mark Golden
Well it may not be the biggest 8 point you've ever seen but to 16 year old Mark Golden it's a MONSTER. Mark called me that night from Wild Rose Wisconsin where he went on an Outdoor Wish hunt at Back Achers Ranch through Benefit4Kids. Mark has numerous medical problems and although at 16 he is only a little over 4' tall and weighs only 60 lbs. he has the heart of a lion and a wonderful sense of humor and attitude. His love for the outdoors could not be stronger if he were 7' tall and built like an ox. Mark took this great buck at 30 yards with a perfect heart/lung shot from his .50 cal. muzzleloader with his Mom sitting next to him in the blind. Although not what most would consider "an outdoors woman" Mark's Mom works hard to make sure he has every opportunity to spend time doing what he loves to do, hunt and has sat with him several times hunting in the past. Mark's hunt was the first of 7 current "Outdoor Wishes" that Benefit4Kids has been able to put together so far this year because of the many generous people who have supported Benefit4Kids over the years. Soon other kids and their families will spend some great time together creating memories of hunting hogs, whitetails, fallow deer and fishing for salmon and steelhead this fall because others dug deep to help them out. My thanks to all of you for helping to make Mark's and all of the other kids dreams come true. A special thanks goes out to Dan and Bev Schuman who generously donated the hunt for Mark on their ranch and to Brigid O’Donoghue of BIO-Tec Research for everything she has done to help not only Benefit4Kids but many other kids in need. They are all very special people and the outdoor world is a much better place because of them. B4K Notes: Mark’s Hunt was donated by Dan and Bev Schuman at Back Achers Ranch in Wisconsin. Mark’s mount has been donated by the Huron Point Sportsman’s Association’s Heritage Days Fund. Mark’s travel expenses and meat processing were paid for by Benefit4Kids. Lane Duckworth
13- year old Lane Duckworth from Battle Creek, MI. warmed up with a Whitetail hunt with her Dad in the fall of 2004 and in Fall of 2005 will be going on her Outdoor Wish to hunt bears in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Lane suffered severe burns over 80% of her body when she was 6 years old. Today she still faces numerous surgeries but always has a smile on her face. Her courage continues to be an inspiration to us all. Lane and her family are on headed to the U.P. with Michigan Bow hunter District 4 Rick Kearney. Rick has been making many trips up to his Bear hunting grounds baiting and getting ready for Lane to have a great memory of her Wish! From Reports Rick has been giving us, things are looking good and baits are getting tore up, so hopefully Lane will be using her crossbow this weekend to harvest her bear! Rick Kearney who took Lane on her bear hunt and although Lane wasn't able to harvest a bear on this trip, I know she had one heck of an experience and good time with Rick! Here's Rick's email about the experience. We had a great trip. Lane and her dad were a joy to have in camp and I have invited them back to hunt with us in 2 or 3 years when we can draw tags again and they accepted. Lane hunted hard, a lot of people I know could take lessons from her about effort and dedication. Even though she didn't get a shot at the one bear that she did see we couldn't get her to change baits. We had a couple of other baits not being hunted that were being hit but she wanted to stay on hers. Ask her about her "pet porcupine". When saying grace before the meals she started out the week asking for a big bear and ended the week asking for a bear, any bear. Lane wanted to go on a trailing job and one of the other people in camp obliged her. Melanie Hicks, a friend of mine who was hunting with her husband Ron, hit a bear but the video replay showed a high shoulder hit. We spent about 8 hours on the track with Lane leading the way most of the time. She did find a shed antler while on the track. The bear was not found. However, I got a phone call about 10:30 last night, Ron & Melanie had stayed up hunting, and that same bear had come back in and she got it. It was a 200# dry sow. I called Tom and Lane to let them know. I really enjoyed the week and figure that I was blessed to be able to participate. I would be willing to do something like this again in the future. Perhaps a deer or small game hunt. Lane is absolutely deadly with that crossbow and did take a partridge with it that strolled by her bait. Speaking to Tom after we got back he told me of an interesting conversation that he had on their way home. They had stopped in St. Jacques to gas up and he started talking with another hunter that had a bow-hunting sticker on his truck. Seems he was up bear hunting with his kids and also has a daughter with challenges that hunts with a crossbow as well. Tom told them about B4K and how you work so expect a call. Lane kept notes on her hunt as a class project. The bait that she was hunting sat off of a large cranberry bog and had been referred to as Paved Trail 1. We renamed it Cranberry Lane and changed the designation in our camp log. Once again let me say thanks for allowing me to be part of what you do. Thank you Rick for working your butt off to try and get Lane a bear, but I know she had a great time even though she didn't get a shoot a bear! Your right Lane is a very special young lady and many people could learn a lot from her! Michael Frame
13 year old Michael Frame from Zanesville OH, wish was to go to Alaska Caribou hunting so in September of 2005 he got his wish. This hunt has been Michaels dream for quite some time now and recently made a reality because of Benefit4Kids. Michael suffers from Langerhans cell Histiocytosis (LCH). In English, a person who suffers from LCH suffers from an uneven amount of white blood cells which then leads to many other problems, going as far as attacking the bone, if not detected. Michael is in remission currently and doing great! Well, I got up at 3:00 A.M. and waited for Dean and Karen my grandma and grandpa to take Scott and I to Columbus International airport. I have never been on an airplane before so I was a little scared about that. But I was really excited about my hunt for caribou in Alaska. I got onto the airplane and was ready for the app. 17-hour trip. I was really surprised of the experience of going to airport to airport. We had finally got to Bethel Alaska and met up with Don Lietzau of World Trek Safari. We went to the hanger to put our gear there for the night till the next morning so we could head out to the field and while we were there we met Wade Renfro of Renfro‘s Alaskan Adventures who was the outfitter for this hunt. Next we went to the Bed and Breakfast, the people who ran the Bed and Breakfast, Dr. Jane McClure and Dr. Bill Eggimann, where so kind and it was nice for them to have all of us there. The next day we were ready to head out and by this point I was really excited to finally, after a year and a half, head into the tundra of Alaska to hunt. I flew out with Wade and Lou Limchayseng, who had booked a hunt with Wade also, for the hour flight. We got to my camp and I was about to meet one of the people I will never forget, and that would be Henry Duhaylongsod, who had helped raise money for my hunt so we had became best friends in a second. I was anxious to meet my guide, so then I meet Terry Mangold and his bother Tim Mangold who is also a guide for Wade. They both were very up to date on the caribou movement and safety. Terry and I hit it right off fast. Don and Scott came about two hours later. I had been glassing for anything to move, and I looked over by Henrys gut pile and I see a big bear. I was excited because if I had seen something this quick I knew it was going to be a good hunt for sure. By the way I was going to be shooting a 50. Caliber T/C omega muzzleloader. So I went to bed early that night so I could get a good nights sleep. The next day I got up and had a great breakfast and got a jump on the giant herd of caribou that Scott had spotted. We got our gear together and the chase was on! We had got closer to the herd and had spotted two good bulls. By this time my heart was pounding. Wouldn’t you know it the wind had changed so the herd had smelled us and ran down the mountain. Then we decided to walk to what was called “The Knob”. The herd that we had been watching ran right down the side of the mountain. The one bull I had my eye on finally gave me a good look at him and I had realized that he had a tree limb in his rack so we all had a laugh about that. We had some more caribou come in but nothing was a shooter. The next day we got up with spirits high. I had went down over the hill to look at the view of the river and realized that a parky squirrel was chasing me. I knew Terry wanted to shoot one to mount with his Bear Mount, so I slowly walked up and got him and he head shot it! Later I had finally spotted a herd of caribou in the bottom in front of us. We had moved closer and had saw one nice bull. So Terry, Scott and Don who was video taping my hunt, and I got 160 yards from a herd of about 75 caribou, But the wind had change again and they had winded us. We went to leave for camp and I look behind us and there are about ten to fifteen caribou 300 yards but nothing would work out. I got up the next day, and I knew I would shoot sometime but little did I know it was going to be today! We went to the river to take a look, and we saw a wolverine. That was cool to see but I had my eye set on a caribou. We get to the river and saw a lot of caribou and a wolf. We had seven cows close enough to get my heart pumping! We then see the herd I took my bull out of and saw one good bull. It was 5:15 when I made the decision to make the two and a half-hour stalk straight up the mountain. We got to the herd and Terry, Don and I went up to the raise while Scott stayed back while we stalked 80 yards around a ledge to get a good angle to shoot. We stalked around and I got my gun up on my backpack and looked thought the scope and saw the bull! I didn't look at the rack at all. All of the hunt Terry told me behind the shoulder and spilt a hair. Don was right behind my shoulder video taping the shot. I was told to wait till he stood up and I did. He stood up and I shot. We got right up and ran to the sight. I had made an awesome shot! I wait for Scott to come up and I picked up the rack and I will never forget these next couple of minutes. By the time we got it gutted out, quartered out and packed up it was 7:30. We walk two and a half-hours in the dark “that was fun.” A couple of days later we got picked up Wade came in the Mull and randy a pilot for wade came in the Super Cub to get us and our gear out. And went back to the hanger and I started cutting all the meat off the bone. The next day we flew out for Ohio. We got to the airport in Columbus Ohio and got hugs from mom, grandma, and grandpa! Well I had a trip for a lifetime and it was because of Benefit4Kids! This is a great origination that helps sick kids and I think it is so cool they do that! I would love to say Thank You to everyone who made my hunt possible like... Steve Pray and family, Al Baggett, Don Lietzau, Terry Mangold, Henry Duhaylongsod, and Wade Renfro. Thank you once again to everyone… Thank you goes out to all those involved with make this trip a reality for Michael. First off, thank you goes to Don Lietzau and World Trek Safaris Consultants and Wade Renfro from Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures. Both these men offer first class operations! This trip never would have been possible without these guys and a great deal of gratitude goes out to the both of them! I would also like to thank Kurt Norby and the entire Safari Club Alaska Chapter, Henry Duhaylongsod and his Dick Pacific employees, Gus and Geri Gillespie, Delano Lietzau from Wagon Wheel Kennels, and the band “Attention Deficit Disorder” for all sponsoring this hunt and making Michaels dream a reality! A big thank you goes out to the State of Alaska for donating Michaels tag and license, and Frank Pieper of Franks Taxidermy out of Eagle River Alaska for donating the time and effort to do a fabulous job on a mount so Michael can look up and see that mount everyday which will then trigger his memory to a flash back of this trip and keep that smile on his face for the rest of his life! Daniel Myslivecek was a tough young man who battled Melanoma most of his life. Various treatments and medicines were tried but nothing seemed to make it go away. Daniel lost his battle with Melanoma on July 12th, 2006 at only 14 years old, but not before Daniel was able to travel to Colorado and harvest this beautiful Mule Deer and a Cow Elk! |
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