Incredible Disabled vet hunt, part 2

willy

5 year old buck +
We were nestled into the stand by 2. Lots of stories about days gone by were shared. We saw our first deer at 3 but it was not where Tyler could get a shot and it was not a buck. Around 4 a forkhorn and a button buck walked through the same area to never be seen again(at least that day by us). At 430 a deer was spotted feeding in the beans about 200 yards south of us but would weave in and out of view. Our attention was to that area when I caught movement 40 yards from the blind.

A doe popped out of the trees, looking nervous and back to the north. I told Tyler that it was an adult doe. He said he was going to pass as he was going to get a buck. I said okay and continued watching the doe and looking back to where it seemed to be looking commenting that it could have a buck trailing. We couldn't see anything that way but I caught a flash of white about 10 yards south of the doe mixed with the cedar trees. I threw the binocs on the spot and knew instantly there was a great buck with the doe. I said "there's your buck" Tyler then spotted it and the heavy breathing and increased heart beat began(it happened to Tyler too,) I could hear my breathing and Tyler's, and thought I could hear our hearts racing and knew we had some fever going on.

Immediately I told Tyler that buck wasn't going anywhere as long as that doe was out there. We got the gun trained to where all the buck had to do was take a couple steps and it would be broadside in full view at 50 yards. The the doe turned around and went back into the trees, I may have uttered a bad word but almost as soon as I said that the doe had turned around and stepped back out. A few seconds later the buck was in the same spot as earlier. We got the gun trained to where it needed to be and the buck did exactly as we wished it to. I pushed the safety off, Tyler bit the trigger pull device, and the gun didn't fire. I ran the bolt action to reset the trigger. He tried again and nothing. We thought maybe the safety was still on but I when I checked I couldn't move it forward or back. I jacked out the shell which promptly fell to the blind floor but not before it hit every piece of metal it could on his chair and his gun rest. I looked at the deer and the doe was on high alert, buck was oblivious. We stayed frozen and soon the doe went back to feeding, all the while the buck is slowly closing the distance to the blind and doe.

I closed the window, took the strap off that held the gun in place on his rest, and take the gun off of the rest. I ran the action, jacked a new shell in and the safety works just fine. However we noticed that the trigger device, that gave us so much trouble the time Tyler came out to sight in his rifle had moved forward and was not touching the trigger.

Me being the genius I am, didn't bring the allen wrench with me to the blind to easily rectify the situation even though the same thing happened when we were attempting to sight in his rifle. I just thought I had tightened it so tight it wouldn't move and the gun hadn't been shot so there was no extreme shock to the device to cause it to move. I moved the device a bit but couldn't get it as tight as I thought it needed to be and about then I am thinking we are foiled again. (it was Laurel and Hardy deer hunting, google them you youngins) I placed the rifle back on the rest, tightened it down with the strap, got his gun on the buck, which is now at 25 yards, opened the window, slid the safety to fire, and faced the buck expecting a loud boom. Nothing, the trigger was not being pulled by the device.

Now is when I could/should have been struck down by God as I broke a commandment grossly several times. Tyler, who has taught me much about patience(I've still got a long way to go based on yesterday's experience) now wavered a little in that department too. I again undid the gun strap, took the gun off of the rest and we both concluded the problem was the bite/trigger device was not tight enough to the trigger.(the gun we were using was a Savage and it is equipped with an accu trigger which is to help make a very controlled trigger pull which improves accuracy and it does if your gun goes off) I told Tyler I was an idiot for not bringing the allen wrench and I had nothing I could force the tightly screwed on trigger device back towards the trigger.

I told Tyler"Captain, I'm giving er all I got" with the flesh on my hands feeling like it was coming off. It seemed I moved it a little and told Tyler I wasn't sure if I moved it but it was now or never. I put the gun back on the rest, repeated the steps three paragraphs above, and looked at the deer. Just as I was turning thinking the trigger device failed again the gun went off and I saw the buck do what is called a mule kick into the air and then come down. It ran a U shaped run and stopped about 20 yards south of where Tyler shot it. I jacked another shell in the gun and told Tyler to shoot it again. He said no, its going down and I looked back to see it falling down.

I can say I have never felt the feeling that I had at that moment on any of the hunts I've experienced. The joy and happiness in Tyler's eyes and on his face had me fighting back tears of joy while listening to our shouts of elation and the happiest laughter I have ever witnessed. After reveling in this moment for a while. I quickly texted BBD to my wife Lisa who was sitting with Emma on the couch in the living room of our house about 180 yards away. BBD stands for Big Buck Down. It is something we picked up from a hunting show we watched a few years ago and use it to tell each other we have gotten a buck.

The celebration erupted in the house and continued in the blind. I then called Lisa telling her to come on out with Emma so we could use the light to take some pics with everybody and relish in God's gift to us, especially Tyler. The ladies got there and Tyler motored out of the blind, down the ramp, and out into the soybean field as fast as he could go. A weedy area I must have missed with herbicide stopped his progress. We quickly took picks where Tyler's buck lay and then I pulled it over to Tyler and the picture party continued.

We went back to the area of the ramp on the blind and I retrieved all of our hunting materials from the blind and Emma went an got the van. We loaded the van with the hunting equipment and Tyler and Lisa and I walked back to the house while Emma and Tyler drove there. We got Tyler out of the van and into the house. I then went and got the four wheeler and sled and retrieved the deer.

My Dad, who is a Vietnam vet, was also down, hunting on our other farm. He pulled in about this time and helped me field dress he deer. We then took it back up to the house and left it in the sled by the van as they were going to haul it back in that, inside with them.

When we got inside the house the high was still on from the hunt for everyone. They had the tag all taken care of and we had a celebratory toast to Tyler and the hunt. I even took a good selfie of us all(my third attempt ever and the others were big fails). Lisa then finished the preparations for the feast we were going to have. We topped off the evening with a fine meal of cheesy potatoes, green beans, moose and deer steak. We had pie to eat for desert but we all were to stuffed to have any. After some fine conversation the Nichols had to get heading back to Elkhorn and prepare for the other things that needed to be done with the buck.

It is now at the taxidermist and the remainder is at the butcher shop. What great memories and friends were made.

Thank you Tyler for making this possible. As I told him, this hunt was my most memorable hunt to date, equal to my first deer, on my first deer hunt, with my Dad when I was 14. I don't see anything topping this one. Equaling again, maybe.

Take care everyone and thanks for letting me share this with you.

p.s. That buck came into view at 445 and Tyler shot at 509. talk about a roller coaster ride.
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What a great hunt!
Thanks for sharing. The mishaps made it all the more memorable I'm sure. Nerve racking but memorable.
 
Willy you are a good man. I commend you for this great act of kindness for a man who gave so much.
 
Thanks for the AWESOME share, Willy! That tale gave me a bad case of buck fever just reading it! CONGRATS to both Tyler and you. :emoji_thumbsup::emoji_beers:
 
Thanks for sharing a great story. I'd like to get involved with a org in WI if anyone is aware of one to host disabled vets? I'd like to setup some turkey hunts for the spring on my property. Anyone have any ideas? My land is in Dunn County, WI.
 
Thank you all.

mtholton, here is an organization I use to help me find disabled veterans. Anthony has been very good to work with. We have had hunters come from KS, MO, OK, and NE. He has disabled vets from all over the country applying for hunts through them.

Tyler is a local kid and he has some connections to an organization in KS that he is going to help me find vets that would be great to host for deer hunts using our wheel chair accessible blinds. Tyler is already looking at buying a muzzle loader for NE's long muzzle season and looking to where we can build a blind on his in-laws land for him to hunt out of.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions and I will give you the best answers I can.

Willy


Anthony N. Pace
Program Director / Founder
303-884-0059 c

anthony@freedomhunters.org
www.freedomhunters.org
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That was a pressure packed hunt. You both performed under that pressure and made it happen.
 
Willy - wow, well done. Sounds like a GREAT time. You are lucky to have had the opportunity. Congrats.

Thanks for sharing a great story. I'd like to get involved with a org in WI if anyone is aware of one to host disabled vets? I'd like to setup some turkey hunts for the spring on my property. Anyone have any ideas? My land is in Dunn County, WI.

mtholton - if you have any success with the info willy provided please let me know. I'm not far from your land in WI. I would LOVE to host a disabled vet. In fact, i have a Vietnam vet friend that I would make their personal guide. Send me a PM if you like.

I can add a wheelchair ramp to a blind if that's what it takes. Man that sounds like fun!

-John
 
Thanks for sharing a great story. I'd like to get involved with a org in WI if anyone is aware of one to host disabled vets? I'd like to setup some turkey hunts for the spring on my property. Anyone have any ideas? My land is in Dunn County, WI.

Mtholton
I have a good buddy who organizes turkey hunts for disabled and youth hunts in part of NE WI. Not sure who he might know around Dunn county but he has lots of contacts around the state. Not focused just on vets but maybe he has some info. Let me dig a little and could pm you if interested and he has someone to contact. He does this with a local sportsmen club and they have a few special shotguns rigged with blowtubes to fire and other stuff to get the hunters out in the field. Would they loan to another group, dunno could ask.
 
Great, if he knows a org in the area, I'd appreciate a contact, thanks!
 
I forgot to mention that the Freedom Hunters organization pays for license fees, instate or outstate.
 
Great read and a fantastic way to help veterans. Well done brother.
 
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