Post by bsutravis on Sept 27, 2009 16:34:07 GMT -5
WOW!!! Yes.... my son Kyle harvested his first deer this morning @ 7:25am, but I'll get to that in a moment.
I want to thank Steve Griffey (Hunter7x), Bre, and all the people that put on the Freedom Hunt this weekend up in Cass County. Telling these people "Thanks" is not nearly adequate to express the joy that they put into my son's life, myself, and everyone who experienced what they do for these children with special needs. It didn't take long after arriving for our first visit to feel the love and unselfish caring that was happening....and just when you felt that there was nothing more that could possibly happen to make the weekend better, they would do something else for the kids. It would have been plenty to provide 14 kids the chance to deer hunt, but what happened over the past 48 hours went WAY beyond that. I was blessed to experience children getting freedom that they normally never see... I was blessed to experience my son's uncontrollable joy after harvesting his first deer.... I was blessed to see a young boy who had just won a Remington 870 shotgun turn around 5 minutes later and GIVE it to a wheelchair bound boy who hadn't had the fortune of getting a deer this weekend. I always get grief from my wife for missing Church to hunt....and I always tell her I'm as close to God in the woods as I am in a pew, and after what happened this weekend it was obvious that God's hand was on all those that participated in the Freedom Hunt. The memories of a first deer will last forever with my son, but right there with that memory will be all those that we made this weekend all thanks to the wonderful hearts of the folks that put this on simply because it's the right thing to do. Thank you SOOO much Freedom Hunt!
Now.... my son's hunt. He EARNED this deer.....after we spend 11 hours in the ground blind yesterday we felt good that we would have better luck at getting a doe close enough for a shot this morning. We were in the woods and in the blind at least an hour before the crack of dawn..... and at 7:25am it was Kyle who noticed a doe slipping through the woods and was headed for the abandoned RR bed that we were hunting on. We had 20 seconds of so to get the gun up and into position for Kyle, as the doe walked onto the opening and was stopped by our guide's bleat. Kyle lowered the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger. All I can remember was that doe folding like a cheap suit, and then bear hugging Kyle!!! My heart was pounding as if a 180" had just hit the ground......it was euphoric!!! Kyle's deer earned the Deer of the Year award back in camp for the largest doe taken that season. Being given the Lombardi Trophy wouldn't have brought more joy to him as that piece of wood that he was presented. The outdoors has hooked my son and pulled him into her clutches over the past few months, and I couldn't be more proud and happy!
Thank you again Freedom Hunt, and thank everyone who gave their time this weekend to take their kids, grandkids, neighbors, or perfect strangers hunting. God bless all of you!!!!
Kyle and his first deer:
The Freedom Hunt kids harvested 7 does out of 14 hunters. A great percentage of success:
Kyle and his Deer of the Year award:
I want to thank Steve Griffey (Hunter7x), Bre, and all the people that put on the Freedom Hunt this weekend up in Cass County. Telling these people "Thanks" is not nearly adequate to express the joy that they put into my son's life, myself, and everyone who experienced what they do for these children with special needs. It didn't take long after arriving for our first visit to feel the love and unselfish caring that was happening....and just when you felt that there was nothing more that could possibly happen to make the weekend better, they would do something else for the kids. It would have been plenty to provide 14 kids the chance to deer hunt, but what happened over the past 48 hours went WAY beyond that. I was blessed to experience children getting freedom that they normally never see... I was blessed to experience my son's uncontrollable joy after harvesting his first deer.... I was blessed to see a young boy who had just won a Remington 870 shotgun turn around 5 minutes later and GIVE it to a wheelchair bound boy who hadn't had the fortune of getting a deer this weekend. I always get grief from my wife for missing Church to hunt....and I always tell her I'm as close to God in the woods as I am in a pew, and after what happened this weekend it was obvious that God's hand was on all those that participated in the Freedom Hunt. The memories of a first deer will last forever with my son, but right there with that memory will be all those that we made this weekend all thanks to the wonderful hearts of the folks that put this on simply because it's the right thing to do. Thank you SOOO much Freedom Hunt!
Now.... my son's hunt. He EARNED this deer.....after we spend 11 hours in the ground blind yesterday we felt good that we would have better luck at getting a doe close enough for a shot this morning. We were in the woods and in the blind at least an hour before the crack of dawn..... and at 7:25am it was Kyle who noticed a doe slipping through the woods and was headed for the abandoned RR bed that we were hunting on. We had 20 seconds of so to get the gun up and into position for Kyle, as the doe walked onto the opening and was stopped by our guide's bleat. Kyle lowered the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger. All I can remember was that doe folding like a cheap suit, and then bear hugging Kyle!!! My heart was pounding as if a 180" had just hit the ground......it was euphoric!!! Kyle's deer earned the Deer of the Year award back in camp for the largest doe taken that season. Being given the Lombardi Trophy wouldn't have brought more joy to him as that piece of wood that he was presented. The outdoors has hooked my son and pulled him into her clutches over the past few months, and I couldn't be more proud and happy!
Thank you again Freedom Hunt, and thank everyone who gave their time this weekend to take their kids, grandkids, neighbors, or perfect strangers hunting. God bless all of you!!!!
Kyle and his first deer:
The Freedom Hunt kids harvested 7 does out of 14 hunters. A great percentage of success:
Kyle and his Deer of the Year award:
CONGRATS AND KUDOS TO ALL!
