Deer hunt adventure with a special hunter

By By Otha Barham / outdoors writer
Nov. 29, 2002
The slender teenager took careful aim at the buck that stood out in the lush canebrake like a gray apparition in the fading evening light. It was the final minutes of opening day of Mississippi's gun season. The deer had simply appeared there among a sea of thriving young cane sprouts, the white hair inside his alert ears fairly glowing in the dark woods.
The teen's father, sitting beside her in the blind, watched intently to see if the young shooter's aim and trigger squeeze were right. They were, for she had made long shots before. But this was the first buck on which she had leveled the crosshairs of the Redfield scope, and her demeanor was a mixture of concentration and excitement.
Amanda's form was perfect; cheek hard against the gun stock, left hand cradling the fore end, her concentration on the sight picture intense this just moments after her gleeful excitement upon spotting the buck as it stood frozen there in the twilight. The rifle spoke without so much as a twitch by Amanda, who understands the importance of holding steady.
The 6 mm roared and the buck jumped and wheeled to the right, immediately disappearing into the thick cane cover. The three of us knew we had to rush across the rough cover to where the deer had stood before total darkness arrived. And rush we did, encountering unexpected obstacles that would take us many long minutes to overcome.
Cancer patient
The hunter was Amanda Wyatt, a cancer patient from Moundville, Ala., who was hunting at Camp Opportunity near Duffee. The hunting camp is provided by the National Wild Turkey Federation and Wheelin' Sportsmen of America for the ill or disabled. The camp is run by Lee McDonald, a local volunteer whose whole family gets involved with the operation of Camp Opportunity.
I was fortunate enough to meet Amanda and her parents, Michael and Sherry Wyatt, and be an observer in the blind on her hunt. Cancer has caused Amanda to lose one kidney, part of her diaphragm and other tissue in her August 2000 surgery that lasted over nine hours. She has developed kidney stones in her remaining kidney.
After 18 chemotherapy treatments and living with its accompanying port in her body for a year, Amanda, who will turn 15 in two weeks, lost almost 40 pounds. She weighed just 61 pounds at the end of her treatments and had lost all her long brown hair. Today she appears to have rebounded well, enthusiastically enjoying her cherished hobbies that include deer hunting, fishing, volleyball and softball. Her flowing hair is now below her shoulders. She recently said of her cancer that the good Lord made her and "He can take it out when He wants to." This statement of faith heartened her parents.
Through 49 missed school days, Amanda maintained a 98.6 grade point average. She is a consistent honor roll student who likes math and science. She has a brother, Jeremy, who is 16 and watches out for her enthusiastically.
What a great time we had last Saturday! A huge wild turkey gobbler slipped out of the green field just as the three of us approached the blind. "He will come back and continue feeding once we settle down for a while," predicted Michael. Being familiar with the behavior of turkey gobblers, I was skeptical of Michael's optimism. But sure enough, the big bird tiptoed back into the field eventually and entertained us all afternoon, slipping away to roost at sunset.
Amanda has made several special hunts arranged by organizations that accommodate those who have not had it easy due to health reasons and who, like her, love to hunt. Last year she bagged four deer, one with a 300 yard shot, an outstanding feat for any hunter. But she had not had her chance at a buck until the big one showed up at dusk last Saturday with her dad and me seated beside her and hoping the distance was not too far for a solid hit.
Marshland adventure
Hurrying to where the deer had stood, we crashed through downed timber, beaver dams, a winding creek that flowed beneath a tangle of briars and mounds of mud hidden by grass clumps, racing against impending darkness to look for Amanda's buck. In moments, Amanda was some 50 yards ahead of her father and me and I handed our only flashlight to Michael and urged him on to catch up with his daughter, who was fairly streaking across the worst jungle I had ever encountered.
We didn't find the buck and or sign of a hit, a clean miss being much better than a flesh wound that would allow its escape. Few hunters could have made that shot without the aid of a bench rest. But Amanda's excitement was worth our efforts and she showed not a bit of disappointment. Our retreat back across the swamp was an adventure I will never forget.
Amanda and Michael, who led the way with the flashlight, took turns helping me across slippery footlogs and tearing me free of sawbriars. Once or twice I put most of my ample weight on Amanda's arm and shoulder as she led me through the dark tangle. When she continually reached out her hand to me in the dark, it became very real to me who was actually helping whom here.
Amanda Wyatt is a young lady who knows a lot about life and how to live a successful one. And she is inspiring many of us by showing us what it takes.