Blier tags his first buck

By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
Jan. 24, 2003
It was a long time coming, but Rocky Blier finally scored on his first buck. Although he has been hunting for a couple of years now, he never hunted before sustaining a near life threatening injury that literally changed his life. Blier didn't let the accident or a wheelchair stop him from trying new things however.
Blier harvested his first deer ever on a local Wheeling Sportsmen hunt earlier this season. One day later he topped that feat by bagging a nice six-point buck. You talk about an accomplishment; it just doesn't get much tougher than trying to bag a buck while in a wheelchair. With the help of a few good friends, Blier has met the challenge and passed with flying colors.
Fateful meeting
After that untimely construction accident a few years ago, Blier required some help while on his way to recovery. During that time he accompanied his nurse to her eye doctor for her visit. As fate would have it, she went to Dr. Don Marascalco. Dr. Marascalco is an accomplished hunter and outdoorsman who loves the outdoor life. That much is obvious when you visit his office.
While at the office Blier met the doctor and quickly learned that they had something in common; namely deer hunting. Through that chance meeting, a friendship was established. Eventually Marascalco invited Blier on a hunt. Although they did complete that hunt, it was a lot of hard work. They found out pretty quickly that it is quite a chore for Blier to just get to a shoot house, much less get into it. Conventional stands or shoot houses are just not suitable for wheelchairs.
After that first hunt that required three people just to get Blier in and out of the stand, Dr. Marascalco constructed a stand that would be more suitable for Rocky. The design he came up with allowed for easy access for the wheelchair. The five by five construction was just right for a wheelchair hunter and companion.
Success finally comes
Like a lot of hunters, Blier also had to pay his deer hunting "dues." In other words, he did miss a few times before connecting with that first deer. In fact, earlier in the year he missed a pretty good deer that even got the doctor excited. After purchasing a new rifle and harvesting his first deer, Blier joined Dr. Marascalco on another hunt.
To get to the stand, Blier rode on the back of a trailer that Marascalco pulled with a four wheel drive Kubota tractor. Once at the stand, it started raining. With nothing much happening the two sat and talked. Suddenly six does came out and started feeding on the food plot. A cow horn spike joined the does shortly thereafter.
The action was really beginning to heat up when a nice rack buck came out within five steps of the shoot house. Evidently the rain had muffled their voices. Finally as the deer made it out into the patch, the moment of truth had come. At a distance of seventy-five yards Blier settled the crosshairs on the buck and pulled the trigger. As the rifle roared it was obvious that the deer had been mortally wounded. After waiting an hour or so, they recovered the deer and Marascalco quickly field dressed it.
Blier had taken the deer with a 30-06 rifle, with the help of some accessories and modifications. A piece of Velcro helped to secure the rifle to his shoulder. A custom made Y-shaped yoke was used in which to rest the forearm of the rifle. Once the deer got to the desired location, Blier simply centered the crosshairs on him and fired. Typically, the 30-06 had proven adequate for the task.
The result of this hunt was nothing short of phenomenal. Besides bagging his first buck, Blier had provided a lot of meat for the freezer. He is now enjoying some fine venison that was processed by Wally Hudnall. With a little help from David Espy, the deer mount will be hanging on his wall shortly.
Although it may sometimes take a lot of work, the rewards of deer hunting with a friend are well worth it. Just ask Rocky and Dr. Marascalco, if you dont believe it. And you just might want to call Blier for a few pointers. I know quite a few able bodied hunters who havent harvested two deer this year.