Ultimate Team up hunt is a big success

By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
Dec. 27, 2002
For the second year in a row the Wheelin' Sportsmen organization has held a very successful hunt at the A&B Sportsman's Club. Although all of the participants in the hunt were disabled to some degree or another, all had one common interest in mind; to harvest a deer. Now that's a pretty tall order for any hunter, much less for a disabled person. It didn't take long to figure out, however, that most of these special hunters dont let their limitations get in the way of having a good time in the outdoors.
Over the course of three days, many local outdoorsmen participated as guides and developed friendships as well. I was blessed to participate as a guide along with Wayne Jones of P&P Outdoors, while accompanying 14-year-old Jayson Roberts. Roberts was excited about participating in the hunt and possibly harvesting his first buck. Last year he took his first deer, a doe, at this very same hunt.
With the help of Conservation Officer Bobby Wilder, a stand was chosen for Jayson and it didn't take long for Roberts, Jones and yours truly to head for the woods. It was evident that Roberts knew a thing or two about the outdoors and deer hunting in particular. After arriving at the stand, Jones unloaded some video equipment and our hunt was about to begin.
Deer time
We had only been in the stand about 15 minutes when the first deer came out. Shortly thereafter, a couple more followed suit. In short order the field was full of deer. After about 30 minutes of watching deer, a small yearling came crashing into the field from the thicket. Suddenly he ran directly toward the other deer and ran them out of the field.
The young buck continued to run in circles in and out of the patch for quite some time before leaving. "Hes really feeling his oats,"commented Jones. Yes, the little fellow was definitely acting frisky. Maybe a little too much so! "You think they might come back in?" asked Roberts. I replied that we would probably see some more before the day was over. It was only about 3:20 p.m. when the deer left the field.
About 20 minutes later the does started filing back into the field. At 4:50 a nice 6-pointer came into the field and the excitement was starting again. A short time later Jones spotted another buck coming through the woods. "There comes another one, I think hes a shooter," exclaimed Jones excitedly!
Moment of truth
Seconds later the fine 8-pointer ran into the field and started toward the 6-pointer. The action was definitely heating up now. "Yes, hes a shooter for sure,"commented Jones. "You better shoot him before he gets into a fight with that other buck". That was all Roberts needed to hear, as he brought the rifle to his shoulder, took aim and lowered the boom. Instantly the big buck collapsed to the ground. One well-placed shot made sure that Roberts would be carrying his first buck home after the hunt. After a few high fives and a short celebration, it was time for photos, filming and a trip back to the camp.
Rocky Blier scores
A few years ago Rocky Blier survived a life threatening accident that left him confined to a wheelchair. That hasn't stopped him from becoming an outdoorsman and hunter, however. After a couple of years participating in Wheelin' Sportsmen events, Blier is becoming pretty familiar with hunting deer. Up until this hunt however, he hadn't harvested his first deer.
After a particularly frustrating hunt on Friday, Blier made a decision that resulted in his first deer kill. Saturday morning he went to the Rock House and bought a Browning 30-06 rifle. After a quick sighting in session with Stephen McMullen, Blier was ready to head to the woods.
Guides Stephen McMullen and Preston Pittman accompanied Blier. Around 4 p.m. a couple of deer came into the field and started grazing. Several other deer showed up but no buck. Finally around 5 p.m. they decided to go ahead and take a doe since Blier had never harvested a deer before. Blier centered the crosshairs on one of the deer and squeezed the trigger. At the sound of the shot the deer collapsed in a heap and Blier had his first deer!
The Ultimate Team Up hunt was truly a success due to the hard work of many people. Without an adequate place to hunt however, no deer hunt could have been held. Thanks to Jimmy and Ann Alexander providing a hunt area, that was not a problem. This year many people participated in the hunt in one fashion or another. Along with the many volunteer guides, Officer Bobby Wilder and other Conservation Officers also helped make the hunt a resounding success.