A Right of Passage

A Profile Of Several Handicap Accessible Hunts By John Simeone

There is something special about good men who gather around a campfire, since time and millennium, stories have been told and legends have been made. The right of passage will not be denied…..uncle john

They were chosen because life had not been fair to them, but the urge was still strong for the thrill of the chase. It was a long wait for the hunt of a lifetime, but 13 year old Kelton Smith was patient, you get that way if you’re confined to a wheel chair with muscular dystrophy. But you know, I don’t think I ever heard him complain about it.

Kelton’s whole family is a Klan of hunters, his dad, Lee Smith is well known in Western Louisiana as a fine and respected deer hunter and sharpshooter. Even his little sister gets a deer often enough to let Kelton know that she has one up on him even though she never really says anything. It will come up in normal conversation as she points out the 8 point buck she bagged, Kelton again never complains, he has the patience.

At age 72 Bobby Hill spends a lot of time with his grandsons. He teaches them the old ways of good character, the shooting sports and to tell the truth. He really shouldn’t be here you know, not after what they did to him in Viet Nam. The 199th Infantry caught the brunt of the whole war it seemed, that’s why they call them the “Red Catchers” in the book Days of Valor. Under his leadership they only lost one man. Bobby saw him go down and remembered what he told the troops when he took over as Platoon Sergeant, “Everybody goes home.” Two Silver Stars, Three Bronze Stars and Four Purple Hearts later, Bobby can tell you the true meaning of “The Red Badge of Courage.” But the good lord had something else in mind for the old man, another mission to lead by example.

Roger Devenport had a great notion, a philanthropist of the highest order; he formed “The Way Outfitters.” It is simple really; we take terminally ill or handicapped children and disabled veterans on outdoor trips of a lifetime. The motto is also simple, “We will find a way.”

It seems like one of those ways, was to get me involved, don’t ask me why, to this day I don’t know who recommended me. But I instantly liked the whole idea and said “Count me in.” Then I found out that in my whole area an endeavor like this had never been done. I like being first at things, as many around here know, so I told Roger I had just the two folks we needed to set the right example for the rest, “The Way Outfitters,” was underway in Louisiana.

With Bobby acting as the chief motivator for any young wounded warrior that might need a little encouragement from an old First Sergeant that had been there before, Bobby Hill was perfect. Not to mention the fact I put my foot down and said a Viet Nam Vet goes first because there were no hero parades for them when they got home like there is now.

Next I had a look at Kelton’s situation. He gets around real good in his electric wheel chair but he needed something special to help him shoot when he went hunting. You see Kelton can’t quite pull the trigger.

Well that’s no problem, I knew just the thing. I went to my gun cabinet and got the Thompson Contender Carbine in 7X30 Waters. That is the lightest rifle made that I know of and well it was just sitting there, unused, and brand new. Next I got on the phone and called the Be Adaptive Company LLC and told them the situation. They had just the devise that would fit on the Thompson that could make Kelton Smith a true sharpshooter just like his Dad. For lack of a better term I named it the “Sip Trigger” that works by firing the rifle, shotgun or crossbow when the disabled hunter sips on a tube like a soda straw.

Next I had to pay for it, although not expensive. I called up Bobby Pruitt my adopted brother and president of the Rosepine Kiwanis Club. Needless to say I had the check the next day. Thanks Rosepine Kiwanis, we found a way.

We met after a long 12 hour drive at the beautiful hunting lodge and were warmly greeted. When pro hunters meet its like they have always known each other, instantly I saw the handicapped ramp on the front porch and that told me I was among those who cared. You have no idea what I saw next. The Safari vehicle was just the thing to get Kelton to the game, the rest was up to him.

I met Roger Devenport for the first time, as well as Greg Able our company attorney. Roger had flown down from Wisconsin while Greg lived in Florida. We went right to work getting all the gear ready for the next days hunt, and you can bet the stories started immediately as everyone had a good one to tell.

Daren Plank, our host and master guide announced we would be hunting Wild Sheep and Wild Boar. He kidded a lot and mentioned he would do his best to get us all “Eat up by the hogs,” we found out later he wasn’t kidding. But once we got started I found out Daren and his partner John Whitley are so professional at what they do, a handicapped person need not worry about a thing, nobody is handicapped at Dixie Hunting Lodge.

We got up early, and Lee and Kelton checked the Rifle and Sip trigger. A dead center shot at 50 yards let everyone know that Kelton was a real sharpshooter, just like his Dad that passed on the gift, as an Army Scout Sniper in the Gulf War.

During the initial tour of the hunting preserve I saw something I never even heard of. A true horse of a different color, a cross between a Zebra and a Donkey, yep they had several magnificent Zonkies and they are beautiful to say the least. No they are not hunted, and I declared 100 years bad luck for anyone that shoots one. But the Zonkies are safe at Dixie Hunting Preserve and act as anti-coyote and poacher security. Zonkies will in fact put the hurt on you if you get too close.

“Ok Kelton time to go get’em.” When you can’t bring Mohamed to the Mountain you must bring the mountain to Mohamed, and we did just that. That safari vehicle got Kelton right on the game as a group of wild sheep with Corsicans and Texas Dalls were the finest of trophies. But they knew what that vehicle was and they kept just out in the brush making this sheep hunt just as tricky as going in the mountains of Alaska.

Then to the young hunter came luck and the moment of truth. The grand Texas Dall Ram stopped for a moment and in a pose of magnificence affording a perfect opportunity. Kelton lined up the Bushnell scope on the Thompson and took a quick sip on the tube. At the shot it was obvious it was perfect, but the Ram took off with the others. Those sheep are though critters. I wasn’t long however, and the Ram was found and Kelton has a trophy of a lifetime.

TrIt is hard to explain the elation of a hunter, but under these circumstances we found a method to fairly hunt a true elusive trophy the real hard way. Some say it just couldn’t be done, but we found a way. Kelton had passed the test, a right of passage as Daren our guide, performed the age old blooding ceremony, initiating Kelton for all time, in the brotherhood of big game hunters.

Hunting with John Whitley and me as photographer the Rams gave Bobby the slip on the first stalk. Bobby is 6 foot 4 inches and can see above the grass as good as anyone. I spotted the big one and said he is the one on the left with his head down. Bobby eased up to a palm tree and took a good rest with his New England single shot 270 Winchester. The Ram looked up at 75 yards, as Bobby touch off the shot. I saw the hit and it was clean, but once again the Ram took off, showing little signs of a hit. But I knew what I saw and Bobby just doesn’t miss a shot like that, I’ve been hunting and shooting with him for years. Still when I checked there was absolutely no blood. This was bewildering, but before I had my nervous breakdown, Bobby went just inside the brush line and announced to bring the camera he found the Ram.

Well it looks like neither the V.C. or M.D. could get the best of Bobby and Kelton. We went back to the lodge for a dinner fit for a king. Laura Byrd our “Cheffet,” made us all go back for seconds. Then Daren came in and announced that tomorrow would be a wild hog hunt, making it sound like a sarcastic prison warden reading a death sentence to the Manson Family.

“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” “Hey Kelton, its time to go get a hog, are you interested?” “Bring it on,” he said clutching the Thompson I gave him for a present, “it’s a head shot or nothing.” Now if you have never hunted wild boar in a swamp vehicle with dogs you are in for the wildest most exciting hunt even if you are just a spectator like me. That first hog would not hold still for a shot and battled the dogs for two hours. Can you imagine what Kelton was thinking seeing this for the first time?

Don’t ask me how they did it but the two cur dogs actually bayed up the hog so Kelton could get a clean shot. Just as promised he made a clean brain shot at 50 yards, “Man that kid can shoot!” I had the honor of getting it all on video; while Kelton and his Dad showed once again this father and son hunting team can do anything, even dangerous game. Kelton set an example that if any handicapped person wants to give this a try, we will find a way.

Again the dogs struck and Bobby was up to bat. Another big hog bayed up and again there was the possibility that this hunt could go bad, we were on the ground now face to face with a very nasty hog.

As the dogs darted in and out Bobby eased in position and this time when that 270 touched off the dust flew as the hog hit the ground, dead right there. Sometimes a right of passage comes later in life. In all of his travels and hunting, this was Bobby’s first wild hog. There was a hint of a grin from the old soldier, and many a story would be told later, over and over again as it should be.

I have hunted many years with good men and good dogs, but never with a handicapped person. This is by far the greatest challenge of the hunting world, a hunt where I did not fire a shot, but felt a far more important place in the fraternity of hunters. With the effort and spiritual guidance we did the impossible and entered the realm of high adventure where few will dare to go, and in the end, we did in fact find a way…..Pass it on
 

About John Simeone- John was instrumental in the legalization of the crossbow when he wrote a fact finding mission for Senator John Smith of Vernon parish, which led to the crossbow inclusion for all hunters in 2008. Most recently John took up the cause of handicapped hunters with “The Way Outfitters” as their outdoor writer.   Learn More About John Simeone