27 late rifle for disabled youth.

[Flatlander]

As a dad who has been on the receiving end of much generosity I can empathize. Congratulations AJ! Nice work Dad and Chris. So much bigger than just an elk hunt. When the world wants to define someone by what they can’t do, it takes men like this to show them that they CAN do anything! 
 

Well done!!!

[CatfishKev]

Question for anyone who knows..

I've seen set ups where you mount an air syringe plunger to the rifle trigger where you could push the syringe and it would squeeze the trigger without the possibility of jerking the rifle. Seems like it could be perfect in this scenario. Thoughts?

[Crazymonkey]

1 hour ago, CatfishKev said:

Question for anyone who knows..

I've seen set ups where you mount an air syringe plunger to the rifle trigger where you could push the syringe and it would squeeze the trigger without the possibility of jerking the rifle. Seems like it could be perfect in this scenario. Thoughts?

The camera was definitely  a issue  as there's  no contrast to adjust  and it easily  washed out . I think  there's  alot of improvement that needs to go into these to get it right . Any weather  and or sun and you couldn't  see anything  on the screen  . This was a setup with  lots of reviews  and definitely  not cheap.  Maybe  a few minutes  with someone  in there engineering  department  could  help them make a much  better  setup for disabled  hunters . I know  there's  different  setups for hunters with  little or no use of there hands and once you get dialed  in on target  it definitely  would  not cause  the gun to move . 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Holy crap that was awesome to read. Great job by all.

[Mocha1545]

Great write up! WOW what an incredible story. Huge congratulations to AJ! He set the bar high. Can’t say enough for Dad making everything happen and investing the time, money and love into this hunt. Way to go Chris and Dawn for helping out what we’re strangers in the beginning ( now good friends)! 
 

you all should add the fact that AJ and Dan were sleeping in a little 2 man tent in unit 27 Late bull hunt. That had to be COLD!

[Sam]

What an incredible hunt! Congratulations to AJ on a great bull. He will remember this forever - the hard work and excitement of successful hunt never comes easy. And even better to have his dad and grandfather on the hunt......Hats off to Chris for helping this dream come true.  

[Crazymonkey]

50 minutes ago, Mocha1545 said:

Great write up! WOW what an incredible story. Huge congratulations to AJ! He set the bar high. Can’t say enough for Dad making everything happen and investing the time, money and love into this hunt. Way to go Chris and Dawn for helping out what we’re strangers in the beginning ( now good friends)! 
 

you all should add the fact that AJ and Dan were sleeping in a little 2 man tent in unit 27 Late bull hunt. That had to be COLD!

Yep before  the hunt when my wife  and I had set up the trailer   . Dan and Aj were in a small two man tent  for the first night . My wife  felt  so bad for them as it was real cold . We left that morning  as I had to work Monday  and when I got back up on Wednesday  Dan had moved to a much better  camp spot but they spent  a few nights  in tents . Luckily  Dan's dad was on his way up with  his trailer  also . It was definitely  cold at times and with the wind it was super cold 🥶  .  I'm sure everyone  was glad to be in heated trailers .

Dan also forgot  to mention  how he backed  into a tree . After the shot  Dan had gone to make sure the elk was down. We both had seen the elk drop at the shot but elk are tough animals.  It was just enough  time to make you nervous.  He had probably  walked  right past the bull as it was in some thick thorn bush . He could  smell it but couldn't  see it . So he came back to where we had setup for the shot . He and Aj hopped  in his truck and went around the bend while  I stayed  put so we had a line to go to and a solid direction  to the elk . It didn't  take long for Dan to see Aj's bull from  the two track . So as he was backing  up Aj was distracting  him 🙄  probably  playing  a joke on him . I see him backing  up and all I could  do is say tree,tree,tree!  I know he never had a chance  to hear me but he squared up and ran right  into the tree . It was enough  to jolt them forward  and surprisingly  there was only a small scratch . You'd have  thought  it would  have bent up the bumper  or blew out the glass in the camper shell but all was good 👍.   We thought  dead bull on a steep hill no problem  we will just roll him down  . Not so much ! !!! We struggled  to move that bull probably  30 or so yds . A quick  trip back to camp with  Dan's dad to get my S x S . All the while  Dan was cleaning  a trail down thru all the thorn bush . One S x S up as high as it would  go . The winch line all out three tow straps some mule tape ,rope ,and another  20 or so yds of pulling  the bull down . We were hooked  and pulling  with  the winch . It took 3 or 4 re - hooks to get the bull down the hill to where we were able to get some great pictures.  

Aj got hands on with  the gutting  and helped every bit of the way . He didn't  want  the war paint but we insisted  it was tradition for a first animal  . We even  made him keep it on for dinner  at the lodge. 

If anyone  is wondering  the shot was between  the trees and up hill over 400 yds . You can see the single dead tree up the hill thru the opening  . The bull was just before  the tree feeding  at the shot . 

[Roosevelt Mark]

Absolutely outstanding!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing a part of your life and the entire experience. 

Thanks again.

[DBZona]

Shhh.  Chris, you weren’t supposed to tell anyone about hitting the tree😉.  It was pretty funny though. I swear that tree jumped right out behind me.  I about gave AJ and I whiplash and all my truck had was a small scratch.  
 

I don’t mind camping in a tent.  Even when it was as cold as it was.  I am used to hunting and camping in Washington and Idaho.  AJ Didn’t even complain about the cold.  We did have a buddy heater in the tent though.  
 

I even lost the clip to my rifle running up to make sure the elk was down.  That’s how bad and thick those thorns were.  The bushes must have hooked the release and dropped it.  I didn’t even bother looking for it later.  
 

One story I forgot to mention, that was pretty important to me happened on I think Tuesday or Wednesday of the hunt.  It was pretty windy, so Chris and I left AJ in the truck as we walked out a ridge to glass in the late afternoon.  As we headed back to the truck we noticed another truck pull up, get out and start walking out the ridge we were on.   We met up with the two guys and we were not shy about asking people what they were looking for, knowing some were looking for giants, and if they were if they could keep their eyes open for something AJ could shoot.  We explained AJs situation to them.  It turns out this guy was a guide,  and not any guide. A guide that people pay a lot of money to use.  His Client was from Utah and they were looking for 370”+  And we knew he shelled out a lot of money for this hunt.  When we told them AJs situation, and told them about Never meeting Chris before, but that he sacrificed his time and money to complete strangers, the client told us his story.  He had lost his 12 year old daughter a few years ago to an illness.  And since that time he had been helping throughout the west Kids and vets with disabilities.  He was grateful for what Chris was doing for us.  And then he did something, that I still can’t believe.  He turned to the guide and said, “Do you think you could help these guys find a bull?”  Knowing there was only a day or two left in the hunt he was asking the guide if he could help us.  The way he said it also sounded like he was content being done with his hunt so they could help us.   I couldn’t believe it,  but we also couldn’t accept that offer.  We knew how much this guy was spending and I just wouldn’t feel comfortable although.  We politely declined and the client asked the guide if there were any reliable spots that we could get AJ to.  (Finding elk was not our problem.  Finding elk where we could get AJ to was.). The guide offered up a spot that had been reliable in the past.   As we parted ways and at this point I knew the client and I shared the same faith,  the client said, “ It’s going to happen (for AJ).  I know it.”   He said his daughter was with him and that he would pray for us and that the lord would provide us with a miracle and it was going to happen.  
 

I share that because the last morning I had come to terms with AJ not harvesting an elk, and that the hunt and the achievements and the time we spent with family and friends was our success.  Later that morning, as we were stalking this bull, I couldn’t help but think of the words this man said.  And I immediately started thinking more positively.  That this was going to happen, that this is going to be our miracle.  That his daughter was somehow watching over us as well.    I will never forget that man and what he was willing to sacrifice for AJs success.  In my opinion, the prayer he offered on our behalf was the greatest thing he  could have done for us.  
 

The people we encountered on this journey just makes me want to shut off the news.  There are still a lot of good people in this world.  To not have a single negative comment on Facebook, where I also posted for help, blows my mind.   I am excited for the future of hunting and for our kids being great humans, because these values are being instilled in our children  
 

 

[AZBIG10]

Unbelievable! Congrats to AJ