Kid of Wounded Warrior

[matt burke]

Shawn and Jimmy stepped up at the AZFG/SCI Youth Hunt this weekend to help my daughter (Jasmine) harvest her first deer. Due to my injuries I've been unable to get to the deer, much less haul it out. This killer duo made it happen, even in unfamiliar territory. My hat is off to you two gentlemen.

[Pine Donkey]

Please post more details on this hunt. This sounds like a great story. Congratulations to Jasmine on a very nice deer. Welcome to the best site on the web.

[Dodgerboy999]

Hey Matt and Jasmine thank you for the kind words but I want to say on behalf of Shawn and myself thank you for your service and huge thanks for letting us experience the hunt with you guys. This hunt will be tucked in our memories forever and told many times over and over again. One last thing its pretty cool when you can leave a camp as strangers and 3 hours later be hugging on a mountain side and make new friends forever! That is one of the main reasons we HUNT!!!!!!!

[Crab0811]

Thank you Matt for letting us join you for that great experience! Thank you very much for the service you and your family have done to protect us! Tell Jasmine congratulations again and thanks for letting us tag along!!!! This will be a memory that will never be forgotten!

[Mocha1545]

Matt, Please post the full story for us. Welcome to the site and congrats to Jasmine!

[matt burke]

Here's the story retold from Jasmine:

 

My second day at deer camp we headed out without guides. We spent the whole, long, boring day hunting and saw a couple of doe, and a buck. We chased the buck but we lost it… That night after a delicious dinner and desert my dad asked if we could have a couple of guides. Though we know how to hunt, my dad is unable to access the good hunting spots due to his injuries. The next morning we hooked up with our two guides, Shawn and Jimmy. We drove up to a spot that could overlook beautiful rolling hills; we arrived just as the sun was peeking over the mountains.

 

We got out of our trucks and set up, I figured I’d spend about ten minutes glassing then go get my breakfast from the truck. As I settled down my attention began to wonder and I started to drift from reality, day dreaming. Suddenly I was dragged back to reality when like five minutes after we started glassing I heard Jimmy, calmly, and confidently, say “Hey! There’s a deer!” In a range of about five minutes he picked up a couple of other deer.

 

As I vainly attempted to search for these majestic animals, they started glassing a hill about 100 yards from us. Then an excited voice cut through my concentration, “There’s a Buck! With a huge rack!” I heard Jimmy exclaim. I jumped up and he threw his gun at me, we were in kill mode now. We raced down the hill, I spotted Border patrol parked under the hill, and suddenly felt the doubt starting to creep in. We hopped a fence and came up to a tree and Jimmy broke some twigs off so I could have a perch. But the tree limb was very thin, the weight of the gun caused it to sway, knowing this was not a safe shot I told them that I was not going to take the shot. He agreed and the deer disappeared over the other side of the hill. That’s when we decided to pursue them.

 

As we drove to the hill we passed the border patrol, they apologized for messing up my shot, my dad called them PETA’S! We drove up in a wash then started a hike to a small hill were I could have a good shot on the bucks that had topped the hill. That’s when we spotted my buck! A young 7 pointer. We set up the gun and Adrenalin pulsed through me as I found its chest in my scope. My breath quickened, and I slowly exhaled and squeezed the trigger, I missed and the buck just kind of did one of those, what was that, look around. My next shot I clipped its horn. (that was my 500 yard shot)I let out a frustrated breath. And was about to start screaming when Shawn decided to try a different angle on the deer, we slunk around and that’s when I got my shot, (425 yards) and…I shot it! Right in its middles!!!!! Though we were pretty sure it was dead, they made me shoot it twice more before we could get close. I scaled the hill, while the adults followed more…err… slowly. We stopped twenty feet from it and saw its head was still raised. WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?? I wanted to scream, I was saved from having to take another shot when Jimmy threw a rock at it.

 

It was Dead, and it’s head was being propped up by a stick! WOW! Turns out, my first shot was a lung shot, both of them! And my second went through the exit wound and came out the top of its back. We never recovered the horn that I had shot off, but I didn’t need it, I knew and that’s all that mattered.

[Pine Donkey]

That's a great story, thanks for posting it. Also, a big thank you to your dad for his service to our country.

[Dodgerboy999]

Jasmine, Shawn and I would like to stay in touch with you guys and go out and experience more adventures that was a great one and well told!

[Crab0811]

Well put Jasmine! Like dodgerboy said we would like to do more hunts down the road with your dad and you!!

[matt burke]

We're game to hunt absolutely anything, anytime, anywhere that the budget will allow. I find absolute freedom from the spiritual bondages of war when I'm in the outdoors.

[Coach]

Wow, that is just an awesome story. Matt, thank you so much for your service to our country. It's men like you that give us all the opportunities we sometimes take for granted. I pray for a full recovery from your injuries, and I'm glad you were able to share this awesome time with Jasmine. And a huge thanks to Shawn and Jimmy for your hard work.

 

If you can read this thread without getting a lump in your throat, you might want to check for a pulse, because this thread embodies what is and always has been great about this country and the people who continue to defend and protect the American Dream.