PEAX Equipment

I Wish I could do THAT

olefish_99

New member
Joined
Jan 9, 2001
Messages
75
Location
Shoshoni WY
I Wish I could do THAT

JP was sitting in my office to discuss some issue related to his training plan. I notice his eyes looking behind me and they seem to be focused in one spot. I turned to look at what had caused him to have the dreamy look and looked into the face of my antelope hanging behind me. I turned to him and he asked what the story was and so I told him, while his gaze went from me to the goat. When I finished he looked at me and simply said, I WISH I COULD DO THAT with a lost feeling emitting from his voice. I looked into his eyes and simply said WHY NOT. He looked at me and frowned and said there’s just no way. His stare was directed more at himself than me because; the only movement in his body is his eyes and lips. You see JP has had MD since the age of 4 and has lived in a hospital or intensive care program for all his adult life. It has ravaged every part of his physical body completely, but his mind. He requires medical support 24 hours per day and lives in the local hospital. I told him that I felt that we could work it out and instructed him on what it would take to get a license and that we only have 5 days till they are do in Cheyenne WY G&F office. I also explained that he would have to apply for a handicap-shooting permit. JP was very unsure and said OK, but he still was wondering how he could go hunting and so was I. We got his application in the mail along with his handicap application. Three days later we received a call from the game and fish stating they would not allow him a permit because of his disability. This lights my fire and I call the G&F director and I ask him why they would turn down this person and he indicates it was a mistake and that it will be taken care of. Now we have to find a gun that can be operated by a puff and blow system. I start calling all over the country and get many helpful ideas and lots of it cannot be done. We finally find a device in Nebraska called an sr77 shooting rest that will hold a gun and can be operated by a joystick. Now we need to find some money for it and a gun that can be adapted to fit it. The local gun club puts up the $850 for the sr77 and a local gunsmith takes a 250-3000 and cuts the stock off to fit the device, at no charge. We have already received permission from a local ranch for access for his antelope hunt. The gun is modified and ready and yet we still have not had delivery of the rest and we are only 2 weeks till the season. JP is getting nervice and is starting to think that this was a bad idea. We finally get delivery 2 days before the season with a supper modified version of what we had hoped for. They could not make a puff and blow work so we ended up with a joystick and bight switch for firing. JP’s body would not stay erect well enough behind the scope so I held him in place while another guy ran the joystick. We went to the range to give it the test the morning of his hunt. It was about 40 degrees and foggy and we had JP rapped from top to bottom. I put up a paper antelope archery target and we got JP lined out, he gave us signals up/down and left/right and when he was lined up I handed him the switch to bight. He had never been close to any gun being fired, and the look on his face was of pure shock. When we looked at the target it was in the heart. He fired 2 more rounds and was ready to go. We were given a van to use by another disabled person and a hospital nurse went along to take care of him. We reached the ranch and met the manager Brad and headed to a part of the ranch that they had reserved for JP. The weather was rainy and overcast, which made it so muddy that it took all three of us to get his wheel chair in position. The wind blew 20+ all morning and we were able only to get within 300 yards. JP did try a shot but the wind made it to hard for him and us to stay still. We checked out several bucks and were just not having any luck. Late in the afternoon the wind died down and the sun started shinning bright, which warmed our bodies and spirits. JP has limited endurance but was hanging in there, when he said a little prayer, just give me one good try and 20 minutes later we spotted a nice buck coming toward us. We get JP in position and the buck stops about 225 yards, and looks straight at us. JP starts giving the commands up/down/left/right and then says give me the switch, this ones going down. He bights the switch and the gun bucks and rocks in its mount and we see the antelope take off at a hard run low to the ground over the hill he was standing on. JP is having trouble getting enough air through his respirator and has to be suctioned before we can get him loaded and head to were the antelope went. He is bighting bullets all this time asking, do you think I got him and did I make a clean kill? We finally came over the hill and laying about 15 yards off the ranch road was JP’s goat, which turned out to be 14.5 inches. We almost needed to put sunglasses on because his smile was beaming so bright. Now we all know of being blooded and eating of the liver of your first kill, well I had a captive killer and I gave him a hard time and blooded his chin with the liver while pictures were being taken. Next we went to the taxidermist who had donated the mount for JP. Today his mount hangs in his hospital room, next to an 8x11 picture of himself taking a bite of the liver. He loves to say that it really grosses people out when they see the picture of him and the blood on his chin. JP success did not stop there though, because he can do more with his voice and a computer than most of us can even dream of. He now has a full time job as a programmer, owns his own van, loves traveling and enjoying life in person. SO IF SOMEONE SAYS I WISH I COULD DO THAT, STOP AND THINK WHY NOT. olefish
 
That was a very moving story Olefish!! Thats the spirit I like!!!!!!! Thank you very much for sharing that with us.bcat

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Olefish: Let me first say thank you for the story. That was very nice of you and the other guys to go out of there way for jp. Almost brings a tear to my eye.

I have a son with Downsyndrom, SO I can imagine the thrill you gave jp. my son is 7 years old and about the size of a 3 year old, yet fortunatly he has the mind of a 5 year old. I take my son when ever I go fishing and hunting and he loves it. He cant get enough of it. I was always wondering if my son could ever hunt.He does fish and does pretty well. After this story I know there will be away.

Thanks again
Delw
 
Olefish: Also keep it in your mind if you ever need anything made for jp in the gun dept. to let me know. I own a machine shop and design almost anything. If I cant I will sure give it heck trying.

Delw
 
Damn fine, olefish. When are you taking JP out to get his Muley and Elk?

Congratulations for being one of those rare folks who help others realize their dreams.

More power to ya, bud.

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"Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming."
 
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