We just got back from Jake’s elk hunt in NM. Here is a recap with pictures.
Texas has a youth hunting program (TYHP) that puts on all types of hunts for youth. Most are deer hunts on ranches for does or culls. I checked out there website in November to see if there were any hunts that would fall in a time frame that Jake would be able to go on. I noticed on the front page they were having a contest for a cow elk hunt in New Mexico between Christmas & New Year’s Day. The youth had to submit a less than 500 word essay on what hunting meant to them. That night I showed it to Jake and he was excited and started working on his essay.
When he completed his essay, he had over a 1,000 words in it, so he decided to take it to his English teacher and get some help on reducing the amount of words in it. Here is his essay.
Quote:
The Influence of Hunting on my Life
Whitetail deer hunting was instilled in me as early as I can recall. Some of my first memories were of my dad and I going out to the ranch and hunting, him with his huge rifle, and me with my BB gun! However, the hunt I anticipated the most was my first opportunity to go on an elk hunt.
Deep in the Texas summer, my mom, dad, and I are sitting in the living room watching T.V. with my dad also on the computer. Halfway through the show, I hear a huge shriek from my dad about the fact that he had an unknown charge of over $500. I couldn’t figure out why in the world any sane person would be this happy about losing $500 until he finally explains to me that the only thing a charge like this could mean is that I was drawn for a youth elk hunt in Utah! Once I comprehend what I was just told, I become just as excited as my dad!
Throughout the beginning of the school year, I bragged about my elk hunt to everybody that would listen, and even to some of those that wouldn’t. However, around mid-September I received news that would haunt me forever. My dad said that the doctors had said my mom had only about two more months to live. She had been battling cancer on and off for my entire life, but this was the first time I really understood that it might actually take her away. We drew it out as long as we could, but in early November, the month of the hunt, we realize that the elk hunt I was so excited for would probably be taking place when my mom passed. This had been evident since I got the news, but I was hoping it wouldn’t end up that way. However, when my dad told me to take some time and make a decision as to whether I would attend the hunt or not, I wasted about five seconds and decided we wouldn’t be going on an elk hunt in 2008. At 7:50 pm on November 22, 2008, my mom passed away.
Hunting has shaped my life. But at that time, I had to choose something that would change my life forever over something that I would most likely never have a chance at again. Hunting has shown me that sacrifices are a very important piece of life, and it has given me the strength to see that you must have priorities. It has shaped me in such that I am now able to take these experiences and apply them to the rest of my life. Had I never been introduced to hunting, I would not be near the same person I am today, and I would not be able to have the outlook on life that I currently do.
Jacob Berger
The deadline for submittal was 3:00 pm on Nov. 19th, with the announcement to be made in early December. So when my phone rang around 7:00 pm on the 19th with an unknown number, I was a little apprehensive when I answered it. The voice on the other end told me Jake was one of two kids that had been selected for the hunt out of over 40 applications. We were both very excited. We would be leaving on Christmas Day driving out to the Double H Ranch, which is also known as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation ranch with over 140,000 acres of land.
We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, then got up on Christmas Day and went to the location where we would meet up with the sponsor from the TYHP that would be driving us there in a 15 passenger van. We drove about 2/3 of the way there on the 25th and got there shortly after noon on the 26th.
Here are a couple of pics from on the road.
That afternoon the kids went to the range to shoot the muzzle loaders and make sure they were still sited in. Since I do not have a ML, the TYHP had provided two T/C’s for each of the kids to shoot. The other kid shot first and after a couple of shots, his gun was back on target. Jake’s turn was next. His first shot was just barely on paper, but he said it felt good. The sponsor then shot it, since he had sited it in, same story, barely on the paper, he adjusted the scope and it was worse, after a couple of more shots, it was decided that the scope had failed and we would not be able to use that gun. No problem, the ranch had guns, they pulled out a ML, and Jake’s first shot with it was about ½” high, good to go.
Continued in next post.
Texas has a youth hunting program (TYHP) that puts on all types of hunts for youth. Most are deer hunts on ranches for does or culls. I checked out there website in November to see if there were any hunts that would fall in a time frame that Jake would be able to go on. I noticed on the front page they were having a contest for a cow elk hunt in New Mexico between Christmas & New Year’s Day. The youth had to submit a less than 500 word essay on what hunting meant to them. That night I showed it to Jake and he was excited and started working on his essay.
When he completed his essay, he had over a 1,000 words in it, so he decided to take it to his English teacher and get some help on reducing the amount of words in it. Here is his essay.
Quote:
The Influence of Hunting on my Life
Whitetail deer hunting was instilled in me as early as I can recall. Some of my first memories were of my dad and I going out to the ranch and hunting, him with his huge rifle, and me with my BB gun! However, the hunt I anticipated the most was my first opportunity to go on an elk hunt.
Deep in the Texas summer, my mom, dad, and I are sitting in the living room watching T.V. with my dad also on the computer. Halfway through the show, I hear a huge shriek from my dad about the fact that he had an unknown charge of over $500. I couldn’t figure out why in the world any sane person would be this happy about losing $500 until he finally explains to me that the only thing a charge like this could mean is that I was drawn for a youth elk hunt in Utah! Once I comprehend what I was just told, I become just as excited as my dad!
Throughout the beginning of the school year, I bragged about my elk hunt to everybody that would listen, and even to some of those that wouldn’t. However, around mid-September I received news that would haunt me forever. My dad said that the doctors had said my mom had only about two more months to live. She had been battling cancer on and off for my entire life, but this was the first time I really understood that it might actually take her away. We drew it out as long as we could, but in early November, the month of the hunt, we realize that the elk hunt I was so excited for would probably be taking place when my mom passed. This had been evident since I got the news, but I was hoping it wouldn’t end up that way. However, when my dad told me to take some time and make a decision as to whether I would attend the hunt or not, I wasted about five seconds and decided we wouldn’t be going on an elk hunt in 2008. At 7:50 pm on November 22, 2008, my mom passed away.
Hunting has shaped my life. But at that time, I had to choose something that would change my life forever over something that I would most likely never have a chance at again. Hunting has shown me that sacrifices are a very important piece of life, and it has given me the strength to see that you must have priorities. It has shaped me in such that I am now able to take these experiences and apply them to the rest of my life. Had I never been introduced to hunting, I would not be near the same person I am today, and I would not be able to have the outlook on life that I currently do.
Jacob Berger
The deadline for submittal was 3:00 pm on Nov. 19th, with the announcement to be made in early December. So when my phone rang around 7:00 pm on the 19th with an unknown number, I was a little apprehensive when I answered it. The voice on the other end told me Jake was one of two kids that had been selected for the hunt out of over 40 applications. We were both very excited. We would be leaving on Christmas Day driving out to the Double H Ranch, which is also known as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation ranch with over 140,000 acres of land.
We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, then got up on Christmas Day and went to the location where we would meet up with the sponsor from the TYHP that would be driving us there in a 15 passenger van. We drove about 2/3 of the way there on the 25th and got there shortly after noon on the 26th.
Here are a couple of pics from on the road.
That afternoon the kids went to the range to shoot the muzzle loaders and make sure they were still sited in. Since I do not have a ML, the TYHP had provided two T/C’s for each of the kids to shoot. The other kid shot first and after a couple of shots, his gun was back on target. Jake’s turn was next. His first shot was just barely on paper, but he said it felt good. The sponsor then shot it, since he had sited it in, same story, barely on the paper, he adjusted the scope and it was worse, after a couple of more shots, it was decided that the scope had failed and we would not be able to use that gun. No problem, the ranch had guns, they pulled out a ML, and Jake’s first shot with it was about ½” high, good to go.
Continued in next post.
