I first heard about this hunt three or four years ago from a
fellow hunter at Twist of Fate. So this year I decided to throw my name into
the application to see if I could get drawn. This hunt started in 1985 and is
located in Douglas, Wyoming. This rifle antelope hunt is for handicapped or
wheelchair-bound hunters. This event is totally funded, the only cost to the
hunter is the transportation to and from Wyoming. Even the meat processing is
donated. Anyway, I was first turned down because there were too many applicants
but I received a call in September because they had a spot open and it took me
one day to decide I was going to do it.
The hunt starts on October 1 but the fun begins on September
30. My parents and I took off for Douglas on the 29th, stayed in Spearfish the
first night and arrived in Douglas on the 30th. It is 676 miles from our house.
The hunters have the choice of either staying at a dorm room for free at the
fairgrounds in Douglas or staying at a motel. I chose the motel. I like my
privacy and I have to have ESPN. Plus, listening to a chorus of snoring in a
dorm room does not sound all that appealing.
On the first day it is a meet and greet, and also this is
the time finish the paperwork for the licensing. All licenses are paid for.
After lunch we all went to the shooting range south of town and shot a handful
of times. Just to make sure our rifles are still on and to have the guides get
familiar with our shooting styles. There were 11 hunters this year including
two blind hunters. The hunters come from all over the US. I believe the
farthest one was from Kentucky. The wind was blowing a constant 30 mph with
gusts over 40 mph while we were sighting in our rifles. But I was still able to
manage to hit the bull's-eye at 100 yards. Forgot to mention even the bullets
were supplied. After some trigger time at the range we all went to the Douglas
Trap Club and some of the hunters tried their luck shooting clay pigeons. Then
we all went back to the fairgrounds for supper. At the supper they also
recognized some of the guides that have been there for years. Some of them have
been there the full 29 years. They gave away five rifles to guides that have
been guiding for 20 years. Most of the guides are from the Douglas area but
some of them travel all the way from Illinois, including two of mine, Joe and
Andy. My other guide, Jake is from Douglas.
Breakfast was served on October 1 the first day of the hunt
at 5 AM. I met with my guides at 6:30 AM and we were on the road to where I was
going to hunt at the Scott Ranch east of Douglas about 5 miles. When we got on
the oilfield road into one of the pastures we saw our first antelope buck (also
affectionately known as a goat). This was around 7:10 AM. He was a loner. The guides,
Jake, Andy and Joe asked me if he was big enough and if I wanted to try and
take him. I am not picky, I like chops. I said, "He will look good on my
wall and freezer."
All the hunters received permits to shoot out of vehicles.
So my dad was in the passenger seat, Joe was driving, Andy was in back, Jake
was sitting beside me and I was facing out of the back passenger door of the
van. Once Jake got the rifle mount attached to my chair we tried to get in to
position for a shot. He was to the east of us and the sun was just breaking
over the bluffs. The goat was a little over 300 yards away. We had to maneuver
the van quite a few different times in order for me to get a clear shot. Once
we finally did, the sun was directly into my eyes. Jake took his hat off and
put it over the scope for sun protection. And I let a shot fire. Clean miss. I
think I shot over him because I saw no dust fly. He took off and ran about 50
yards and then started walking again. He ran into a draw and we lost him for
about ten minutes. Then he popped up and started walking to the West. Which was
perfect, he was going away from the sun. We had to move the van about a
quarter-mile until I could get lined up with him. This time he was 215 yards
away. I had a little trouble getting my scope on him but Jake grabbed the front
of the rifle and pulled it towards him a little bit. When he let go the scope
was directly on Mr. Antelope. He asked if I was on him and at that time I
pulled on the trigger and heard that great sound, "smack." The buck ran
about 10 yards, did a somersault and was down for the count. This was at 7:40
AM. It was the quickest hunt and the most enjoyable hunt that I have ever been
on. After some jumping and hollering we had a celebratory Skoal and we went and
checked him out. He was an old bastage and a fighter. The back of his neck was
rubbed raw. The guides told me he has probably been pushed around by some
younger bucks. He wasn't huge but he had great character. His horns are 10
& 9 3/4 inch.
After they gutted him, we had to wait a little bit for
another guide to come by with his pickup to bring him back to the trap club
where they take the official pictures. When we got there we thought for sure we
would have the first one but another hunter got one about 7:05 AM. Crazy. After
pictures we went to the meat locker in town that donates the processing and
filled out the paperwork. The meat was ready by Thursday morning when we left.
After the meat locker I decided to go back to the motel. I took a nice three
hour nap. The other hunters had lunch at the trap club that was sponsored by
one of the groups from Douglas.
That night there was a supper and auction at the Moose Lodge
in town. There were close to 60 items on the auction. They raised over $10,000
in about two hours. It is crazy how that community supports this program. One
guy from Savage Arms brought a knife for over $2000. It had a giraffe hide sheath
and I do not remember what type of bone the handle was made of but it was not
ugly.
On October 2, breakfast is supposed to start at 5 AM unless
all of the hunters fill on the first day. But breakfast started late. All 11
hunters filled there tags before noon on the first day. That goes to show how
good the guides are. That is really totally unbelievable. Each hunter gets
about one section of land to hunt on. Some get more, some less depending on the
number of animals. All of the land down there is private. For most, this is the
only time in the season that the landowners do not charge for hunting. After
talking to some of the landowners, they think the numbers were down about 70%
from just last year. That really goes to show how good the guides are. 11 for
11 is nuts, especially when you consider all of the factors going into some of
these hunter's disabilities.
That same day in the afternoon the guides took us for a tour
to see the sights. There is some awesome country to see down there. Also on
this night they had a supper at the American Legion. After the supper they gave
away awards to hunters. They had free mounts to the longest shot, shortest shot
and the biggest antelope taken. Biggest antelope was 14 3/4 with ivory tips,
shot by Jon Lee from Alabama. They also gave each hunter a plaque with a
picture of their antelope and guides. We each also received knives from Blind
Horse Knives. They don't suck.
I didn't stay too long at the awards banquet because we knew
there was a storm coming the next afternoon and we wanted to get the heck out
of there before they closed any highways. Which is a good thing, because I 90
is closed today. We made it home yesterday about 8:40 PM. It was a long drive
but it was worth it.
I can't say enough about the Helluva Hunt organization. It
is top notch all the way around. I knew I was going to like the guys when I saw
them drinking Busch Light at 11 AM the first day. They are also putting on a
hunt for Wounded Warriors that starts today. Too bad they don't have as good of
weather as we did. I can't say enough about Gary and Jane Stearns. They helped
start this event 29 years ago and are the ones that keep it going, with the
community of Douglas and people from all over the US.
As you can tell, I wrote this story in 2013 right after I
got home from the hunt. The memories are still as vivid as the day they were made.
Sadly the Helluva Hunt organization decided to call it quits after 30+ years.
It had just gotten to be too much. My hats are off to Gary and Jane, and the
whole community of Douglas who gave hunters like me the opportunity to do what
we love. Thank you.
Thanks for reading, Clint.
