The Tom Siple Foundation

On Friday October 2, I was hunting with The Tom Siple Foundation at Westbrook Whitetails near Indiana Pennsylvania. I had an outstanding time with this group. We began the hunt after a great breakfast in their incredible hunting lodge.

Greg and Brad

Mark and the guys from the foundation transferred me from my power wheelchair into a side-by-side for the trip to the ground blind. The ground blind was wheelchair accessible and large enough for four of us to sit comfortably.

After settling into the ground blind and setting up their 7mm adapted rifle we started the hunt. After about an hour we started to see a few deer, mostly doe. The rifle I was using was controlled by a joystick and had a camera mounted on to the scope. I could see the crosshairs on a 4" x 8" video screen. I would be using a sip and puff trigger. This set up would work for almost any individual with a variety of disabilities.

Ronnie, Greg and Mark

Almost 4 hours into the hunt we spotted a giant white buck moving toward the ground blind. He was moving with several doe almost at a trot, too quickly for me to even attempt a shot. The buck and doe stayed up on my right, I could not move the rifle that far to my right.

After several minutes we decided to move the rifle mount to the far side of the ground blind. As luck would have it after moving the rifle the buck moved to our left. We had to move the rifle and mount back to its original location. Again the buck moved and again we moved the rifle mount.

It was now or never and I settled the crosshairs on to the buck and fired using the sip and puff trigger. The buck dropped in his tracks at a little over 100 yards. I had just taken my trophy white Whitetail buck. This buck is not an albino deer. He is a white, Whitetail deer.

The buck is huge, over 300 pounds and has 17 points. He scores 160 inches and is an incredible buck. The antlers are palmated and nontypical. I have never seen another buck like this.

Greg and Beth

I would like to thank everyone from the Tom Sipple foundation and everyone at Westbrook whitetails. Having the opportunity to hunt with these great people is something I will always remember. The foundation will be mounting my trophy buck and I will be picking it up at their banquet in March. It was an incredible experience with fantastic people.

Spring Turkey Success, May 2, 2015

Yesterday was the first day of spring turkey season here in Pennsylvania. Like the last several years I went hunting with the Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors in Eighty Four PA. Skip and I were in the DarkWoods ground blind by 6 am.

At 7 AM we had four gobblers working to my right but I was unable to turn my wheelchair for a shot. The birds were at 20 yards but all I could do was watch them and listen to them gobble.

At 8 AM this mature gobbler came from my left and circled  my ground blind. He stayed to the right for 30 minutes at 20 yards gobbling at least 50 times. Skip finally convinced him with soft calls into my decoy set in the front of the ground blind.

The Funky chicken decoy and feeding hen were not moving at all. With no wind or decoy movement, this Tom decided to walk off. I took a chance and moved my wheelchair into position for a shot. At the last second I took the shot at his head at 30 yards while he was walking away. He dropped in his tracks and I had my first spring gobbler since my injury in 1999.

We quickly called Jeff, the President of the Wounded Warriors and he came up to celebrate with us. Harvesting this turkey was absolutely a group effort and I am so thankful for everyone who made this happen.

If you are a person with a disability and would like to try hunting or get back into the woods. Please do your research, find out what is available in your area and pursue your dreams. With the right assistance everyone can enjoy the great outdoors together.

The 2015 Accessible Hunter Patch

I am ordering the new 2015 Accessible Hunter Morale Patch's this week. It will be a more tactical model than last year's patch.  Made up with OD Green and Black.  I like to give these out when I'm hunting to individuals who clearly demonstrate the values and characteristic's associated with accessible hunting.

Texas Hunt Conclusion

We were able to hunt the third day until 10 AM but the visibility that morning was very poor due to a very heavy fog. I did manage to see several turkeys and a few Whitetail deer (Doe) but no shooter bucks. It was time to head back to the lodge before I knew it.

Here are a few of the exciting animals we managed to see but they were off of our shooting list. It was a great hunting trip, hunting with great people.  I had a fantastic time and will never forget my time in Texas.

Oreck

Fallow Buck

Some adventures can't be measured in inches at the taxidermist. I feel like I made some great friends and shared a great hunt with some outstanding people from all over the country. Again, thank you Field & Stream for all you did!

Mr. Stroff Sr

Meeting Talon and Karen was so much fun.  These people work hard everyday raising whitetails and producing scents at Conquest 200.  It was great to hear their stories.

Talon, Karen, Beth and I

Texas Hunt Part Three

The second day of my Texas hunt started off in a different ground blind.  We were up early and in the blind by 6 AM. It's a little different hunting with a cameraman and on camera.  I now have a lot more respect for the people hunting on TV shows, they go through a lot to get the shot on film.

We started seeing a few Doe just after daylight but wanted to wait to see if a mature Buck came into range.  One smaller buck made an appearance but he was not a shooter.

My rifle and Martin's camera

It was not long before another group of Doe came back to my blind.  They were feeding at 120 yards and were calm.  We decided to take the shot on one of the mature Doe.  I shot and she dropped in her tracks. Unfortunately the shot was a little far back and she got up and walked into the brush. We gave her a little time before deciding to start the recovery process.

Recovering my Doe

Randy came with Justin and they quickly found my Doe about 20 yards off the lane.  I was very excited to find her and to tag my first Whitetail deer in Texas. For me any animal I take is a trophy. I was very thankful that they found her so close. We placed my tag on her and loaded her into Randy's truck for processing.

A great morning hunt

We all return to the lodge for the afternoon meal. It was great to tell my story to everyone and hear about their exciting hunts.  Several of the hunters were successful and managed to tag some great Texas whitetail bucks.

Texas Hunt Part Two

I did not sleep at all my first night in Texas, I was too excited. After a quick breakfast of pastries and juice we all started off to different hunting locations on the 19,000 acre ranch.  The first morning in the ground blind was everything I had been dreaming about over the last several months.

Martin, Beth and I settled into our blind before daylight and waited for the action to start. It was not long before I seen a nice Whitetail buck off to my left.  He was not a shooter but it was great to see him!

Martin our camera man

We had some big Texas long beards around several times throughout the day.  One group of gobblers (30 or more birds) were in front of me for at least 15 minutes at 20 yards. I was surprised to see how big the birds were, much taller than the eastern  turkey I was used to seeing.

Gobbler at 20 yards

After the morning hunt several of us hunters went to the rifle range. After flying I really wanted to check my rifle and make sure the zero had not changed. It was such a thrill to be able to shoot with Mike Sr.. I was a little nervous to say the least and pulled my first shot low left. But my next two shots were right on target, 100 yard bull's-eye!

Shooting with Mike Stroff Sr

We ended the first day hunting without taking a shot, but my first day hunting in Texas was fantastic. Spending the day with professional hunters and cameramen was an outstanding experience, one I will never forget. Some trophies you cannot put a tag on or take a picture of.

Texas Hunt Part One

First I would like to thank Field & Stream for sponsoring a fantastic hunt.  Everyone at Field & Stream was great to deal with.  They completely understand the outdoors and they also understand what it's like to travel with a significant disability. I could not ask for better accommodations.

 I flew to San Antonio Texas on Saturday and returned to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The flight down went well on United airlines. The only issues I had was with boarding the plane. The people were friendly when they were transferring me, however no one seemed to know how to secure me using the seatbelts on the aisle chair. This would prove to be an issue on the return flight as well.

Before the trip I ordered some supplies to make a chest strap from Amazon (belt, strap, buckle). This turned out to be very helpful and I would recommend any quadriplegic give this a try when flying. Using this homemade chest strap was helpful on the flight and when I was using United's wheelchair.  Transferring planes in Houston and moving throughout the airport was made easier with this chest strap.

Chest strap on plane

We flew down with Justin Long from Field & Stream. Justin is a great guy and really helped so much on this trip. We also met our cameraman at the airport in San Antonio, Martin.  Martin is the ultimate professional cameraman and I loved hearing his stories in the ground blind. He has filmed all over the world with some great hunters.

An accessible van was waiting at the airport for my trip to Canyon Ranch, near Sonora Texas. It's funny, I have the exact same van even the same color. The ranch is located almost 3 hours from San Antonio. It was a beautiful drive across Texas and I was able to see lots of deer and turkeys along the way.

Van rental

When we arrived at the ranch we were greeted by Mr. Mike Stroff Senior and Randy. Right away they made me feel welcome and told me to make myself at home at the ranch.  The ranch is extremely beautiful and the ultimate man cave. Other hunters were coming in and it was nice meeting everyone over dinner.

Canyon Ranch Texas

After dinner we talked with Mike Stroff the host of Savage Outdoors, he went over safety and strategy for the week and wished us all a safe and successful hunt. We would all be going out in the morning leaving at 5:15 AM.

Best Man cave ever

Hunting in Texas with Mike Stroff

I met Mike Stroff from Savage Outdoors in September at the Field and Stream in Washington Pa.  He was there for the grand opening and gave a great talk.  I spoke with him afterwards and he was so nice.

As it turns out, I will be speaking with him again soon.  I am going hunting with him at his ranch in south Texas! THANK YOU FIELD and STREAM The hunt will take place in December, stay tuned for lots more.

Congratulations Ed

Congratulations Ed on harvesting this nice six point with a Tenpoint Crossbow today.  Your Rage broadhead sure did it's job on this buck!  Thanks go out to Glenn and Rich from Whitetail Disabled Hunting and Associates for taking this veteran out today.

Mike's Crossbow Buck

Congratulations Mike on taking this young buck on 11/5/14 with Whitetail Disabled Hunting and Associates. Your a great shot with your Tenpoint crossbow, way to go!

8 Point Buck 10/27/14

Last night I went hunting again with my friends from Whitetail Disabled Hunting and Associates. I shot this great 8 point buck with my Tenpont Maverick crossbow at 25 yards.

It was a great evening hunt, the weather was warm and hardly any wind. The landowner was so nice to talk with as we were getting ready to go.  She wished me good luck on the way in, and I needed all the luck I could get.  Glen and Rich set Beth and I up under an apple tree for the evening hunt, the set up was perfect for my wheelchair. 

I can't thank Glen and Rich enough for all their hard work and the great work their group does every year.  They sure put me on a great buck.  When we were finished hunting and my buck was recovered the landowner and her husband brought out champagne to celebrate!  Their children (6, 8 and 10) came out to see the buck and congratulate me.  It was a Fantastic night with friends enjoying archery season at it's best.

Mature Doe at 12 Yards

Last night I was hunting with some friends from Whitetail Disabled Hunting and Associates and managed to take a very nice mature Doe.  We hunted a few spots using the ground blind first. They pushed several deer my way including a nice six point but I was unable to get a shot at him.

The next set up I just blended into my natural environment and had a few doe go bye.  I also had a few turkeys walk right in front of me at 18 yards.  The guys worked really hard getting my everyday wheelchair in and out of the woods, up some very steep hills.  It was not easy by any means.

The last set up proved to be the best and I shot this nice doe at 12 yards, dropping her in her tracks.  It was a great hunt with great people using my crossbow.  I am really impressed with my Magnus Broadheads, they are two for two with no tracking necessary on doe's this season.

Thanks Beth, Glen, Rich, Mark and Marty for getting me out and onto deer. I had a great night and will remember this hunt for a long time!  All of our hard work paid off and my freezer will be full of delicious venison.

1st Day of Buck Season 2014

I was hunting on Saturday at my friend Ryan's place.  The last several years he has put on a hunt for individuals with disabilities on the first day of buck season (archery). This hunt is always fantastic and I look forward to seeing him and all the guys from Whitetail management Associates of greater Pittsburgh.

This year they custom made several ground blinds that are wheelchair accessible. They are so nice, the pictures do not do them justice. The doorway is large enough to accommodate my action track chair which most ground blinds are unable to do.

All of the windows are removable from the inside and the blind is insulated.  It also has a completely level wooden floor. I felt like I was hunting from someone's living room, overlooking a food plot.  If Ryan put's in satellite TV next year I am moving in permanently.

I was entertained by turkeys from 6 AM until 10 AM sometimes as close as 20 yards. If the birds were in season I could have easily taken one of the four gobblers that walked around my ground blind for a total of four hours.

Every year this hunt gets better and better. This year Bob was able to take his first Whitetail deer ever. Mike who usually takes at least two deer missed one this year. I had an opportunity to take a small doe in the evening at 15 yards but opted to pass. I seen a total of 12 deer in the evening (two really nice bucks) but did not have an ethical shot.

This gobbler and his buddies were at 20 yards numerous times I love watching them and hearing them. Seeing turkeys up close is fantastic.  The hens gave me a great lesson in calling that I hope to use next month.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this hunt! I look forward to this every year and really appreciate all of your hard work and giving up your first day of buck season so that I can have an opportunity to get out and hunt.

Archery Doe 2014

Last night I went bow hunting with my brother John for the first time this year and managed to take this young doe at 30 yards.  I was using my Tenpoint crossbow with 100 grain Magnus Buzz Cut Broadheads.

The Burt Coyote Lumenok bolt made it easy to see the shot was perfect.  The Doe only went 20 feet after the shot. I watched her go down at 6:45pm

This is a picture from the field using my brothers cell phone. Of all the evenings hunting, this is the night I forgot my camera! I would have liked to get some better quality pictures, but these will have to do.

To many archers, this small doe may not be a trophy, but to me, any animal I harvest is a trophy. Don't  let what you can't do stop you from what you can accomplish.  Shoot straight and be safe in the outdoors, good luck in all of your adventures this fall.

Pheasant Hunt McDonald Sportsmen

On Saturday I went pheasant hunting with the Western Pa Wounded Warriors on a hunt sponsored by the McDonald Sportsmen's Association. The hunt was at the McDonald property and it was fantastic! I had so much fun and met so many wonderful people. The weather was perfect and the club property was beautiful. I knew it was going to be a good hunt when I scored my first pheasant without firing a shot, check out this video!

 

I did manage to take another three pheasants on my own without too much help from Elvira, although she did point and retrieve all of the pheasants.

I was also able to shoot some trap at the club. This is a first for me since my disability. The last time I shot trap was at least 25 years ago. I did not believe I would be able to hit any of the Clay pigeons, but I was able to hit six out of 25 attempts.





After breaking the six clay pigeons everyone congratulated me and I felt like I just won the Olympic gold.  They gave me a new nickname ''the Crusher'' and everyone who volunteered at the shoot ended up signing my sweatshirt by the end of the day.




The club provided a great steak dinner after the shoot and I can't remember when I had so much fun! Everyone there was so nice, it was a perfect Saturday afternoon! I am so glad I had the opportunity to take part in it. I was able to meet some great people and be a part of this great event.  THANK YOU to everyone involved.

Hog Hunt

I went hog hunting on Sunday for the first time and harvested this nice Russian with my .243 rifle.  The hog was at 80 yards and quartering towards me.  I shot it in the neck and dropped her instantly.

I used my Action Trackchair, my adapted shooting brace and a BMF Trigger activator.  It all worked out great.  My family and friends took three other Russian hog's with handguns.