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

All Packed Up for Texas

For the most part my bags are all packed up for my hunting trip to Texas with Mike Stroff.  I trained and prepared for the hunt as well as I could, now it's up to fate.

Logistically, traveling with a power wheelchair and being a quadriplegic presents a few challenges.  I hope flying down goes well and my wheelchair is not damaged.  We have an accessible van reserved for the trip from San Antonio airport to Uvalde Tx.

Stay tuned for the hunt

Preparing for Texas

Santa Claus is not the only person making a list and checking it twice. I'm working on my list for my upcoming hunt in Texas with Savage Outdoors.

Rifle Case (rifle, shells, strap, locks)

Backpack 
Chest strap

Tools (adjustable wrench, pliers)
Tray

Headlamp 

Rangefinder 

Knife 

Balaclava (heavy and light)

Boonie hat

Poncho 

Para cord 

Duct tape 
Zip ties

Hunting license 

Roho pump

Extra BMF Trigger's

Emergency bars, snacks 

Cathater bags (leg, day, night)
Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, razor, deodorant)

Bed pads

Bowel program supplies 

Prescription medication
Goose down jacket 

Black shirts 

Camo Columbia jacket 

Black sweats

Black tee shirt 

Socks

Shoes 

Wallet

Ipad 

Phone and chargers

Hat

I have not been on a plane in several years but I still remember the difficulty traveling with a power wheelchair and being a quadriplegic. The airlines certainly don't make it easy. Airplanes are not what I would call Wheelchair accessible.

Wheelchairs are checked like baggage which means I will have to remove my seat cushion and sit in a regular plane seat. This will make it impossible to weight shift on the 3 1/2 hour flight. Because I have no trunk control, I had to make a chest strap to attach to the airplane seat. This will keep me from falling forward in the seat. It's amazing what you can buy on Amazon and put together.

I made the decision to ship down my shooting mount and wheelchair battery charger with UPS.  Trying to handle that equipment through the airport would be too difficult along with my rifle case and other luggage. I'm thankful I have a backup charger to keep at home.

Traveling with a disability brings a whole new set of problems. I try to imagine what I cannot live without for a few days and that's what I plan on taking on my carry-on in case the airline loses my bag. Of course there are all kinds of restrictions on what I can take in my carry-on.

I am also taking back up trigger activators from BMF. If the airline loses my rifle for a few days I can borrow one from the outfitter, attach my trigger activator and still be able to complete my hunt.

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.