Submitted by Rob on December 14, 2007 - 11:34am.

The Joy of Hunting
By Michael O. Hanson

I am an avid outdoorsman and hunter.  I have successfully hunted grouse, rabbit, deer, pheasant, squirrel, partridge, wild turkey, ducks, geese, and other game for close to thirty years.

I happen to be blind.  I passed a firearms safety course, with a score of 100% on the written exam and successfully completed the required field exercises.  When I hunt, I have a sighted helper help me aim and tell me when to shoot. 

As the above paragraph shows, I hunt as safely as anybody else does.  As the paragraphs below demonstrate, it works.

Now, I will describe what happened at Tony’s Trophy Elk-Hunts in Baudette, Minnesota on December 9, 2007.  I stood on a trail with Tony Beckel.  He runs Tony’s Trophy Elk-Hunts.  I highly recommend Tony’s Trophy Elk-Hunts for their commitment to success, professionalism, attention to safety and respectful attitude toward clients.  Tony was very creative and thoughtful in his approach to hunting.  I was the first totally blind client Tony worked with.  About the only difference between this hunt and hunts out west is the distance you need to travel.

The morning started out at 21.6 degrees below zero.  It got somewhat warmer but not much as the day went on. 

The hunt was scheduled for December 8 and 9, 2007.  We worked hard on December 8, with no success.  Jon Zirngible shot at and slightly wounded a cow elk on December 8.  I had a couple long shots, which we didn’t take because of the distance and brush between the elk and me.  We had an hour or so of good light left on the last day of the hunt.  We were getting concerned about whether we would be successful.  If anything, the weather was colder on December 8.  This was real hunting.  In addition to elk, we saw plenty of hoarfrost, roughed grouse, ravens, balled eagles, and whitetail deer.  Those of us who had mustaches had frost on them.

Jon and I went on this hunt generously donated by the Langenfeld Foundation, Tony’s Trophy Elk-Hunts, and the Minnesota Elk Breeders Association.  I had a helper named Rick Holtan from Capable Partners.  A veteran elk-hunter named Steve Harvey came along to assist with the hunt.  Jon’s brother, Jim, a veteran hunter in his own right, helped Jon and generously assisted with field dressing and butchering the elk.  Jon brought down the cow at about 2:00 PM the same day. 

It was about 4:00 PM.  This was the last drive of the day.  It was now or never. 

Several people were walking through the woods to drive out a bull elk who decided to stay in there.  Suddenly, I heard someone yell "it's coming!"  I took the safety off a Winchester Model 100 308 and told Tony the safety was off.

Tony and I agreed I would take the safety off when we knew the elk was coming out.  Everybody wore blaze orange to ensure their visibility.  We knew how far the drivers would walk.  Therefore, we had a safe field of fire.

About a hundred and sixty-five yards down the trail, a 900-pound 7-by-6 bull elk ran out at full speed.  Later, Tony and Jim Zirngible told me they thought it scored about 330 inches according to a standard rating system for big game animals.  A 7-by-6 bull elk means a bull elk with seven points or tines on one antler and six points or tines on the other antler.

Tony said, "Shoot!"  I squeezed the trigger.  I heard the gun go off and the sound of the bullet hitting the elk.  The elk dropped like a rock.  Two quick shots later, I had killed that bull!

I never thought I would get a chance to hunt anything like that.  Thank God, Tony Beckel, Rick Holtan, Steve Harvey, the good folks who work for Tony's Trophy Elk-Hunts, The Minnesota Elk Breeders Association, Jim Zirngible, and the Langenfeld Foundation for the hunt of a lifetime!

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