A hunting we will go ! Earlier this year through my uncle, I was put in touch with Tim McKinnon the president of the Northern Alberta Chapter of Safari Club International. Tim knows that I am an avid bowhunter and knows the importance of bringing our children out hunting in the woods. I make several attempts a year to bring Jax out hunting with me but the reality of getting Jax in and out of my hunting locations are quite difficult and almost somewhat impossible considering we would scare all the game away attempting to get into our spot. Jax loves to get dressed up in my camouflage and head out into the bush. He also realizes that sometimes it’s cold, dark and sitting motionless outdoors can be quite chilly for him so a lot of the times he just says “Dad, I don’t want to go today”. Tim had heard about all the difficulties and medical issues Jax has faced over his years and decided to put Jaxs name forward for a youth pathfinder hunt that SCI sponsors each year. SCI chooses one child with a disability from the United States and one child with a disability from Canada to go on an all expenses paid, guided hunt that is filmed and aired on The Outdoor Channel in the United States. Jax was chosen to be the child from Canada ! Upon hearing the news Jax was estatic ! Jax and I had many discussions about where he would like to hunt and what he would like to hunt for. It was decided that we would fly out to the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec and hunt for Red Stag or Elk. Our trip was booked for us in early July and our hunting dates were set for September 20 to 24th. If you remember from my last post that on September 11 Jax landed in the hospital with the hip infection. Are you serious ? A week before Jax is supposed to go on this hunting trip of a lifetime he lands in the hospital ? This is the kind of bad luck Jax faces all the time. While in the hospital we weren’t even sure if he’d be cleared by his doctors to make the trip to Quebec. Jax would often ask if he was going to be out of the hospital before the hunting trip. At that time we still didn’t know when he’d be let out. Jax did miraculously well after the removal of the plate and infection from his hip and was released from the hospital on September 15. His doctors even cleared him to go on his hunting trip. With a very fresh 12 inch incision and stitches in his left hip / leg, and some antibiotics we left the hospital ! With only a few days before the hunting trip there was a lot of “stuff” to get ready. This trip would have never ever been possible for Jax to attend if it wasn’t for his Mom, my wife Jen. Jen is amazing at getting to and from all of the doctors appointments, getting information, getting prescriptions filled, filling out forms and the list goes on and on. Although I help out as much as I can, Jen is his full time nurse and care giver. She has her finger on the pulse of everything Jax. This would be the first time travelling on a plane with Jaxs dialysis machine and all of his supplies. Jen worked so hard to have everything medically ready for Jax to take this trip. She had to get letters from doctors, a hard travel case for the cycler, arrange medicine, pack supplies and again the list goes on and on. I am so thankful for the dedication she shows towards his health and safety. The hunting trip only included Jax and one companion, which meant it was Jax and I who were on our way to Quebec. I was pretty leery and actually quite sure that we would have been stopped at airport security travelling with carry on medical suitcases that contained many liquids over 100ml, syringes and other items you are not allowed. Jen assured me she had all the supporting documentation and it was the doctors’ orders that those supplies stayed with us at all times. Guess what – she knew what she was doing and she was right ! We got through no problem and made our way to our gate at 6am on the morning of Friday September 20. Jax and I flew through West Jet and they treated us so well. They made special accommodations for Jax upon arrival and made our airline experience and flight worry free. We arrived in Montreal Quebec where we were greeted by a gentleman who drove us to the Laurentian Wildlife Estate which was about 2 hours away from the airport. After an early morning and long flight Jax slept most of this way out to the lodge. Upon arriving at the lodge we were welcomed by Mike Rogers the host of Expedition Safari (the television show that Jax will be on for his hunt). Mike is a fantastic guy and made Jax feel comfortable right away. Mike has this upbeat attitude, excitement in his voice and zest for life that Jax was drawn to almost instantly. We also met with our guide Allistair who works at the lodge. He showed us around the grounds at the lodge and the main cabin where we would be staying. They made us feel welcome and made things very accommodating for Jax, his wheel chair and medical needs. That afternoon Mike spoke with Jax about the hunt and what would take place. With Jaxs input we decided that he was going to hunt for Red Stag using a cross bow. As we discussed the hunt Jaxs smile never left his face. This kid was going to have sore cheeks from smiling by the end of the 4 days ! We headed out to the range that evening where Jax took a few practice shots and sighted in the cross bow. This kid is a great shooter, he must get it from his Dad ! He was hitting every target right in the kill zone with consistency and accuracy. Upon leaving the range we agreed that a shot within 30 to 40 yards would be ideal for Jax. I had to wake Jax up at 5:45am each day to be ready to get out the door by 6am. Normally this would not be an easy task but knowing that he was going hunting he got up no problems at all ! On Saturday morning I loaded Jax in a side by side (Polaris RZR) and put his wheel chair in the back and we headed out to a large ground blind that they had built especially for Jax. It was big enough to get his wheel chair into along with Mike the guide, Steve the camera man, Allistair the guide and myself. This blind was set up on the edge of a meadow and Jax got a chance to hear and see up close many elk and stags that were all around us. It was rainy morning so there weren’t a lot of animals moving. It continued raining all day and even rained off and on during our evening hunt. Jax used his binoculars to scan the meadows and trees from the ground blind but the evening ended without having a shot at anything. Sunday morning came and out we went again. This morning was a little colder and not raining, almost perfect for hunting. The animals were moving and we were seeing a lot of action. We even had a bull elk walk directly beside and then in front of our blind at about 5 yards away. I thought Jax’s smile was big before but when he saw this elk so close, his smile and eyes grew the biggest I’ve ever seen. The morning hunt again did not present a shot for Jax but he wasn’t getting discouraged. He couldn’t wait to get back out for the evening hunt. On Sunday evening elk and stags were moving and there was lots to look at. Many animals came through the meadow and our movements in the blind had to be very slow and quiet not to spook them away. About 30 minutes before dark a nice stag came into the meadow and if he presented himself for a shot, this would be the one Jax would take. The stag came to about 50 yards away but wouldn’t present itself for a shot. After a few minutes it started to walk away slowly. Mike the host of the show was able to stop the stag with “grunting / roaring” sounds. Each time the stag stopped Jax would have to slightly reposition himself. This happened 3 times and after the 3rd time, Jax pulled the trigger and made an amazing 57 yard shot ! Remember the part about having him take a 30 to 40 yard shot ? Yeah well……. We all had confidence in Jax and knew he could make that shot. Jax’s excitement and happiness just started flowing from underneath that camouflage mask ! That will be a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. I was so happy for him and so proud of him. I could feel his excitement ! He followed everything flawlessly to ensure he would have a successful hunt ! I am so happy that I was also able to record this moment so that I could share it with everyone back home. The link to watch my video of this can be found here youtube/watch?v=9inSbSyTdDI. We will receive DVD copies of the entire episode that I will post to youtube once I receive them. As this was all filmed for television, on Monday morning we set up some chairs in the woods along with the cameras and they conducted interviews with Jax and I. They asked us both questions about the hunt and about the medical history with Jax and the challenges he faces. Again I spoke about Jax and again I balled my eyes out. Even though every night out there Jax would receive his feed through his G-tube, medicines and dialysis for those 4 days in the woods we weren’t thinking about hospitals and surgeries. We were relaxed, enjoying nature, the outdoors and having a great time. At breakfast and supper around the table Jax was involved in the conversations, it was story telling time and sharing favorite memories. There was lots of laughter and some friendships made. They all made Jax feel special and he was the highlight for those 4 days. I know Jax touched each and everyone of them in his own special way and that they will never forget those days spent out there, as Jax will never forget his time spent with them. They surprised Jax by providing him with a cooler packed with the finest cuts of meat from his stag so that we could take it home with us and make jerky out of it. That was Jax’s biggest request that he could take the meat home with him so that we can get some jerky made. They also surprised him with arranging to have the head mounted and sending it to our place when it is done (6 months to a year) ! All my hunting stuff has to stay in the garage, but for Jax’s trophy kill Jen’s making an exception to the rule. This one gets to come inside and get put on the wall ! There are so many people to thank for making this experience happen for Jax. Everyone involved went out of their way to make this all about Jax. They treated him like a king, which he deserves. They made him feel welcome and included him in absolutely everything. They made the experience accessible for him and worry free. They gave him new friendships and memories to cherish for the rest of his life. They allowed him to share his feelings and his experiences about what he faces on a daily basis. I’ve had a couple people ask me since the hunt if I felt jealous or wish that I could have hunted while I was out there. My answer is absolutely not. This hunt was about getting Jax out there where he could experience the thrill of hunting, being in the outdoors and getting him into locations that I cannot get him into. He was getting a chance to do what I get to do on a regular basis and I had the pleasure and honor to accompany him and share this experience with him. Watching him be so calm and confident in that ground blind and taking his first animal ranks up there with one of the happiest moments in my life. I am so proud of him for what he accomplished on this trip. (again it was only 5 days after he was released from the hospital from yet another surgery but you would never know it). Those 4 days out in the woods I watched my boy turn into a young man. I saw him look the happiest and the healthiest I’ve seen him look in a very, very long time. Although I took lots of pictures and videos during this trip to look back on, the memories in my mind are very colorful and vivid and I still think about this experience every day even though a month has passed since it happened. I will cherish this time that I was able to share with Jax out there in Quebec for the rest of my life. Jax, thank you for letting me be a part of it. Geoff (October 25, 2013)
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 09:30:14 +0000
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