I’m proud to say the May 2013 issue of Outdoor Life magazine
includes a short piece about me in the “My Outdoor Life” section. The editor,
Andrew McKean, “interviewed” me by emailing a list of questions, which I
answered in writing. We covered much more than Andrew was able to publish in
the half-page article, so I’ve put up my lengthy answers here in three posts.
Here’s the third part.
Q: Talk to me about the sorts of adaptive technology you've
incorporated in your hunts. Is there any particular device that is especially
noteworthy or groundbreaking?
A: Although
I can’t hold a rifle, two devices keep me actively involved in the hunt. Both
are made by BE-Adaptive, and I encourage all disabled outdoorsmen to check out
their adaptive shooting gear (http://www.beadaptive.com).
The Scope
Cam System fits on nearly any riflescope. A mini camera mounts on the eyepiece
and sends the image to a small video monitor, providing a scope’s eye
view—crosshairs and all—for me and my point man (who handles the rifle). We
both follow the sight picture as the point man aims, and I decide when to
shoot.
I squeeze
the trigger with a sip-activated control. I inhale on a tube to trip a solenoid
that pushes a bar against the trigger.
Q: I want to talk about the teamwork that you build around
every hunt. What are the ingredients of the "A-Team"?
A: For the
first couple years after my diagnosis, I needed help getting dressed and
getting in/out of vehicles, but once I was settled in the blind I could safely
handle a gun and hunt by myself. I called Ligia and Ron my “pit crew” because
they performed these tasks with impressive efficiency. Ron would hunt in a
nearby stand and keep tabs on me via two-way radio.
In 2008,
when I told him I could no longer handle a gun, Ron said he would “do whatever
it takes” to get me out hunting. Ron’s pledge inspired me to research the Web
and find the adaptive shooting gear I mentioned. We first used the gear on a
hunt in South Carolina .
When we returned to the lodge one evening with a pair of whitetails we’d taken,
all the other hunters congratulated me. I kept saying, “It was a team effort.”
Then I began referring to Ron, Ligia and myself as The A-Team.
Our South Carolina
double, October 2008
Since then
The A-Team has grown to include the many people who have helped me enjoy hunts
in the USA , Argentina and Uruguay .
Our most
important ingredient is communication at every phase: deciding what, when and
where to hunt; coordinating travel plans; at the hunt site, discussing strategy
and logistics—a guy in my condition can’t just go out there and wing it.
Communication when preparing to shoot is critical. Even though I can usually
see what he’s doing, I ask my point man to tell me when he chambers a shell,
closes the bolt or flicks off the safety. This communication helps reinforce
safe gun handling, but it can lead to funny moments like the time we saw a deer
we wanted to shoot…Ron put the trigger tube in my mouth and then said, “I’m
taking off the safety. Don’t breathe!”
The point
man and I must form a mutual trust. I trust him to hold steady and aim true
(which I confirm on the Scope Cam), and he trusts me to be patient and activate
the trigger at the right moment.
To join The
A-Team you must be a safety conscious, ethical hunter; have a positive, can-do
attitude; know how to fully appreciate a day of hunting whether we see game or
not. And you damn well better have a good sense of humor because we’re here to
enjoy the experience.
Ron summed
up A-Team philosophy when he once told me, “I’d rather shoot a four-point buck
with you than take a ten-point by myself.”
The A-Team in Argentina, 2010
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