Wheel'n Sportsman ??
Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude
Wheel'n Sportsman ??
I have a Friend that has muscular dystrophy and the disease has eat him up for the most part. He has killed his share of Turkey and Deer using all weapons including shooting bows with his teeth and use'n his feet to shoot bows and take deer this way, he now hunts with an Xcalibur Xbow. I want to become involved in hunts for the "Handicap" (I hate that word). HE may have a disease but I wouldn't call him handicap because he has more heart than most. I have offered for him to hunt my place and he has permission to hunt the 16 acres that borders mine. I will get him to where he needs to be and do the calling for spring turkey season. I am driven by his determination. I would like to become more involved and help out where i can. Could anyone on here give me some contact info. on how to become involved with the Wheeling Sportsman? If you folks could just read the article about him in the Knoxville News Paper,,,,,,,,,,He is truly Amazing. I will never take advantage of the gifts I have been give'n,,Now it's time for me to give back.
Last edited by DoDFire on Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done
I am a member.
Just go to www.nwtf.org and find the wheeling sportsman link or type it in a search window.
Thants great what you want to do.
Just go to www.nwtf.org and find the wheeling sportsman link or type it in a search window.
Thants great what you want to do.
Scott
http://www.myspace.com/saxman1
Take a kid hunting
They don't remember their best day of watching TV
Excalibur Equinox
TruGlo Red/Green Dot
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http://www.myspace.com/saxman1
Take a kid hunting
They don't remember their best day of watching TV
Excalibur Equinox
TruGlo Red/Green Dot
NGSS Absorber by NewGuy
Custom strings by BOO
Groundpounder Top Mount
ACF Member - 2011
-
raydaughety
- Posts: 2411
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 11:32 am
- Location: North Carolina
I admire your willingness to help your friend and believe me you'll probably get more out of it than your friend. Here's some links that will help but I encourage you to contact Flbuckmaster as he stays up to date on these hunts and organizations. Streamlight and BADF chose Jay as the 2006 Challenged Hunter of the Year!!!! http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/06/statewide/ ... award.html
Wheelin' Sportsman: http://www.wheelinsportsmen.org/wheelin/events.html
Buckmasters American Deer Foundation (BADF):
http://www.badf.org/DisabledHunters.html
This link is for Dave Sullivan, he's the guy that organizes the events for buckmasters. I would definitely contact Dave and tell him what your trying to do and he'll point you in the right direction.
[email protected]
Here is another great recourse: http://www.disabledoutdoors.com/
Also, contact your local DNR and see what they have available. I wish you good luck on your quest and will pray for you
Wheelin' Sportsman: http://www.wheelinsportsmen.org/wheelin/events.html
Buckmasters American Deer Foundation (BADF):
http://www.badf.org/DisabledHunters.html
This link is for Dave Sullivan, he's the guy that organizes the events for buckmasters. I would definitely contact Dave and tell him what your trying to do and he'll point you in the right direction.
[email protected]
Here is another great recourse: http://www.disabledoutdoors.com/
Also, contact your local DNR and see what they have available. I wish you good luck on your quest and will pray for you
God Bless !!!!!!!!!
Ray
Ray
I found the article about him so now I will post it,,,,
Published: December 14, 2003
Hunter won't let disease win out
Section: Sports
Edition: Five-star
Page: D10
Caption: (Color) Dennis Waddell of Powell still hunts despite suffering from muscular dystrophy. BOB HODGE/NEWS SENTINEL; DIGITAL PHOTO - 1212WADDELL.BH
Bob Hodge
Find the ruggedest rugged outdoorsman you can and I'll bet the guy's a couch-loving pantywaist compared to Powell's Dennis Waddell.When it comes to loving the outdoors a lot of hunters and fishermen talk the talk. Waddell walks the walk ... with a little help from his friends.
Turn back the clock about 40 years and Waddell was joining his dad Edward for deer hunts at Chuck Swan Wildlife Management Area. He would hunt for a decade before he bagged his first deer, a 70-pound doe from Scott County, but he knew right away there was something he liked about being in the woods.
"I've always enjoyed the outdoors and enjoyed hunting," Waddell said. "I still get a rush when I get a deer and have that excitement when I'm hunting. It's something the good Lord above has created for us to enjoy. I really do believe that."
And he believes it with a faith that makes Job seem like a piker.
When Waddell went into the woods the first time with his dad he was like any other 11-year-old boy. Hale and healthy, he had no idea the curve he was about to be thrown.
When Waddell was still a teenager he got out his bow to practice one day and realized he was having trouble drawing back the string. It didn't take long for doctors to diagnose him with muscular dystrophy and from there it didn't take long for his muscles to deteriorate.
The disease went after his upper arms first. Drawing back a bowstring soon went from difficult to impossible and in 1974 crossbows weren't legal in Tennessee even for disabled hunters.
Waddell adapted by learning to hold a bow with his feet. A couple of extra large rubber bands made from tire inner tubes kept the bow from flying off out of control when he released the string.
That's how he was shooting when he dropped the doe in Scott County.
"I was good to about 30 yards," Waddell said. "I also killed two at Land Between the Lakes shooting with my feet. But I was glad when I was able to get a crossbow."
Over the years muscular dystrophy has chipped away at Waddell's body to the point that hunting by himself is not even a consideration. The disease that ravaged his arms in the 70s has also sapped the strength out of his legs to the point that simply getting up out of a chair is an ordeal.
Three years ago Waddell fell while he was hunting and realized his radio was 200 yards away in the truck. He had to crawl back to the truck, leaving he's knees swollen and his energy drained.
"I was worn out," Waddell said. "That's when I knew I wasn't going to go hunting by myself anymore."
J.D. Robinson, who also lives in Powell, is Waddell's friend and frequent hunting companion. Together the pair walk over and around the sticks and stobs until they get to a place where Waddell feels comfortable hunting.
Waddell and Robinson then latch his stand around a tree. For the next 30 to 40 minutes Waddell painstakingly works his way up the tree, with Robinson on the ground pushing the base of the stand as high as he can.
"J.D. then goes and hunts, but he stays pretty close and we stay in contact with each other. He's always checking to make sure I'm OK."
Frosty mornings in November and December that make most hunters drool make life even tougher on Waddell. The cold makes his muscles even more disagreeable and blood thinners he takes to help the circulation in his legs make the cold that much more unbearable.
Piling on the clothes doesn't help because they just limit his already limited range of motion.
"Some days I just stay in the truck," he said.
Where you won't find him is staying home.
He and his wife of 13 years, Dinah, both have a taste for venison, but there's more than filling a freezer pushing Waddell into the woods. There he rekindles memories of his dad, who died 20 years ago, and he gets to see a part of the world most people only experience through their TV sets.
"At Catoosa last year I saw a deer walk into a pond and take a bath," Waddell said. "He splashed around in the water and then got out and shook off like a big old dog. You don't see that stuff sitting on a couch."
Denny Mabe is another friend who lends Waddell a hand getting to and from his hunting spots. There have been times when Waddell does as much falling as walking, but that's not enough to keep him out of the woods or even off his feet.
Waddell could be sitting in a wheelchair, but he chooses to get around the best he can without one.
"I don't have the promise of tomorrow, so I'm going until I can't go anymore," he said. "People ask me if it bothers me and it does because I can't do what I could do five years ago. I could sit down and quit, but my dad taught me better than that."
His dad taught him pretty well, I'd say. Bob Hodge covers the outdoors. He can be reached at 865-342-6314.
Published: December 14, 2003
Hunter won't let disease win out
Section: Sports
Edition: Five-star
Page: D10
Caption: (Color) Dennis Waddell of Powell still hunts despite suffering from muscular dystrophy. BOB HODGE/NEWS SENTINEL; DIGITAL PHOTO - 1212WADDELL.BH
Bob Hodge
Find the ruggedest rugged outdoorsman you can and I'll bet the guy's a couch-loving pantywaist compared to Powell's Dennis Waddell.When it comes to loving the outdoors a lot of hunters and fishermen talk the talk. Waddell walks the walk ... with a little help from his friends.
Turn back the clock about 40 years and Waddell was joining his dad Edward for deer hunts at Chuck Swan Wildlife Management Area. He would hunt for a decade before he bagged his first deer, a 70-pound doe from Scott County, but he knew right away there was something he liked about being in the woods.
"I've always enjoyed the outdoors and enjoyed hunting," Waddell said. "I still get a rush when I get a deer and have that excitement when I'm hunting. It's something the good Lord above has created for us to enjoy. I really do believe that."
And he believes it with a faith that makes Job seem like a piker.
When Waddell went into the woods the first time with his dad he was like any other 11-year-old boy. Hale and healthy, he had no idea the curve he was about to be thrown.
When Waddell was still a teenager he got out his bow to practice one day and realized he was having trouble drawing back the string. It didn't take long for doctors to diagnose him with muscular dystrophy and from there it didn't take long for his muscles to deteriorate.
The disease went after his upper arms first. Drawing back a bowstring soon went from difficult to impossible and in 1974 crossbows weren't legal in Tennessee even for disabled hunters.
Waddell adapted by learning to hold a bow with his feet. A couple of extra large rubber bands made from tire inner tubes kept the bow from flying off out of control when he released the string.
That's how he was shooting when he dropped the doe in Scott County.
"I was good to about 30 yards," Waddell said. "I also killed two at Land Between the Lakes shooting with my feet. But I was glad when I was able to get a crossbow."
Over the years muscular dystrophy has chipped away at Waddell's body to the point that hunting by himself is not even a consideration. The disease that ravaged his arms in the 70s has also sapped the strength out of his legs to the point that simply getting up out of a chair is an ordeal.
Three years ago Waddell fell while he was hunting and realized his radio was 200 yards away in the truck. He had to crawl back to the truck, leaving he's knees swollen and his energy drained.
"I was worn out," Waddell said. "That's when I knew I wasn't going to go hunting by myself anymore."
J.D. Robinson, who also lives in Powell, is Waddell's friend and frequent hunting companion. Together the pair walk over and around the sticks and stobs until they get to a place where Waddell feels comfortable hunting.
Waddell and Robinson then latch his stand around a tree. For the next 30 to 40 minutes Waddell painstakingly works his way up the tree, with Robinson on the ground pushing the base of the stand as high as he can.
"J.D. then goes and hunts, but he stays pretty close and we stay in contact with each other. He's always checking to make sure I'm OK."
Frosty mornings in November and December that make most hunters drool make life even tougher on Waddell. The cold makes his muscles even more disagreeable and blood thinners he takes to help the circulation in his legs make the cold that much more unbearable.
Piling on the clothes doesn't help because they just limit his already limited range of motion.
"Some days I just stay in the truck," he said.
Where you won't find him is staying home.
He and his wife of 13 years, Dinah, both have a taste for venison, but there's more than filling a freezer pushing Waddell into the woods. There he rekindles memories of his dad, who died 20 years ago, and he gets to see a part of the world most people only experience through their TV sets.
"At Catoosa last year I saw a deer walk into a pond and take a bath," Waddell said. "He splashed around in the water and then got out and shook off like a big old dog. You don't see that stuff sitting on a couch."
Denny Mabe is another friend who lends Waddell a hand getting to and from his hunting spots. There have been times when Waddell does as much falling as walking, but that's not enough to keep him out of the woods or even off his feet.
Waddell could be sitting in a wheelchair, but he chooses to get around the best he can without one.
"I don't have the promise of tomorrow, so I'm going until I can't go anymore," he said. "People ask me if it bothers me and it does because I can't do what I could do five years ago. I could sit down and quit, but my dad taught me better than that."
His dad taught him pretty well, I'd say. Bob Hodge covers the outdoors. He can be reached at 865-342-6314.
Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done
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flbuckmaster
- Posts: 969
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 5:23 pm
- Location: CRAWFORDVILLE, FLORIDA