I met Chris at 5:30 this morning, and we headed to Dan Ladd’s house to hunt. Dan set up a blind for us on a small food plot and told us we could sit there for the morning. Dan has always been one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. After explaining to him what I’ve been doing with Chris and telling him about Chris’ handicap, he was excited to let him hunt on his land.
We climbed into the blind around 6:00 and waited for it to get light. While Chris was crawling in front of the blind, a big doe took off and ran into the woods. He spotted her in the light cast from the headlamp.
It was a cool morning, and I figured the deer would be moving. Although we heard some geese and crows, we didn’t see much of anything moving near the blind for the first few hours.
At 8:30, I spotted something moving in the woods below us. After a closer look, I saw that it was a big doe. I told Chris to get ready. Although I didn’t have a weapon, my heart raced and I was nervous for Chris. I wanted him to get a shot at the deer. When I looked in front of her, I figured her path would lead her by us in a few minutes. As the minutes ticked away, the deer never made an appearance.
On our way out, I took a few pictures of Chris crawling behind me while I carried his gear. If anyone out there ever feels the need to complain about a bad walk, just remember that at least you have the ability to walk. Chris does not have that ability, and I’ve never once heard him complain. He just gets on his knees and starts crawling to wherever he had to go, no matter how long it might take him to get there.
