I just got back from another trip to Northwest Iowa where I was helping as a hunting guide for the Special Youth Challenge Ministries annual turkey hunt. The hunt was once again a great success with a total of 26 hunters participating and 8 toms being harvested. This year's speaker was Mr. Dan Stephany who works for Bass Pro Shops. He delivered a powerful message from God's Word, and challenged everyone to share with others what God had done in their lives.
If you ever have the opportunity to participate in a hunt like this I would highly encourage it. You will definitely be blessed while making a difference in the lives of others.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend.
This is my group. Left to right - Josh Nelson, Scott Jordan (my dad), and myself. Our hunter was Zach Olson from Minnesota.
Last weekend the SYC Deer Hunt was held in NW Iowa, and I was fortunate to be able to participate as a guide for one of the hunters. The weekend was full of excitement as 28 hunters harvested a total of 23 deer.
Due to the passing of my friend Greg Somers the week before as I mentioned in my last post, I was paired up with a different co-guide for this hunt. This year Danny Dodge of Spencer, Iowa and I were assigned to guide for a young man named Logan Slay. Here we are before the first morning's hunt getting ready to go out into the field. (From left to right: Terri Slay (Logan's Dad), Logan Slay, Danny Dodge, and myself)
The first morning in the stand turned out to be a good one. We saw a total of 7 deer, all does and fawns, and Logan was able to harvest a nice doe. This was Logan's first deer, and it was great that he and his dad were able to share the moment together.
Another successful hunter this year was Zach Olson from Minnesota. I had the privelege of guiding for Zach the last couple years and he bagged one doe the first year he hunted with me. This year he was being guided by my friend Marc Gustafson, and Zach shot two deer - a 7-point buck and a doe!
The biggest buck of the weekend was shot by a young man named Graham who bagged this really nice 10-point!
Overall, lots of good memories were made and the weekend was exciting for everyone involved. A speaker delivered a powerful message of how God changed his life, and lives are constantly being changed by the work of this ministry. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to participate and for the wonderful friends I have met through SYC.
For the last year I have been blessed to get to know a young man named Zach Olson, who I have had the privilege of guiding for (along with my friends and fellow guides Greg Somers and Josh Nelson) at both the SYC Turkey Hunt and Deer Hunt. If you have followed my blog you will recognize Zach because you have probably seen his picture on here before. Zach was seriously injured in an automobile accident several years ago that left him in a coma for 6 months. He has been pretty much confined to a wheelchair since the accident but has been making excellent progress with his mobility.
Earlier this evening I received an email from Zach's mother that was such a blessing and inspiration to me that I wanted to share it with everyone. Zach was wishing me a Merry Christmas and had something he wanted to show me. This video was attached...
Praise God for this remarkable milestone in Zach's recovery and for this blessing for he and his family at Christmas time! What a mighty God we serve!
Last weekend was the annual deer hunt held by the Special Youth Challenge Ministries of Northwest Iowa. I got to participate again this year as one of the hunting guides and was once again blessed by the experience. If you aren't familiar with SYC, they are a non-profit ministry devoted to sharing the love of Christ to physically-challenged youth and their families. Through the efforts of a multitude of volunteers, SYC is able to offer opportunities for these kids to get out into the woods and hunt deer. It is an outstanding ministry and I'm blessed to be a part of it!
The weekend kicked off Friday evening with a banquet-style dinner where each of the hunters were introduced to the audience. The event also featured a speaker who shared a message from God's word. This year's speaker was Blake Mattocks who is an associate pastor at Faith Bible Chapel in Denver, Colorado. Blake shared what God had put on his heart on several occasions throughout the weekend and did a fantastic job of conveying the message that the Christian life is not about "Religion", but rather about a "Relationship" with Jesus Christ.
Also at the banquet, each of the hunters who had harvested a turkey at the Spring Turkey Hunt held earlier this year were presented their fan mounts. Here is my hunter, Zach Olson from Minnesota, with his trophy bird. Saturday was the first day of the actual hunt, and I was again paired up with Zach and fellow guides Greg Somers and Josh Nelson. We didn't see anything Saturday morning, but 9-year old Connor from Green Bay, Wisconsin was successful in harvesting his first deer - a nice 8-point buck. Saturday evening we saw a couple does, but they never provided Zach with a shot opportunity.
But Sunday morning proved to be different. We had a doe come in to within about 25 yards of the stand and Zach made a perfect shot with the 20-guage slug to bring the deer down. Congratulations on making an awesome shot, Zach! Here are a couple pictures from the field right after the harvest. Here is a picture of Zach with his deer back at camp along with myself, Greg and Josh. There were a total of 28 hunters at this event and 13 got a deer. That's a pretty good success ratio!
The event was once again an all-around huge success in many aspects. Lives were changed, friends were made, and God's Word was preached. I encourage you to visit the SYC website at www.syciowa.com today and see what it is all about!
This past weekend I was blessed to be a part of an amazing event. The Special Youth Challenge Ministries of Northwest Iowa held their annual turkey hunt, and I was fortunate enough to get to participate as a guide during the hunt. It was definitely an experience I won't forget!
SYC is a non-profit, volunteer ministry that exists for the purpose of reaching people for Jesus Christ. The organization's vision is to empower physically challenged youth to enjoy hunting and the shooting sports and diminish a portion of their disability by teaching them to overcome barriers of the outdoors through the use of special methods, equipment or assistance from volunteers who desire to share their passion for shooting and hunting.
The event kicked off Friday afternoon when the hunters and guides began to arrive. The hunters are given the opportunity to get familiar with the equipment they will be using. The guns are modified so that hunters with limited mobility can use them by looking at a small video screen that shows the view through the scope and pressing a push-button controller that squeezes the trigger. Here is a picture of the setup. Here is a short video I took of one of the hunters getting familiar with the gun. This was the first time this young man had ever fired a gun. (You can also click here to check out the video.)
On Friday evening a banquet was held where a delicious meal was served, a speaker delivered a message from God's Word, and each of the hunters were introduced. This year's event was one of the largest ever, with a total of 23 hunters participating. Each hunter is usually accompanied by a parent or guardian, and they are paired up with at least two guides for the hunt. There are also many behind the scenes volunteers who prepare food, landowners who donate the use of their property, and lots of people setting up and tearing down before and after the event. So altogether there are several hundred people who are involved to make the weekend a success.
The first hunt was scheduled for Saturday morning as all 23 hunters took to the field with their guides in search of that trophy longbeard. Despite some windy weather, that morning's hunt turned out to be great as five of the hunters harvested a turkey. I was paired up with a young man from Minnesota named Zach Olson. Zach was involved in an automobile accident a few years ago that left him in a coma for 5 1/2 months. The injuries he suffered during the accident also affected his mobility which is improving, but he primarily has to remain in his wheelchair. I was also accompanied on the hunt by two other guides - Greg Somers and Josh Nelson.
During the first morning's hunt we heard turkeys gobbling all around us, but we just couldn't seem to coaxe one within shooting range. So we came back to camp empty handed on Saturday morning. But that evening proved to be a different story!
When we got to the blind that afternoon, the rain was steadily falling and at one point it was literally a downpour. That's when we noticed a hen and a gobbler walk out into the cornfield to our right about 100 yards away. The turkey calling duties had been assigned to me, and I tried my best to get the gobbler's attention with the slate call, but the rain was coming down so hard that he couldn't hear me. About 30 minutes later, after the rain subsided, I started hitting the call again. By this time the gobbler was out of sight, but I got him to respond to the call.
We could hear him answering back with a loud gobble almost everytime I hit the call over the next half hour. The rainfall hitting the blind and the sound of my slate call had apparently sung Zach to sleep, so as he snoozed the other guides and I kept our eyes peeled for the bird. After about a dozen gobbles from the tom in response to the call, it finally sounded like he was closing the distance. We could tell he was not far behind our blind, and when I looked to my right I saw him walking in directly to the decoys.
That's when all three of us guides began to frantically try to wake Zach up! We finally got him awake and ready to make the shot when we realized the safety on the gun was still on. So we got the safety off and helped Zach get realigned on the bird again. The slow day of nodding off in the blind quickly turned into about a minute of tense adrenaline. Zach fired the gun and made a great shot! The bird was standing 26 yards away, just past the decoys, and Zach hammered him with the 20 guage. Josh and Greg had no problems recovering the bird. We all celebrated, high-fived, and enjoyed the moment. The bird was an old tom that had a 10 1/2" beard and 1" spurs. Congratulations on harvesting your first turkey Zach! I also should mention that SYC has taxidermy work done for each of the hunters who harvested a bird so they can show off and enjoy their trophy!
There were lots of memorable moments from the weekend, and one that I don't want to fail to mention was the opportunity I had to meet a young man named Matt Stutzman. Matt is such an inspiration! He was born without arms, but has become one of the best archers you will ever see shoot a bow. How does he shoot a bow you might ask? Check out this video of Matt in action! (You can also click here to check out the video.)
As you can tell, it was a weekend full of inspiration and ministry. For more information about SYC Ministries or to make a donation check out their website at http://www.syciowa.com/. Here are some more pictures from the event.
“A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers.” - Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
SYC Iowa
Check out this ministry that shares the love of Jesus Christ to physically challenged youth.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
About Me
I am 31 years old and have been happily married to Steph for 8 years. We have 2 beautiful daughters, Katy who is 6 and Keelie who is 3.
I love being outdoors and taking in God's creation. I love hunting and anything involved with it. I am especially interested in habitat and wildlife management, and have recently started building my own game cameras. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Management and spent the first several years of my career working as a Park Ranger.
I am blessed to have a Daddy who taught me how to hunt and fish as a kid. Hunting with my dad has always been something special that we have shared over the years and I hope the memories continue to grow.
I was also taught alot about the outdoors from my late Grandaddy, Wayne Watson, who was an avid quail hunter that loved bird dogs. I attribute most of what I know about shotgunning to my uncle, Robert Watson, who is the best wingshooter I know.
Most importantly, I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, that he was buried and rose again on the third day, and that a personal relationship with Him is the only way to have eternal life in Heaven.
I love the game of baseball - it is the greatest sport of all time, but the likes of Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez have tainted the sport. I think the spitball should be made legal again.
I am a firm believer that Garth Brooks single-handedly ruined country music. I'd like to horse-whip him.
I am passionate about Blue Bell Ice Cream. I simply refuse to eat any other brand. Try it and you'll know why.
I love to drink coffee, but you won't find me in a Starbucks. I think it is the epitome of America's over-indulgence.
These people, in no particular order, have each had a significant role influencing me when it comes to hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general. To each of them, I am truly thankful.
Scott Jordan - Daddy started taking me hunting and fishing with him at about the age of 5 or 6. One of my earliest hunting memories is of opening day of dove season in about 1985. I was only 6 years old, not big enough to actually hunt, but I remember vividly that day being one for the ages. It was steadily raining all day, and we were hunting west of Gunter, Texas in a maize field that was full of round bales, and I got to retrieve the birds. My Dad and my Uncle Robert will still tell you to this day that there were more birds that day than they have ever seen.
Wayne Watson - Grandaddy's eyesight had started to fail by the time I was old enough to hunt, so we never actually got to hunt together. He is the one who taught me how to use open sights on a rifle. I remember him teaching me how to make the front sight sit right on top of the back sight, and to hold my breath while I squeezed the trigger. He always said that by squeezing the trigger instead of jerking, I wouldn't know exactly when the gun would fire, so I would be more accurate. Grandaddy passed away on January 1, 1997.
Robert Watson - I've always wanted to be able to shoot as good as Uncle Robert. He is the best wingshooter I know, and he shoots competitively in a skeet/trap league. Anytime someone compliments me on my shotgunning, I think, man, if they could only see my uncle shoot, they wouldn't think I was any good. He has given me lots of pointers and I always enjoy when I get to go to the skeet range with him. We have bird hunted together quite a bit over the years. When I was about 10 or 11, my Uncle took me and my Dad to his deer lease with him in central Texas. An incident happened on that trip that opened my eyes to the importance of firearm safety, and I will never forget it.
Dr. Tim Patton- This was one of my college professors and advisor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I learned more about wildlife and fisheries from his lectures and field trips than anywhere else. He encouraged me to apply for the summer Park Ranger position at Lake Texoma, which eventually led to my career with the Corps of Engineers. Some of my favorite college memories are of field trips with Dr. Patton to trap fish in some of the streams of southeastern Oklahoma.
Kenyon Wood - Mr. Wood was my Ag teacher in high school. During my Junior year he taught a wildlife management class, which is where I completed the Texas Hunter's Education Course and the Boater's Education Course. He took us on field trips to shoot skeet and archery equipment, to fish, and to the TPWD Wildlife Expo in Austin. Mr. Wood passed away during the summer between my Junior and Senior year of a heart defect. I couldn't bring myself to take Ag my Senior year without him there.
Steve Hollensed - Mr. Hollensed was my science teacher in high school. He also assisted Mr. Wood with the wildlife management class. Mr. Hollensed was an avid bass fisherman. He taught us how to make our own lures and to tie different kinds of fishing knots. He took us on a field trip to Lake Ray Roberts to watch the TPWD biologists electroshock fish to take sample data. That was probably the first time I realized I wanted to have a job involving the outdoors and wildlife. The last time I saw Mr. Hollensed I told him that I was a Park Ranger at Lavon Lake and I could tell that he was proud of what I had done and that he had impacted the life of one of his students.
Denny Somers - Denny is a longtime family friend who lives in northwest Iowa. My Dad and I have pheasant hunted with Denny every year since I was 16 years old. Denny and his wife Kathy are very generous people and are an integral part of a ministry that spreads the love of Jesus Christ to physically challenged youth by providing them a means to overcome their disability through hunting. Denny's place is a haven for wildlife and I enjoy the trip every year. He is also an avid deer hunter and harvested a deer in 2001 with his bow that scored in the high 170's.
Carl Davis - Carl was a member of our church growing up and he always gave my Dad and I an open invitation to hunt on his land. When I was 12 or 13 years old, he always made me feel like I was the best shot in the field by complimenting me in front of the rest of the group. It made a lasting impression on me, and I hope to be able to pass that on to another youngster some day. He also bought one of my showpigs my Freshman year, and then turned around and gave it right back to me. Carl was a hardworking painter and he passed away at a very young age when I was a Senior in high school.
Mark and Terry Drury - I've never actually met these guys, but they are brothers who have a hunting show called "Wildlife Obsession" on the Outdoor Channel. Their show, which happens to be my favorite, is more than just about shooting a deer. They are primarily bowhunters that explain the ins and outs of deer hunting and talk about different aspects of the sport that most people don't consider, like why they choose specific stand locations, how to effectively use food plots, and other informative tips. I've learned quite a bit about bowhunting from watching these guys. They also host another show called "Dream Season" where teams of amateur hunters compete by videoing their hunts in an effort to become part of the Drury Outdoors team.
Ben Jezek - Ben was a friend of mine growing up who had his own boat in high school. Neither one of us played football our Senior year and spent many hours on Lake Ray Roberts while our friends were at football practice. Ben taught me how to use a Carolina rig to fish for bass. On one trip with Ben to Ray Roberts, I caught a bass that weighed about 8 pounds. I got it mounted and still have it on my wall today. Ben knew Lake Ray Roberts like the back of his hand, especially where the humps and brushpiles were, and he could put you on fish just about every trip.
