Staring in the Face of Adversity

  What is a dream if it is never realized? What is a victory when there is no chance of defeat? All too often these questions are never answered and people go about their lives accepting whatever comes their way. But then on occasion, a beacon shines through the darkness piercing all doubt and stares in the face of adversity, as if to be rendering a challenge to an enemy that calls all too often. To all that know him, Ryan Roberts is that beacon.

  Ryan was born with a disease called Larsen’s Syndrome. This condition was originally described and named by Dr. Larsen in 1950 to be multiple joint dislocations which affect the joints and spinal area. Ryan has spent much of his life going through multiple surgeries to gain enough mobility to allow him to participate in some of the things that he so passionately loves.

  I think all of us can remember back on the times in our youth when we anxiously awaited the day to be able to participate in the hunt. I know for me, I spent several trips carrying empty firearms mile after mile on small game hunts. With the cresting of every hilltop brought new adventure and experiences. In my mind, I could hunt as far as Washington and back across through Canada on one day’s hunt. I’ve spent countless hours stalking bull elk brush piles in the backyard with a Red Rider BB gun. I harvested some trophies and never left the yard.

  For Ryan, things were a little different. Ryan relied heavily on his family to assist him and help him get into situations that he could enjoy the outdoors and all its majesty. Ryan’s father is an avid outdoorsman which allowed Ryan the opportunity to do some of the things that he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do. After traveling with his father to an antelope hunt in New Mexico, Ryan’s father decided it was time to find a way for his son to be more involved.

  One of the major challenges was finding a firearm that would accommodate Ryan’s condition. After numerous hours of searching and trying a few different designs, Ryan’s family found a model of what they were after, which was a Weatherby CFP center fire pistol. Along with help from Frank Houx and Dan Isler of Cabelas, Weatherby agreed to custom build Ryan a pistol in a 240 Weatherby Magnum. This worked perfectly for Ryan and allowed him to have an opportunity to harvest an animal rather than simply be there when an animal was harvested. With the largest obstacle met, Ryan still needed a scope. Ryan’s cousin, Austin, found a Nikon muzzleloader scope that gave enough eye relief for Ryan to be able to fire the pistol and have a clear sight through his scope. With the leg work finished, Ryan was ready to hunt and this time not just as a spectator. He was in the game!

  After a couple of white tail hunts, it was time for his mule deer hunt in Colorado. It was Ryan’s turn. The hunt brought success that most outdoorsmen only dream about. The hunt ended with Ryan harvesting a monstrous muley which scored 247 6/8. In case those numbers are confusing, that would be criteria for a trophy in anyone’s eyes. No longer was Ryan longing to be involved in a harvest. He had done it. Ryan had defied what his condition said would never be done. This time, everyone in camp gave Ryan his induction and was admiring his trophy and asking how his hunt went.

  Inspiration comes in all forms and fashions. Sometimes it comes in the form of a seventeen year old young man with the will power and desire that won’t allow him to be held back any longer. You know, life is peculiar sometimes. The dealer hands out the cards and it is our job to play the hand. There are always two options. We can either play another card or fold. Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, “if not now, then when?” Live your dreams and play the aces. With a little help, you just may win the hand.

A Day in the Life of a Hunting Club Member

   Okay. I’m finally home from an evening of mano y mano intensity smackdowns! I see I have had a few more visitors just waiting in the balances to find out just what happened at probate court today. As I have already stated…..I’m INNOCENT!

  Let me give you a little background. I hunt on a 2300 acre lease in which I paid $755 to do so back in the spring. As with all leases, there is always a little drama. Earlier this year, we had several hundred acres select cut directly behind where I have been hunting. As you guessed, I was flooded with avid patrons searching for that next “best” spot. If you are on a club, you know all about the endless “best” spots people have. This is my second year in, so I didn’t rock the boat too bad. So, that’s the scenario I have here.

  On opening weekend, my father, youngest son, and I went to my uncle’s land in south Georgia for the weekend. We had a good weekend. My son had a chance at a really nice eight pointer that gave us the slip. I hunt for chances, not kills. I am satisfied to have a chance at such a majestic animal. You win some, you lose some.

  When we all returned, I got word that the DNR had came to our club and wrote 2 tickets. One for hunting over bait, and the other for hunting without an orange vest, which is a whole other story in itself. Call it what it is, I say. Some folks got caught and some folks were genuinely sorry. A few days passed, and I received another phone call that said the tally was up to 9 tickets being wrote. The following day, the tally stood at 19. The day after, we got a phone call from a fellow hunter about thirty miles away that, “he heard” (and I love that one….”Well, I heard…”) that the total was up to 29.

  In the midst of it all, I learned that the game warden had entered our club by way of around the gates and had all four of his four wheeler tires slashed by an obstruction in the ditch. Keep that obstruction fresh in your mind. It will come up again.

  I received an official phone call that instructed me that my presence, along with all other of the twenty three members, was requested to show up for probate court. Now, take into consideration, that not only was this a big hassle, but very costly. Now isn’t the time to be missing work for foolishness. A day’s pay is still big at my house.

  We showed up today at 11:00 AM just as instructed, only to find, that a mere 13 members showed. No one said anything about contempt, so I found out just exactly how important this meeting was after all. QUESTION…Have you ever heard the song Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie with three part harmony? This day was having a strange resemblance.

  We walked in, sat down. The judge walked in, sat down. Officer Obie walked in, sat down. That was the arresting officer. I know he was just doing his job, but I was struggling to find my place in the matter. The judge stood up, and Officer Oppie stood up. Reaching down to his desk, the judge picked up a twelve inch strip of steel with six, 3″ spikes welded on it.

  “Your hunting club is going to pay for those tires, and better yet, I find it hard to believe that anyone would do such a thing,” the judge said. “I want to know who is responsible for this.” I know where the spikes came from and I suppose that will come up when someone asks me to help pay for the tires. That will be my next blog entry. Needless to say, I am not paying for any tires!

  Officer Obie took the floor again and said that he had found ten stands with corn on the ground, with one of the areas being where I hunt. Now I admit, I have a 55 gallon drum feeder close to one of my stands. The dog I have in that hunt is the fact that I haven’t filled it since August of 2007. It must have been running in quarter second burts. Fact is, there was no corn. Officer Obie saw a feeder which is perfectly legal. Again, he was just doing his job and he told me to just make sure I didn’t fill it during season. As Arlo said, quote….”He slapped us on the wrist, made us pay the $50, and pick up the garbage”….end quote.

  I was satisfied, the judge was satisfied, and Officer Obie was satisfied. The problem was, some of the fellow comrades were not. We heard excuses and diversions that went anywhere from “I broke the law, but the police was out to get me”, to the judge was in cahoots with the local football coach that got fired this season and he had a personal vendetta against the community. Do you recall the movie about Wyatt Earp when Curly Bill said, “$50 won’t pay for half the contempt I have for this court?” We were headed in that direction.

   Me and my hunting buddy sat in disbelief. I am still in awe at people’s general lack of respect for authority and self pride that keeps them in that mode. You know the old saying? “If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck….then it’s a flippin duck!” I added the “flippin” part. Some people got caught. A total of five tickets were wrote for hunters sitting in wood box blinds, two of which to hunters that had spent the night in their box blind (again, another story), and one ticket written for bait. The accusations were not that severe. Just pay the $50 and pick up the garbage! Right?

  I found out right quick a few years ago when contesting a speeding ticket. “If you show up to court, then the judge will drop it,” they told me. Have you ever heard that one before? Well, it isn’t true! It just gives you a nice little counter on which to write the check!

  So you may find yourself in a similar situation with the judge, and Officer Obie. My advice to you is when your caught, your caught! Pay the $50 and pick up the garbage and be done with it!

As Arlo pinned,

You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant
Walk right in it’s around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant

posted by Braden Arp @ Tuesday, November 25, 2008