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Central Cal Hunting Reports from Western Outdoor NewsHUNTING GEARSELECT A PRODUCT TYPEBig Game Drawing Applications Due June 2All premium deer hunt tags and elk, antelope and big-horn sheep tags are distributed through the DFG Big Game Drawing. All big game tag applications for the annual Big Game Drawing must be received at the DFG’s License and Revenue Branch, in Sacramento, by 5pm on June 2, 2010. See DFG’s California Hunting Digest (pages 16, 34, 40 and 42) at DFG.ca.gov. WOUNDED WARRIORS: Injured women vets celebrated for first time with Vandenburg pig huntby CARRIE WILSON/Special to Western Outdoor News LOMOP -- As daylight broke over the rugged central California Coast Range, the hunter and guide hiked a long tough trail to the ridge top for a good vantage point to glass the rugged terrain. A hefty black boar rooted through a thick mustard patch below. Slowly and quietly, they stalked the animal until the opportunity was right. The hunter steadied the .308, lined up the shot, took a deep breath, and slowly squeezed the trigger. Though 250 yads away, the unsuspecting marauding pig dropped, and we all yelled out the words we’d waited for, “Pig Down!!” The hunter was Kisha Makerney, a pretty, petite, shy, blond 25-year-old woman from Fort Towson, Okla. and her volunteer guide was local hunter Steve Reisbeck from Orcutt. Although this was Kisha’s first rifle pig hunt, she proved tougher than she first appeared and was obviously no stranger to precision shooting and hiking through rough terrain. None of us watching realized how challenging this feat really was. She never gave any indications of struggle or that she was accomplishing all of this as an amputee with a prosthetic leg! In addition to this display of tenacity, we also learned afterwards that she was the first military woman with a prosthetic leg to return to Iraq for duty, and beginning this summer she’s joining the Army's prestigious Marksmanship Team. Kisha was one of four remarkable women from around the country flown in for this pig hunt in their honor. New ground was broken with this celebration hunt honoring our brave injured female veterans - it’s the first of its kind in the country. Thanks to the endless energy and enthusiasm of Vickie Gardner from Alpen Optics, local volunteer guides Steve Reisbeck and Alan Crowder, Vandenberg AFB and many others, it won’t be the last. These inspiring young women have all bravely served our country overseas and suffered injuries while doing so that changed their lives forever. Despite their now compromised conditions (amputations, spinal cord injuries, nerve damage, head trauma, and more) their great spirits, lack of self-pity, and positive attitudes amazed, inspired and humbled everyone they encountered over those few days. Two of the four women had never hunted before. Marissa Strock, 24, from Sand Lake, NY had just completed her hunter safety class in order to attend. Stealthily dressed in camo from head to toe and in what appeared to be sandals (but were actually two prosthetic legs), she shot a big 180-pound spotted boar from a blind. After the pig kill was confirmed, Strock was immediately on the phone with her mom shouting the good news. “This young lady really found a way into my heart,” said her guide Steve Reisbeck. “When I saw her artificial limbs and realized just how broken her body must have been, it really choked me up. I truly believe there was divine intervention as this pig started out 500 yards out, and was moving away before he came back in range of the .308. I coached her through the shot, and she did just great. We hugged and jumped around like children afterwards. I was so happy to be a part of her experience! And the rest is now a wonderful memory for both Marissa and me,” he added. Although the goal for the weekend was to shoot pigs, that satisfaction was only a portion of what was gained. Cheri Arnold, a former Air Force nurse from Ward, Ark. particularly impressed this reporter. She’d received debilitating spinal injuries when a gurney collapsed while transporting an injured comrade to triage. Arnold had never hunted before, nor even considered it. When she first got the call inviting her to this celebration hunt, she didn’t think she wasn’t capable of doing it. “What if I fall? What if I can’t get up? They will all laugh at me,” said Arnold. “But because there were four of us, I think we held each other up without even knowing it. We all have different disabilities and fears, but similarly, we don’t want to humiliate ourselves as a result of them. For me, just knowing I wasn’t the only one likely to fall out there, then I wasn’t worried anymore,” she continued. “You can’t live your life in a bubble,” added Cate Callahan who hails from San Antonio, Tex. Cate served in both the Army and Air Force but a surgical accident occurred (following some jumps from airplanes) which left her with a serious spinal injury. “Rather than needing to fit in with the boys like usual, it’s nice to have the women separated from the men for a change,” she said. Many local people and businesses were on the ground making sure everything ran smoothly throughout the entire event. Everyone involved in support of this hunt wanted to see them succeed. “And succeed we did,” said Arnold. “Maybe not by calling out, ‘Pig Down!’, but by having the courage to try, not just once, but on multiple hunts. Thanks to having such experienced guides with Alan (Crowder) and Steve (Reisbeck) leading the way, we saw pigs every time out. Not everyone has that experience when they hunt!!” Vickie Gardner of Alpen Optics was the inspiration behind this first ever celebration for our brave injured women veterans. On Gardner’s suggestion, Paralyzed Vets of America’s Outdoor Recreation and Safari Club International jumped in by providing support and funding. Alpen Optics donated binoculars and rifle scopes to the women and picked up most of the expenses, Weatherby loaned the rifles, and Vandenberg AFB provided the hunting property and game processing facility. “It was truly healing and uplifting and will have a lasting effect on the rest of my life,” said Arnold. ”When I joined the Air Force, I didn’t realize how large my family would grow and how small the world would suddenly become.” “Spending time in the outdoors is healing,” said Gardner. “That’s why we wanted to celebrate these brave women by helping to get them outdoors to have some fun!” Hunting Season Calendar2010
2011
This is a general hunting calendar, for complete rules, regulations, tags and dates for each zone area in California see the California Hunting Digest at DFG.ca.gov. |
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