General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Bear hunting dreams come true for children with disabilities and illnesses"
(my input: there certainly are far healthier "dreams" than killing something)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hunters-critically-ill-kids-chance-hunt-big-game-article-1.1176262
Bear hunting dreams come true for children with disabilities and illnesses
The United Special Sportsman Alliance asked bear hunters in Wisconsin to donate their hunting permits to help children achieve their dreams.
By Michael Walsh / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, October 5, 2012, 6:09 PM
An 11-year-old girl, waiting for a heart and liver transplant, had her dream come true when she killed a 335 pound black bear with a single shot to the heart.
The United Special Sportsman Alliance (USSA) organized hunting trips in Junction City, Wis. for children with disabilities. The non-profit charity is dedicated to helping disabled and critically-ill children experience the "outdoor adventure of their dreams!" In this instance, the dream was bagging a black bear.
Kaitlynn, 11, from Stetsonville, Wisc., was born with tricuspid atresia, a type of heart disease. She expected to return from the hunt empty handed but managed to shoot the 335 pound black bear, which her family intends to mount on the wall.
"When I looked through that scope I didn't see it as a bear, I saw it as like a 300 pound lion that's about to like attack you, so I held the gun as steady as I could, I turned my head and then I shot," Kaitlynn told ABC News affiliate WAOW-TV.
Little Savannah, pictured above, has had trouble feeling normal because of her constant battle with illness, her mother explained. On the trip Savannah managed to capture a 121 pound bear.
..more..
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hunters-critically-ill-kids-chance-hunt-big-game-article-1.1176262#ixzz28oTKHcGr
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)The local high school held a rodeo last Saturday. In the afternoon they had special needs children come for some fun. My grandson has Down Syndrome. They helped him ride a horse, rope a dummy calf, ride the mechanical bull, and pet a goat. They gave him a shirt and a cowboy had. They had him throwing his hat and yelling "Yee Haw."
That night the real rodeo was held and my grandson was admitted free. They had him ride a horse in the opening procession. He was grinning from ear to ear.
It was an unforgettable experience and it was a reminder that there are some great young people in this country!
a more positive experience
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)rodeos are supremely cruel, too. Have you seen how they yank the calves off their feet and how they torment the horses and bulls to make them buck? I would never attend a rodeo nor a circus that uses animals.
I know your grandson wasn't involved in those activities, but supporting rodeos in general just perpetuates the cruelty.
On another note: If your grandson liked the horseback ride, I wonder if there is a riding therapy place nearby? They do great work and tend to treat their animals very well.
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)I don't support cruelty to animals.
It was just a fun day for my grandson.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)You presented rodeo like it was an alternative to a cruel event. What I'm saying is that people who go to rodeos help perpetuate that sick form of "entertainment" and the brutality inherent in them, even if that is not their intention.
There are alternatives to attending them, and other ways for your grandson to have fun.
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)I am happy for my grandson.
And I am happy that there are young adults who spend time with children like my grandson.
begin_within
(21,551 posts)cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)Tom_x
(41 posts)There are much less violent dreams than that
mzmolly
(50,957 posts)RebelOne
(30,947 posts)G_j
(40,366 posts)I liked to "play war" when I was a little child. I might have even wished I could fight in a "real war".
LisaL
(44,962 posts)"But there are some wishes the foundation wont grant. For the past year, Make-A-Wish has refused to arrange hunting trips."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=94686&page=1#.UHQxwK7wGSo
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)LisaL
(44,962 posts)That animal wants to live too.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,294 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)former-republican
(2,163 posts)couldn't pull the trigger.
I feel the same way about bears.
bkkyosemite
(5,792 posts)bet it's the parents who gave them that outlook on life or I mean death.
former-republican
(2,163 posts)But the way black bear hunts are set up by guide services , very little can go wrong.
Most of them are stand hunts over bait.
G_j
(40,366 posts)unless they stay out of sight..
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)Ugh, nasty. My first thought is of that filthy Ted Nugent.
Grave Grumbler
(160 posts)Good for them!
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I'm not too terribly impressed by anyone whose dream in life it is to kill.
But... I suppose to each their own heart-warming and inspiring message-of-life-through-killing-- or however they want to rationalize it.
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)G_j
(40,366 posts)is necessarily good or appropriate.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)WTF???
I guess I just don't understand flyover America
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)My daughters bucket list would include some extreme hunts and fishing if she was in the same situation.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)I just see no reason to do it. Bear never bothered me, so why bother him or her?
However, if it's a fish - it's coming up and getting a nice whack on the head Granted, I am too impatient to fish a lot, but I love taking the kids down to the fish pond (with guaranteed catches) and grabbing a few trouts
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)Also the permits pay for all sorts of other conservation. Hunting feeds a lot of people and ensures managable populations so we dony have thousands of deer wandering through the suburbs starving in the winter.