NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/377644
64 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2014 Special Youth Challenge Hunts Volunteers make outdoor dreams a reality for deserved youth. By Julie Geiser I t was a crisp morning when Special Youth Challenge (SYC) hunter Cody Peterson, his dad Dewey, mentors Jack McCullough and Trevor Gotschall settled into their turkey blind, tucked away among the hardwoods on the edge of a hay field in Brown County. At the first sign of daybreak, the sounds of gobblers could be heard as the hunters waited in high hopes of calling one in. The excitement grew as McCullough and Gotschall answered the two toms still roosting in the treetops, calling back and forth until the pair came running to the hen decoys, ready to spar for the affection of the plastic females. As the toms tried to gain leverage over one another, a shot came from Peterson. After some whooping, high fives and a short prayer of thanks for a great hunt, they ventured out of the blind to see the morning's quarry. Cody was excited to see his bird and quickly crossed the hay field – as the rest tried to keep up with the speed of his wheel chair. The smile on Peterson's face said many unspoken words that day; a rewarding part of the SYC program which provides training and specialized equipment necessary to help get youth hunters in the field to achieve their dreams of hunting, as well as the opportunity to make friends and memories that last a lifetime. Keith Cline, an archer from Long Pine, became involved with SYC after learning about a chapter in Iowa. With many non-profit chapters around the United States, Cline set out to make this program a reality in Nebraska after witnessing the remarkable way it touches peoples' lives. Now, the Christian- based SYC of Northern Nebraska is in its second year of taking youth into the field. But guns and equipment are expensive and specialized equipment is needed. Currently, .870 shotguns, donated by the Iowa chapter and mounted on a frame called a turret, are used in the blinds. Each shotgun is mounted with a scope that has a small screen and is sighted in with the gun. The screen shows a picture of what the gun is pointed at along with crosshairs to make sure the youth are on target when hunting – it's almost like a video game. For Peterson's hunt, Cline recruited volunteers and landowners willing to provide places to hunt. Cline then wanted a place to call base camp during the hunt, and approached Camp Witness in Long Pine. "The camp came on board and gave us the facility for free," Cline said. "After that, everything just fell into place and we all worked together to get the chapter started." Several individuals and churches built and donated 12 blinds; each blind fit two guides, the hunter and a parent or guardian. The blinds are portable, easy to store and move from place to place. The blinds are so portable that the chapter took them on the ice in January and got some lucky youth anglers out ice fishing. Blinds, however, are only part of the equipment needed to accomplish a SYC hunt. Cline said a local machine shop fabricated and donated 12 turrets to the chapter – a major part of the equipment needed. The safety on the gun is used as well as another stick that the mentor holds. The buttons must be pushed by the mentor and youth hunter for the gun to be able to fire, which gives another aspect of safety for all involved. Some of the youth using the guns don't have the hand strength to pull a trigger – no problem; these guns shoot with a trigger mechanism that resembles a video game stick with a thumb button on top that, when pushed down, fires the gun. The screens and sticks are attached to a car battery that powers the system, lighting the screen and making the sticks functional to fire the gun. Cody Peterson has always liked to be outdoors, accompanying his dad Dewey on many outdoor excursions. Even though Cody has been on several trips, he has never been able to fire a gun and shoot anything until the SYC organized and provided the equipment necessary for him to be the shooter. "SYC has given Cody the opportunity to get into the field," Dewey said. "Cody has made many new friends in the SYC and he looks forward to each hunt – once one hunt is over he is excited and looking forward to the next one." ■ If you have or know a youth that would like to get out in the field or if you would like to donate to the SYC of Northern Nebraska chapter, visit the SYC website at Sycnebraska.com and go to the contacts page. Mentor Trevor Gotschall and hunter Cody Peterson admire Cody's turkey taken during a SYC hunt in 2013. PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER